The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-02
Special Correspondence to rHs sux

5pecof Correspondence 20 THn Dun.
PARIS. April 2l.--THH SUNS CORE
spondent with the Americans in the
Foreign Legion writes rs follows:
When Seeger and I returned from our
visit TO the dentist at Beaurieux we saw
one OF the men belonging 70 our town
section marching between two other
soldiers with bayonets fixed. We were
told that ne had tried to desert and that
another man OF our section had eluded
the sen;inels on the firing line eve were
then in the second line) after passing the
sentineis on our line. although he d!d
not know the password.
was greatly surprised for the man
who was caught was jolly good fell
low. most entertaining and always gay
He was Dutchman who had volun-
teered at the beginning OF the war. The
otaer was a Belgian who had been with
the legion eighteen montha He was
never considered 10 have any brains
few LegionRries in tho ranks are
credited with many and no one thought
he had pluck enough 10 desert
The so-called Dutchman was court
martiancd and shot. II was learned
AZ
spurred on the poor Belgian. who had
been drinking hard for four days The
two started walking between the lines
in broad daylight. The sentinel asked
where they We're going They kept on
without replying and tho sentinel let
them get 800 yards away before he fired
Tho post turned out and went In pur-
suit. fr!ng. The Prusslan got cold
feet and put up his hands after throwing
ais rifle away. But the Belgian kept on.
shouting all the time 20 attract the
attention OF tho Germans A bullet
from the post hit him and helped his
voice some. Then the Germans seemed
TO realize what was occurring, especially
az the leg!onary put tho butt or his
rHe In the air. sign OF deserton.
They began firing on tho pursuers and
forced them to take cover. Ou-
sergea M major decided 10 go after the
Belgian. who. Il was believed, had not
reached the German lines, probably be-
cause he was hit,
1t was not yet dark and We could
see Craonne quite plainly, We were
determined to get the deserter. as he
belonged TO our company, In fact TO
our own section. go We started by the
road from Craonelle to tho German
lines In front OF Craonne, on the de-
serter's tracks. Half way up We found
ono OF his puttees. red with blood, 90
We knew the post had hit him. We
kept straight on toward Craonne-
MorIac, Dowd. Krogh. Nilsson and
Servian leg'onary about 200 yards 10
Tho right OF the road. under cover OF
some trees the Sergeant Major, King.
Trlnkard and on the road and several
men from the post, among them hob
Scanlon, about 200 yards to our left.
Soon we on tho road dropped to the
ground. We were In front OF the FIRST
buildings OF Craonne and II was impos-
siblc TO go further Night was falling.
out we could still see for 200 yards. We
orept forward little and had lost sight
~ Morlac and his men when, fifteen min
utes later, we on the road heard "Wer
la?" then silence and again, "Wer
da?" The German sentry challenge.
Who goes there and then some talk
rg and the voice of Morlac saying to
Ms mon, Don't shoot, IT is the Ser
scaut-Maior and his men
Then We heard the German call n pa
troll. Twenty yards 10 his right another
rcpeatcd the order and then another in
IRON, of ms. We could hear them dis
tincily, noting how they pronounced the
letter 81" In the word which the French
To not And then tho Germans began
20 fire. Morlac and tho boys blazed
way The Sergeant Major besan, and
| found that what ! had suspected all
along had come true-4ny Internal rife
would not work, | began kicking at IT,.
when the German sentinel and Morlac
started talking. Incredible though Il
sounds, II was at least a minute before
either realized what was happening, the
German believing no had a German pa
troll before him and Morlac believing he
was near our lot, mistaking WED DAP"
for HALT la"
The Sergeant Major sent Trinkard
over to tell me ! was making too much
noise and to let the - thing 20 and
rely on my bayonet. Meanwhile with
Trnkard's knife / had the gun fixed
asain before firing began, which shows
that Morlac and tho German sentinel
took some time to discover each other.
1t was now quite dark. Morlac let his
revolver go. firing nine shots In record
time. We could SEQ him kneeling In
the road az he hred. Bullets whistlsd
about for ave minutes. and then. ~