Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-01-16
ENEMIES MEET BETWEEN LINES.
Soldiers Of Rival Armies Hobneb Dur
ina llulIs in Fighting.

CORRESPONDENCE of Associated Press.
Paris, Jan. 2.-The following Is sent
from the trenches In northern France
by a correspondent who volunteered
for service with the British army at
the beginning OF the war:
"Altho there was no formal truce
declared during the holiday season. the
fighters here had several days of quiet,
by tactt consent.
Germans and Englkshmen met on
the plain field between the lines. shook
hands, snapped tobacco. told stories,
and were even planning an internation-
al football game when the weather
turned bad. All day long there was
much searching for souvenirs to send
home and hundreds OF fragments OF
shell or broken equipment were picked
UP in sections of the field where or
dinarily 1t would mean sure death for
a soldier to show himself.
"All rifle firing stopped at twilight
on Christmas eve. During the evening
both sides placed candles and little
Donfires as Christmas lights along the
top Of the trenches. When it was seen
that neither side intended to take ad-
vantage of the temporary peace, the
soldiers began to climb out OF their
trenches and took up positions in the
brig hit moonlight on the fiat ground IN
front. Back and forth across that two
hundred yard field they greeted each
other with wishes for a merry Christ
mas. There was much cheering, speech
making, singing carols. and little
dancing. The Englishmen got out
their hymn books. with which most
of the soldiers are provided. and sang
Lead kindly Light, Abide With Me,
and While Shepherds Watched Their
Flooks by Night The hymns were in
tcrspersed with such favorites as Man
delay and Iippemry.
Gre iually a few Of the groups from
the two sides drifted closer together.
Everybody was unarmed. One OF the
foremost German groups waved a bot
tie of wine toward the nearest English
groups ard invited them to Join the
rarty. After a moment or two the Eng
lishniel started over. carrying Christ
mas cake and box OF chocolates. me
men shook hands all around. and i'm
mediateiy cheers and clapping came
frc-r, both sides OF the field. where
English and Germans alike had been
arxiously watching the me citing. The
group had 4. smoke and drink together
and very soon large parties OF the late
enemies were seen chatting together.
All the time in the distance could be
heard the sound Of artillery fighting.
The Englishmen swapped pipe to-
bacco for German cigars. and British
candies for German chocolate. Later
in the evening the Germans sent over
to the British trenches small Christ
mas tree. with various cheerful mes
sages and little gifts tied on It's
branches.
ION Christmas day the British SOL
diers brought football out in front
OF the trenches and invited the Ger
mans to send y team over for a game
during the afternoon. They promised
To do this but the weather-or their
officers It.
soldiers iunslung their cameras and
took snapshots OF little groups Of men
from 10th sides hob nobbing together.
During the morning some of the gayer
ssirits organized what they called a
fantastic Parade led by German
youth wilo had somehow obtained pos
session Of high hat and dress suit.
Among the paraders wero two soldiers
mounted on old bicycles without tires.
THE happy scene was rudely inter-
rupted about o'clock In the after
noon by the arrival Of q big she'll,
fired from a battery several miles IN
the rear, which sent everybody scurry-
ing back TO the trenches for time.
Later in the afternoon British SOL
diers helped the enemy bury ten Ger
man soldiers whose bodies were found
in O ditch in front OF the German
trench. They were killed a few days
ago in an attempt on the English out
post"