Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-10-09
WRECKAGE-STREWN BGTTLEFIELDS
LOOK AS If SWEPT BY CYCLONE


etor called us to witness what had
happened to the far wing of the no
tel. 1t was demolished.
ALERT" had just been sounded and
the soldiers were running through the
streets. We ran out in time TO see a
building fall half a block away, com
pletely filling the street by which we
entered the town an hour earlier.
In few minutes we heard the sharp
crackle of infantry about half mile
away and had a sudden desire to get
away before the automobile retreat
was cut of Just then we heard the
sound of an aero engine overhead. 1t
was flying so low that through a
glass we could easily see the whir-
ring propeller
Germans Fire at Aviator.
The machine was mounted with a
rapid-fire gun, which was trying to 10
cate the German gunners. who i'm
mediately abandoned the destruction
Of the town in an attempt to bring it |
down.
For ten minutes we saw shells
bursting all about it. At times it was |
lost in smoke, but when the smoke
cleared away there was the mono
plane still blazing away, always
mounting to higher level and finally
disappearing toward the French
lines.
There was another iull in the can
nonade and we were permitted to
pass down the street near a river.
where, by peering around a building
we could see where the German bat
teries were secreted in the hills. We
were warned not to get into the street
which led to the bridge, as the Ger
mans raked that street with their
fire If a person appeared. We then
took advantage Of lun in the fir
ing and departed to the south at 70
miles an hour, to beat the shells IL
any were aimed our way as we
crossed the rise in the hill.
Shells Strike 100 Years Apart.
We passed the night at a village
where considerable execution had
been done by German shells. We saw
one curious effect of them. In a
historic building near the city hall
there was a shell imbedded in the
wall with a plate fixed beneath it
showing 1t struck there in the year
1914. Just next to it was an unex-
ploded shell Of 100 years after stick
ing in the wall.
We again struck out toward the
battle line, but when we were with
in sound of the firing the authorities
| Of
and detained us for two days as
guests of a regimental staff, which
was quartered in courtyard. There
we were privileged TO see how the
French soldiers lived and became such
hardened fighters as they were prov
| ing themselves to be. We ate with
them and slept with them in the straw
until orders came to send us to Paris.
AS we were leaving our coward the
authorities grabbed another group of
correspondents, four in number, head
ed by Richard Harding Davis. They
were ordered to accompany us to
Paris instead of passing several days
In the straw sampling bareback and
army fare.
Tells OF Horrors Of War.
London.-The Standard correspond
emit, F. st. Beaman, writing from a
town in France, says:
The fearful horrors of war can
never be grasped by seeing the care
fully tended wounded who come back
to England and hearing their tales
however gruesome, while there ia
scarcely a day In any of the French
towns near the armies that does moi
bring with it some live terror from
the front. One example will sufflce
to point out this truth. Four days
ago the hospital corps and volun
teers were notified that convoy was
expected. Towards midnight it ar
rived, bringing French and German
wounded. The latter were abandoned
by the Germans in Senlis when they
retreated after setting fire to the
town.
I'VE had had many trains of wound
ed before, and all necessary arrange
ments were made as usual, but wheI
this convoy arrived even the mos
hardened had to summon all fortitudt
, to the task of emptying the carriages
When man had broken leg o
arm or bullet through his lungs tn
skilled ambulance stan soon had hin
comfortably backed, but here wer,
human vestiges SO mangled that i
was difficult to fnd place to toucl
them without causing screams am
means. An insufferable charnal hous
stencil pervades the whole night all
: Laid Out Four Days.
Most of the wounded had lain 70
i four days and nights where they ha
} fallen before being picked up, an
t had not yet had their wounds exam
ined, much less dressed. Under tn
, burning sun and myriad OF flies an
: under later rains they had been lei
. to suffer the torture of pain, hunge
: and thirst until it was marvel the
3 still breathed.
j 'The state of their wounds cannt
be guessed and does not bear desert
ton. It was three o'clock In tn
Q morning before they could be di
q posed OF in hospitals. Even
hours later all had had first dressing
o The Germans we're far the worst case
d for the French fire seemed to hay
been much more destructive, an
when 1t does not kill outright ravagt
e horribly. After four days many die
t, and we had to shift them again, sue
d OF them as could be moved"