Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-05-01
USE BODIES Of
DEAD SOLDIERS
As BREASTN0RKS
British Captain, Whose Diary
Was Found on His Body,
Describes Fighting.
TRENCH LIFE SIMPLY HADES
Finds War Not What It Was Pic
tured, but S"uperhuman Trial Of
Su%perhuman Power, Intellect
and Nerves.

Cologne.-The diary Of q British sol.
der, which presents the grisly side
Of var more brutally than has any
trained writer, was found in a trench
captured by the Germans near Ypres.
The hand that penned the entry was
forever still, but it had left a rec.
ord picturing vividly the scenes in the
British trenches, inadequately built,
whose horrors were so great that tho
men could not sleep within their shell.
tiers, whose earthen walls were NOR.
tared with the bodies Of dead French.
men. Even more terrible was the
revelation Of the CHASTITY fear of these
men, who lay expecting death within
q charnel house. The semiotficial
Cologne Gazette publishes the follow.
ing excerpts from this journal and
thus comments on it: =
One Of the leading press organs Of
neutral countries has recently declared,
in a review Of kitchener's army Of
a million that it Is comparatively easy
to enlist O multitude Of soldiers, but
hard to provide for the necessary
quantities OF equipment and munitions.
That is true. But the greatest diff.
Guilty Of all undoubtedly lies in i'm.
buing the newly recruited troops with
the desired soldierly spirit-in other
words, to accomplish extemporaneous.
ly what has been developed in Ger.
many through the labor Of a hundred
years and what has been bestowed
upon the present German generation
as their inheritance and training.
Captain Jordain's Journal.
Before Vi lies the war journal of
the English Captain Jourdain Of the
First Suffolk, who on January II
landed with the Kitchener reinforce.
ments at Havre and in time arrived
with his company in the trenches in
Ypres. Parts Of this journal are re.
produced here literally:
February 5.--They say that the Ger.
man guns. on account of the immedi'
ate neighborhood of the several
trenches, cannot put us under fire.
Let US hope 1t remains SO, for the
grenades are something terrible. Ey.
erywhere dead Frenchmen are used for
the Strengthening Of the breastworks,:
and my first work in, the trenches was
to bury a dead chasseur. ffn. ~ nj
February 6.-The trench is full Of
French ammunition and all sorts Of
things, even fieldglasses. They are
9 disorderly lot. ,
Trench Work Veritabie Hades.
February S.-Only half rested, wo
had to go this evening at nine o'clock
again into the trenches. No man can
say that this method of warfare pleases
him. 1t is a veritable hell. Thanh:
God we have not yet been under fire,
although this time they will make it
hot as hades for us In the brigade
trench. =
February 9.-In the purse OF, the
afternoon on both sides a heavy artil.
lery fire. This is not war such as
we had even pictured or imagined.
1t is a superhuman trial Of superhuman
power, intellect and nerves. General.
~ we cannot sleep, and the shooting
continues with more or less vehe.
mence. Our trenches are very poor.
Hardly bu%lletproof, and therefore
very dangerous. It is a real wonder
that M remains spared, for a shot
in the cap or tunic is the order Of
the day. The sanitary conditions are
bad, and on the terrain before US
lie many dead Frenchmen and Ger.
mans. The breastwork is bordered
with corpses covered over with earth,
and everywhere arms and legs stick
out. e
February 1O.-One Of the people
was shot by a territorial guard who
was frightened to death. These PEG.
pie are not to be relied upon and have
no idea Of a soldierly life.
Ypres Devastated.
February 12.-The destruction in
the vicinity of Ypres is terrible, hard.
~ one stone on another In the vii.
lagos, and Ypres itself, with all its
beautiful buildings, is almost de-
stroyed. Yet the city is SO large that
we cangalways still find protection for
advancing a division nearer. Daily we
await an attack, and the report is that
me Germans are going to assemble
q million soldiers in order to break
through to Calais. My cough still
causes me a great deal Of trouble, and
it is bitterly cold in the trenches.
Not one of us yet has see those
Comfortable quarters mentioned in
the newspapers. and our troops are
by no means in good cheer or happy.
Prays for Protection.
February 14.-This war is terri.
be, and it were time that 1t came to
An end. On both sides so many worthy
people fall! My guardian angel must
reach out his protecting hand to me
during the next 4S hours, and / pray
that he will bestow upon me strength
and courage 70 fulfill my duty, SO that
II case Of need / can give my life for
s --.--.-~---- -----