The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1915-02-05
SCOUTS DEFY DEATH
Daring Exploit by Company Of
French -ChaSseurs.
Go Daily on Scouting Expeditions as
One Goes Out to Hunt--Mother
With Children Trapped Be-
tween Lines.
BY RENE, ARGOS.


Correspondent of the Chicago News.)
BacCarat, France.-The French and
German lines are separated by a dis
lance varying from half a, mile to four
miles, and this neutral one is tray
ersed ceaselessly by patrols of the two
adyersaries, whose mission it is to
compel the other to remain quiet while
more important cOmbats take place on
other parts of the, front, However, no
day passes without rife shots and a
few shells being exchanged.
| was a witness of one of these daily
combats from a distance Of about half
a mile. A company Of chasseurs went
forth on a scouting expedition through
the magnificent snow covered forests
but the men were SOC stopped by the
enemy's volleys. I was able to see
very little except that the. entire wood
seemed to be alive and quivering. The
chasseurs threw themselves fiat on
the snow and answered the fire. The
engagement grew In intensity and the
CdiiliClj DCEdH " Sio"h '"Sh
chasseurs having accomplished what
they had set out to accomplish, name.
ly. to see what force the enemy had in
front, returned to the rear, bringing
one comrade killed and two wounded
on improvised filters made from
branches of trees. Some were sing
ing, all seemed happy and they car
ried themselves proudly. A captain
with whom I was talking said: ut Is
difficult to believe how the instinct OF
the chasseurs guides them. AS soon
as they see a German they almost
fight among themselves for the privt-
lege Of killing him. They start out on
scouting expeditions daily as one goes
out to hunt" J.
While shots fired by. the Germans
were reawakening the echoes, In the
forest we met peasants ~peaoefully re.
turning'to their, herhes. Many Of these
peasants live between the hostile lines,
careless Of the terrible daneefa they
run. 49,
One poor woman had a sad expert
ence one day. When firing sounded
near her house she set forth with her
six children, hoping to reach "a distant
village, where she .toula Aaka refuge,
with relatives. Her. husi1and is in thet
army. She waited near bYgptil night
and then, avoiding the roads, sought
the thickest parts, of the forest. She.
lost her way and wandered f6r"a- DAY,
!! and a half with the childrEu;-carryira
the youngest, a babe, In her arms.
On the morning of 'theS secgnda-faF
she suddenly found herself between
the fire Of the French and the Ger
, mans. She. ran hither and thithor,
maddened with fear, until finally she
met some French artillerymen, who
called to her: Come this way, You
must be crazy! You will be killed
with your children!'
The woman remained several dave
with the artillerymen, who did. every:
thing possible to nourish the family
and find milk for the babe, which,
nevertheless, died from privatiQn. The
men had great difficulty in tearing the
mother from the child's corpse and
they saw her walking a long time car
rying 1t in her arms, the other five
children following her. She is now
back in her own house, not far from
Baccarat. Fright still seizes her when
she speaks of her adventure and she
dreams every night that she and her
children are under the terrible rifle
fire and amid the bursting shells.