The Alaska citizen., 1915-06-28
Former Alaskan Describes Big Battle Thrown Into Tree by Exploding Shell


 manding officer jumped on top of the breastworks and the deadly si- lence following the bombardment was absolutely eerie and the com manding officers voice seemed to strike blows on our ears. He shout ed One, two, three, over you go lads,' In a second we had scrambled over the parapets and with a tremen- dous yell we rushed across that patch of hell. through the destroyed wire into the Germans, shooting stabbing. pounding with our butts and if the officers hadn't stopped us at the points of their swords we would have murdered the whole lot
 VICTIMS OF OUR OWN GUNS.
 AS 1t was we captured about 150 of them and then in order not to be pressed as prisoners guard most of Us jumped across the German trench, and were racing drunk with lust of battle, for the second line of the trenches, in spite of the con- mands and threats of our officers Of course We blundered, for we were barely three-fourths of the way across when our own guns began again and moved down hundreds of our fellows before we knew what was up. It sure knocked Us flat.
 By this time the Germans had recovered from their surprise and had rushed up hundreds of motor cars tit for tat. As soon as our batteries could be started we were off, but were hung up in the entanglements and We were moved down by the hundreds, and how I ever escaped being hit, I don't know I can half remember tearing over the entangle- 1nents and into the German parapet and then l was buster than I've ever been in my life. One Prussian off my bayonet grabbed my rifle and tried to pull me down. A fellow next to me helped to pull him up and over the parapet and l had sense enough to pull the trigger. then l grabbed his automatic pistol and jumped down into a bunch of jabbering Germans, followed by a whole bunch of other fellows-and -well-it was simply murder Our officers were as crazy as We were and no one knew what he was do- ing.
 T heard one fellow moan 'haf mercy and another next to me shout ed back Mercy be damned. Give me your 'elmet,' So l got the hel met for the fellow from Middlesey and in return received a good live one in the leg at the hands of a German officer who had looked too wabbly to move and who shot me while he was flat in the trench Then along came Jack Johnson and gave us oblivion for several hours. l came to in barn with lot of other wounded fellows. We were packed into a motor ambulance and taken off to a field hospital was deaf as post, paralyzed on my left side, and utterly blind in my left eye, but l seem to be con- ing out of all those affections and the medical officer says I'll get over it all o. K.
 50 this is the story of the battle as saw it. We lost 12,000 men, killed and wounded, and captured 1900 Germans, together with reduc ing their number by 19,00O through casualties.
 And you know, after all, there isn't any personal grudge over here, except against the Prussians. Lots of times We Quieted down al night with a Good Night. You English you no shoot we no shoot and you bet not fellow shot. either Once they sent me to crawl up on the parapet and put sand bag in place and a German popped up on the other side and shouted out Hey, you 'Britisher, get down or I'll plug you" Needless 10 say I got and he laughed.
 But we don't like the Prussians. We were in the habit of getting our water for tea from the same stream the Germans used but one day fellow told us not 10 come prroc;ap pua rd