The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-03-25
Soldiers of Foreign Legion Prepared
Monstrous Fusilade for Germans
as 1915 Was Ushered In.
BERLIN TIME CAUSES SURPRISE
Germans Started Cannonading and
French Prepared for Charge But
Greeting Received Instead.
BY PHIL RAIDER.

BY PHIL RAIDER.
Copyright, 1915, by United Press.
London, March New York s
New Year eve celebration was prob
ably as wild and noisy as ever.
But it could not have been a
marker to ours in the trenches.
only wonder that New York didn't
hear us.
We spent the entire day of Dec. 81
in getting ready for our midnight
celebration. We intended to give
the Germans a fusilade that they
would not forget. During the
Christmas day truce, we had met
most of the Germans in the trenches
across the way from us and they had
told us that even then they were get
ting ready for their New Years eve
celebration. Victor Chapman, the
Harvard man from New York; Eu-
gene Jacobs, the Pawtucket butcher,
that would usher the New Year in
New York, San Francisco, my home
town, and Pawtucket and we did ev-
erything we could to ginger up the
foreign legion. But in fact they did
not need gingering. They were men
who remembered New Years eve cele-
bration in Athens, Lisbon, Madrid
and in fact every capitol of the
world, and so our preparations were
carried out without a stint of labor
or Expense"
Were American Made.
BY evening we had huge piles of
white night lights ready to fire. They
were American made, just ordinary
skyrockets. Each man had 100 extra
cartridges and there we're piles of ex-
ira cartridges beside each Of the ma
chine guns. Far behind the lines al
so was prepared means for the cele-
bration, although we did not know
it. All along the French trench that
stretched the $50 miles from the
North sea almost to Switzerland. ev-
erything that could shoot was ready
France was going to show Germany
how to usher in the New Year But
before the racket, We in our trench
had a big holiday dinner We had
prepared to entertain the entire ma
chine gun squad of 16 men at the
dinner, but there we're only IL, be-
cause had been killed during the
week after Christmas. The first SUR
prise came when Skirski, a Polish
revolutionist, who belonged to our
legion, entered the dugout carrying
the beautiful helmet of a German
lieutenant colonel filled with cham
payne punch. We drank to the de-
feat of the Germans from this odd
punch bowel and then began at the
chicken. Sikorski had just gotten up
to recite poem he had written when
the second surprise of the evening
came. l(think it was surprise that
ran along the entire $50 miles, First
we heard the sound of bugles Then
broke out the most terrific cannon
aiding we had heard during the en-
tire war. Everything the Germans
had that could shoot was shooting,
horns were blowing, whistles whist
ling, bombs exploding, the sky was
bright with fireworks. 1t was
brighter than Broadway. Far away
cannon were booming, their shells
were breaking behind our lines. I
never expect to hear such a tumula
again. 1t was withdrawing, think
ing it was all in preparation for a
charge. But no charge came, no
bullets flew around us. The artil-
lery shells fell at safe distance
from us. After 10 minutes the noise
died down and we could hear the
Germans shouting to us, Happy new
year, We'll celebrate in Paris
next year" "How was that Tor
nOise?"
An Hour Behind.
But you're wrong" we yelled
back. tits only II o'clock and you
are celebrating an hour too early"
I'VE go by Berlin time," and sud-
denly it dawned upon us that Paris
time is an hour behind Berlin time.
"And soon all France will be going
by Berlin time," shouted one Ger
man, who had us all laughing. He
talked like Lew Field.
Celebrate Birthday.
With II o'clock came our time;
we had our noise. Our noise was as
great as the Germans, l must admit.
Our white lights were not as bright,
our artillery and rifle fire was not as
loud. But we made up in length.
Our racket lasted 10 minutes. We did
not try to kill anybody and as far
as we could learn no one in our dis
trict was wounded. When our noise
ended we yelled to the Germans: Gall
of Germany will be going by French
time when we get to Berlin"
Twenty-seven days later the Ger
mans gave us another terrific can
nonading, but this time they were
celebrating the Kaiser's birthday,
and they were shooting to kill. We