The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-07-30
TAKING OF CARENCY
Soldier Describes Horrible Fight
ing in Storming Ruined City.
Town a Regular Fortress, All the
Houses Communicated by Cellars
and Underground Passages
Kill With Hand Grenades.

Paris.-The horrible fighting which
resulted in the taking of ruined Car.
ency by the French is described thus
by a soldier in a letter received here:
"At 10 a. M, with knapsacks and
with our pouch bags well stored with
grenades and melinite petards, we left
our trenches, and along a front of one
and a fourth miles rushed the first Ger,
man trench. We were allowed ten
minutes; 1t took us exactly II seconds.
All the Boches in the trench were
killed or captured We at once cut
the electric wires, for everything was
mined.
Away to the second trench, which
is carried in the same manner, We
took many prisoners and a heap OF
spoil The machine guns we at once
swung round and so peppered the en-.
emy with their own projectiles, We
exploded mines, which made holes 40
yards in diameter and ten yards deep.
Numbers of Boches we're buried, 9th
0l > lay Oll lLlt piA pNNo VI III III
trenches, horribly cut up-some decap-
itated, others bayoneted. They had
been taken by surprise, and could not
make use of their asphyXiating bombs.
In the evening we seized a ceme-
terry. Hot fighting. We lost pretty
heavily, for the enemy fought bravely,
and made good use of his machine
guns. In the night they bombarded US
plentifully, but we lay low in their
holes, and our losses were very slight
Monday passed in the attack Of 9th
er points and the consolidation of our
positions and investment of Carency,
which is a regular fortress. All the
houses communicate by the cellars and
underground passages, Everywhere
deep well-defended trenches. Mitrail.
Ieuses in the houses and II millimeter
and one 1O5 millimeter guns in the big
farm,
"On Tuesday morning, with rush,
we enter Carency. 1t has to be taken
house by house No sooner was one
taken than the enemy fed into the
next. They shot at us through the
cellar gratings. We crawled up under
the walls and threw down grenades
Heaps of them we're killed in the eel
lars.
AT noon the whole of Carency was
ours. A lieutenant whom we took
IL Ia fr
81 entered a lieutenant's cabin. First
of all, on top was a ten-foot layer Of
earth, covered with green sods.
Twelve steps led down to the living
room, which was 13 feet by l6 feet
with a glass paneled door and cur.
tains. Enormous tree trunks propped
up the whole.
THE walls we're lined with morocco.
probably lifted from some cafe, and
the ceiling was linoleum. Gilt laths
held everything fast. On the right
was comfortable walnut bed; on the
left a square table with new oilcloth
covering; in the middle, fine lamp on
a stand, and in the recess a Prussian
stove Knickknacks, books, valuable
odds and ends lay about on shelves
Boxes of cigars, hams, butter, sausage,
beer
THE Germans, fighting inch by inch,
fell back on Ablain, We were now be-
yond Carency and across the water.
All the Boches hiding there were killed
or thrown in. Six prisoners had been
taken, and left under the care of Il
theatrical gentleman We went on,
and the prisoners fell upon him and
killed him and then skedaddled.