Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1915-07-08
trench xou boo to YOUR front.

the wilderness on many occasions.
said that I thought l knew n littl'
something Of the forest and Of Sign
and seasons" Then the ofiicer askeI
me TO let him know II ! discovered
anything that looked unusual as WI
walked through the lights and shades
Of the birch forest.
put all my senses to work ant
tried to detect some symptom tina
everything was not just rs II shoult
be In an ordinary wood. ! senSet
nothing out Of the ordinary. and wal
Just about to say 80 when my KNEE
struck something hard and looked
down. was staring straight into the
muz1le OF 4 huge naval gun emplacet
at an angle Of about thirty degrees
A Well.coneoaled Gun.
This gun was in an underground
house." For q distance Of ut least
two feet back OF the muzzle the gun
was shrouded with q green growth
which completely concealed It. The
house had o roof, but green things
were growing upon It and there was
absolutely nothing to tell that under
the cover was q gun pit. We entered
the house by means Of some concealed
steps and there we found q detach'
ment OF men ready to make the gun
speak when q returning air scout
should give the gunnc:s directions as
to just where to let shell drop.
It was while | "; in this gun pit
that rapid firing WIS heard at the ex'
IRENE edge OF the wood. The can
nonading was from a French battery
engaged In driving OF q German aero
plane which unquestionably was seek
Ing to locate this big gun which had
caused trouble in the German lines,
but whose position the enemy had
been unable exactly to determine.
The next day from a rock rising al
most sheer to height Of nearly seven
hundred feet l looked through the
clear air toward Metz. the capital oil
German Lorraine, which with Its cir
cling fortresses is the prize most Gov
eted by the French. The artillery OF
the republic emplaced on q ridge to
the right and a little in advance OF
this position has succeeded in reach
ing with Its shells one Of the most
formidable forts standing guard over
Metz. When the French break down,
II they can break down. the defenses
of Metz, an army will spring from the
ground and advance toward the Ger
man goal OF its ambition. Metz. how
ever, while really only q few miles
away, is a long ways OF, because be-
tween the outermost French lines and
the city Of desire lies a German army,
and right here on this line within
the next few days or weeks. or per-
haps even months, there is sure to
come fighting OF quality SO fierce as
to put all other fighting along this
5OO-mile line into the class with things
tame.
Views the Battlefield.
From VIII stood there Is q Dlros'
eye view {. a great battlefield. We
made an Fly start in order to be
able to cir } this needle-like rock be-
fore the sLn was high. This hill Is
called Mousson, and on its Crown
there is a chapel built In the eleventh
century and which affords a fair and
mark for the enemy's ar
tillery. The Germans for some rea-
son or other have left this pinnacle
alone for the main part. On occasions
they send shells over 1t. and today
was one Of the occasions. A shell
passed over my head while l was
climbing the rock. / heard its whiz-
ting distinctly, ard instinctively
much to the amusement OF
he French army officer who stood at
my side. The thing you hear" he
said, never hits you. It's half a
mile past you before you hear the
sound"
In climbing the hill Of Mousson
here are many places where one Is
,ut from under cover. Walking up the
ill was dlficult, but running was more
han dificult, and yet had to run be-
ween the covered points. On this
ill we were within range, not only OF
hell fire but OF small rife fire. and
he Journey up and down had its I'M
pleasant moments.
When halfway down this Rock Of ;
dousson the cannonading grew louder.
rhe truth was that a new battery had
,pened, one much nearer to us than
he guns which had been laundering
,efore. We looked down from the hill
ide to the village Of Pont-a-Mousson
which lay nesting at our feet Into
he village the shells were pounding.
III that we could see was clouds Of
ust and smoke mingled as we knew
With mortar, stone fragments, and
he ground powder of plaster.
Short Freathlng Space.
We reached the foot Of the hill. en-
cred q military automobile, and were
rhIrled into Pont-a.Mousson. The
had ceased and the vii
Igers, men, women and children.
gain going about the streets. No
ne knew, however, when the fusillade
ould begin again. It did begin
gain, not long after we left the town.