South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-01-06
TRENCH SHIPPING
AKIN To MURDER
Oxford Professor Writes Home
Telling of Experience in
Stealing Out and Taking
Close Range Shots at Enemy.
by Herbert Temple.


trenches in Flanders is murder. saws
an oxford university professor in q
letter home which has Just come into
my possession. He gives a vivid ac-
count OF the horrors or warfare in \
pine wood where the Germans can
be heard sapping so yards in front OF
the British line
This professor OF Greek and Latin
has been a master OF scouts since
August he writes to his junior dean
from some place in the vicinity Of
Ypres. His letter is as follows.
This is the thirteenth day in the
tFenches, at least I think SO. but r
can hardly tell. and have exper-
charge and wash. We have been
holding trenches in a pine wood-at
least II was a pine wood now IL IS
match wood. soaked. splintered spat-
tered with wet and blood. There has
been no hand-to-Eand lighting II has
all been done by the shell and rifle
hre with pneumatic bombs. The Ger
mans main trench runs in a line
whose nearest point is 500 and fur
thest 1900 yards from us But i'm
between they have been burrowinc
up and In the last few days when I
nave been scoutmaster I have dis
covered subsidiary trenches pits and
dugouts from within 100 to so yards
OF our line. You can't see them be-
cause Of the tangled woods, but you
can hear the men digging and hack
ing as soon as you get five yards out.
/ myself have constantly within the
last few days been within 30 yards.
rms morning / shot at four men i'm a
pit at range OF five Yards in the
weird light OF a damp and frozen MOI
vember dawn. II was like a dreamR
seeing the phantom spade rising ~
railing behind a mound of damDT
earth. creeping up pistol in hand
through broken and small tree trunks.
peeping down into a six-foot nit
sighting four ghostly biue-gray fig
ures and punctuating the whole gray
unhealthy with four red pistol flashes.
I didn't wait long. L may have
hit one or two, but the others had
rifles in their hands by this time. and
their main line of dugOuts was only
20 yards in front of me. I turned.
called upon the two scouts who were
with me. and fed. 1 am going to
tell you what a ave man I am. be.
cause / don't knC " when I shall be
hit, though somehow / feel confident
l shall come through and I want 10
leave a testimony. Your think I'm
a savage. Shipping is little better than
murder.
HelIish Machine.
NO one who hasn't seen this can
realize what II is like
THE Germans have a hell or
machine which has been brought into
play against our trenches in the last
three days. Shot from a distance OF
800 yards. a two-foot long projectile.
which one can watch at all points in
its flight, goes high into the air and
comes down almost plumb at the
point aimed at. 1t is called. I believe.
a Minenwerfer-20 pounds of shell.
& special corner of our line-not our
company section. thank God-has
been their special aim. They put
these internal bombs into "A circle OF
80 yards radius They smash in the
trenches, blow men TO bits and stupe-
fy and poison others.
Il had the escape of my life yester-
day afternoon. / had reconnoitred all
the German positions in front Of us.
going out daily at dawn and dusk. and
nearly always coming within 80 yards
of our enemy and my four scouts.
I reckon we shot some Germans.
though / am a rotten marksman and
the twilight and the zine wood is no
help TO scoring. In consequence, /
think / have a certain kudos at bat
talon headquarters. We had nothing
of the kind before great mistake.
for now the enemy do not let Us move
an eyelid above our trenches Some
spots are perfect death-traps before
their Shippers though fortunately -
ground is too difficult to let tn
snipe all along the line. Still. thS
can mark accurately where we are.
and. most unfortunately, where our
MaXims are. 1t is useless now TO lush
them back We are not strong
enough. and between their advanced
dugouts and their main trench they
can prepare their deN'iish device. the
Weary Willie. their bombs, shot prob
ably from "A pneumatic gun, and which
YOU can see coming at you al the
way"
Two-Thirds Fighting.
4 census Of oxford shows that
tyvo-thirds of the students and fac
ultv are either now in the lighting or
in training camps. The oxford dons
has shown special enthusiasm. Every
one aged less than 60 years has re-
sponded to the call Your king and
country need YOU. The younger dons
are commissioned officers In the active
forces. while the older are enlisted for
home defense.
This has brought about the cur1OSs
situation that the British are in
minority at the university The
larger mart Of the student body con-
sists Of Indians. Americans and Other
foreigners instruction az the unlFer-
sitv Is somewhat curtailcd on account
of the Red Cross work being done no
oxford. The examination schools
town hall and Masonic Duhdlns are
military hospitals while conFalescents
are using the college gardens. me
students spend part OF the day
nursing
1hTDtNN Mo0IIhI0 MEG