Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-02-17
MONTH WITH THE GERMAN ARMY
AS DESCRIBED BY AN AMERICAN
Efficiency the Kasers Great Fighting Machine Wins His ADJ
mration-Pass "Too Good to Be True" Gives Writer an
Interesting Four Weeks Behind TeIton Lines In BEL
a qium-Arrested and Escorted to Holland Border.

! that she was like his own, whom he
never expected to see again.
A train Of ten siege guns moved
ponderously along the road. Each
piece had It's ammunition and equip
ment wagons, and company Of soldiers
tramping behind; and each was pulled
with large steam traction engine.
On the engine boilers were stamped
the. words: Made in Leeds. Eng
land" ~ I'D.
The few people remaining In the vii
lagos grouped themselves on the high
ground, discussing whether. the sound
of firing were stronger or fainter than
in the days before; whether the Ger
mans were retreating or advancing. X y
Killing and Baking. .$lE3.:.
The commissary was at work, kill
ing cattle and hogs, baking bread and
sending food to the trenches; ambx.
lance wagons rushed by; wounded
who were strong enough came walk
ing to emergency hospitals; and &C.
casionally mid the booming of German
guns one heard the long whistle of
English shrapnel. Meanwhile soldiers
marched by always, with their mono
tonous swinging stride. y, :
My pass still worked. And rode
slowly on among scenes which leave
in the mind a nightmare of horror; a
red vision Of machine guns and dead
men in bundles; and a feeling more Of
disgust than admiration for the cold
business efficiency with which it is ;ac-
complished. s@,s'f ,&tt,al.r. <. .9E.FF s3..
+ AT Roulers two men Of the cycle
corps offered to take me to- the, firing
line, and we rode to Westroosebeke.
There the gray men loaded and fired,
loaded and fired, never saw the enemy
and were hauled back wounded and
dead. Some 300 yards in front were
the trenches. There other gray men
thrust in their "clips Of five" and shot
at other mems heads in other
trenches All around the men fell
quickly like targets in shooting gal
lery. Shells broke and left small
:clean-white clouds hanging in thu sky
till the wind waved them away. 4
=, I sat on a railing with group of
privates-several college boys, one
;professor-by cottage used as a Red
Cross station. We talked Of many
things, and there was wine-Belgian
wine-and there were lots of good
cigars-Belgian cigars. X These men
were resting. They had been out in
the trenches and soon were going
back. One had seen four classmates
killed. Occasionally the :. sound of
shrapnel would turn from whistling
into a screech, and then all would
duck instinctively, grin at each other
and wonder where it would break.
A game, and an interesting one. TWEEN
ty feet away a shot struck, splintered
a tree and left the top half to fall, in
yellow smoke, across the road. s5.,e p
s. i'".Too Good to Be True" ~,
This, I felt, was quite near enough.
But two of my new friends insisted
upon getting permission to visit the
trenches with me. We saw an officer.
"How did you get here?" he glared.
Then, turning to the soldiers: Put
him under arrest!" ~ GE.r >:E r.
Z ."Isn't my pass good?"' asked. 3
S#'Too good to be true" said he.
MY friends of the bicycle corps, now
with loaded guns. one in front. one be-.
hind, took me on a days ride to
Thielt. Here was, stripped and
searched and kept with a guard for
several days. Then by two armed
chauffeurs and special messenger
was conducted to Client. My auto
mobile belonged to a generals stan
and great was my conceit when at
our approach all soldiers stintened
to salute. From Client another