Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1915-08-06
BAT TIE TO DEATH
IN RUINS OF HOUSE
French Use Furniture to Kill
Their Foes.
BOTH SIDES WERE TRAPPED
Germans Pulled Through RiddIsd Cell.
inss and cIubbed by lnvaders-one
Frenchman Was Armed With Leg
Of Statue Of venus-Maehins Guns
Active.

of a Statue Of venus-Maehins Guns
Active.
OF all the tragic, intense minor en-
gagements Of the war, that Of the fight
by which the French captured the Cha
teau of vermelles. at the end of fifty
days battling for possession OF the
town, is most thrilling. The cores
pondent of the London Post at the Brit
ish headquarters in France tells Of the
fight as follows:
"The story of the struggle may seem
incredible to those who have taken no
part in this style Of fighting. After
several futile attempts at q direct ad.
vance the French commenced to carry
mine underneath the chateau, but 1t
exploded just outside. An immense
cavern yawned in front Of them. and
the bodies of Germans were flung in all
directions. All that was to be seen OF
the enemy was the shapeless mass OF
what haG been man half driven
through garden wall"
Germans crazsd by Explosion.
The correspondent then describes the
condition of the German soldiers caught
in trenches which had been dug into
the garden in front of the house.
1.-THE men in the trenches instead OF
firing at them (the French) were CROP
ing about confusedly as though it were
pitch dark. paving at each others
faces and feeling about for their arms.
The tremendous shock Of the explo-
sion so close at hand had blinded and
deafened some. and deprived others of
i their senses.
Scarcely understanding their good
fortune, the French leaped on the dis
tracted men, and a weird struggle fol-
lowed in the narrow trenches between
the half crazed Germans and their as
sailantS.
Machine gunners in the chateau.
with that happy Indifference to every
thing, tilted their weapons over the
sandbagged windows, determined to
kill friend and foe together. The ut
most depression, however, which could
be given their guns only enabled them
to hit odd corners of the trenches. but
in their desperate attempt to kill some
thing they fired belt after belt, sweep
ing to and fro that awful scythe OF
steel and, like Death himself, were fu-
rious at being outwitted.
Germans Hold Two Floors.
"The garrison of the chateau, irritat-
ed by the impotence Of their machine
guns, were dragging couple Of the
guns out to play from the sandbagged
porch. The Germans were unaware OF
twenty-five or thirty Frenchmen who
had gained the shelter of the house
walls. These, as the door Of the cha
teau, which barred their hopes, so I'M
expectedly opened, leaped with JOY
Gus yell upon the emerging Germans,
who, encountered by guns, tripods and
belts, gave way before the onslaught
and either were bayoneted or shot or
escaped to the first story of the
chateau.
thus there were Germans on the
first floor of the chateau and in the
cellar, with the French on the ground
floor between them.
I after an attempt to carry the stair
case leading to the Germans above had
been flung back the French on the
ground floor began to fire upward
through the ceiling, and the Germans
above them fred down. The Germans
even managed to get of part Of the
belt of machine gun, but the effort
proved disastrous. Such fusillade
from below was concentrated on the
spot that the ceilings were falling iI
every direction; the air was scarcely
breathable with dust and smoke; meI
were collapsing. shot through the whole
length of their bodies. and the din was
indescribable.
Seize Leg Through Ceiling.
Suddenly mans leg protruded
through the ceiling. a leap was made
for it. and a couple Of Turkos hung OF
to the boot. The Germans may hav.
made dash to rescue their comrade
but the ceiling was too riddled t
withstand it. Another leg came through
the ceiling. and cluster OF men set
tied on to it like flies. dragging the
owner through the floor. his face scrap
ed of all flesh on it as he came through
the ceiling.
> Then the beams of the floor begaI
rending and crashing. The upper sto
ries Of the chateau. already more o
less in ruins. began to topple.
: Through the break in the floor slit
horrible confusion of masonry. fur
niture. Germans and guns. The Frencl
were outnumbered, but the men tina
came down with that debris on top o
them We're not well placed TO max"
fight of it. and the dreadful piece o
carnage ended in favor of the attack
J ing party,
: 1--WE just killed. killed. killed salt
: French officer. We used anythin
that was there-pieces of furniture
pieces of chandeliers. anything. On
man of mine killed his enemies wit
s n chunk of marble-a piece of the lie
of a statue of Venus