The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1915-02-19

had fallen back opened ire. So {
close together we're these bullet-ma-
chimes that the Orbit Of each ones
swing made : spres of only > few !
yards breadth over the Fedoubt. where 1
the Browns gun:fire had not for q mo- I
ment ceased It's persistent shelling, !
with increasingly large and solid tar
gets of flesh for their practice. The
thing for these targets to do, they
knew, aw%sss &c !nssse..sse.!:: and begin to
return the infantry and automatics'
fire. Desperately, with the last effort
of courage, they rose In the attempt
rose into playing hose streams of bull
let's whose close hiss was steady un-
dertone between shell bursts. In the
garish, jumping light brave officers
impulsively stood UP to hearten their
commands In their work, and dropped
with half-uttered urgings, threats, and
oaths on their lips.
The bullets from the automatics
missing one mark we're certain to find
another, perhaps four or five in a row,
such was their velocity and power Of
penetration. Where shells made gaps |
and tore holes in the human mass, the |
automatics cut with the regularity of |
the driven teeth Of a comb. The men
who escaped all the forms of slaughter
and staggered on to the ruins of the
redoubt, pressed their weight on top
of those in the craters or Rugged be-
hind the pyramids Of debris, and even
made breastworks from the bodies of
the dead. The more that banked up,
the more fruitless the efforts of the Of
ficers to restore order in the frantic
medley Of shell screams and explosions
at time when a-minute a seemed an
age.
Meanwhile, between them-this
banked-up force at the charges end
and the Brown redoubt with it's auto.
matics, the Gray gunners were making
zone of she'll bursts in order to give
the soldiers time to make their bold
Of the ground they had gained secure.
Through this zone Stransky and his
men were to lead the Browns in a
counter-attack.
At the very height Of the Gray
charge, when all the reserves were in.
dark objects fell out of the heavens.
and where they dropped earth and
| flesh we're mingled in the maceration.
Like some giant reptile with Its ver-
tebrae breaking, gouged and torn and
pinioned, the charge stopped, in writh.
ing, throbbing confusion. Those on
the outer circle Of explosions were
thrown against their fellows. who
surged back In another direction from
an explosion in the opposite quarter
From the rear the pressure weakened;
the human hammer was no longer driv
Ing the ram. Blinded by the lightnings
and dust. dizzy from conclusions and
noise, too blank Of mind to be sane OF
insane, the atoms Of the bulk Of the
charge in natural instinct turned from
their goal and toward the place whence
they had come, with death from al
sides still buffeting them. Staggering
ly, at first, they went, for want Of In
ltative in their paralysis; then rapidly
asthe law Of self-preservation assertet
itself in wild impulse.
As sheep driven over precipic,
they had advanced; as men they fed
There was no longer any command, n,
! longer any cohesion, except of leg
!, struggling in and out over the unevel
, footing of dead and wounded, Will
they felt another pressure, that Of tn
mass of the Browns in pursuit. OF al
1 those Of Fracasse's company whor
we know, only the judges son an
5 Jacob Pilzer were alive. Stained wit
: blood and dust, his teeth showing /
a grimace of mocking hate Of all hi
: mankind, Pliers savagery ran free c
: 2 the restraint of discipline and civilize
= convention. Striking right and lef
. he forced his way out of the region {
shell fire and still kept on. Clubbin
:. his rifle, he struck down one office
d who tried to detain him; but anothe
! officer, quicker than he, put a revolve
J. bullet through his head.
=
Westerling, who had buried his fac
d in his hands in Marta's presence {
3, the thought of failure, must keep tn
I" pose Of his position before the stat
With chin drawn in and shoulder
Is squared in sort Of petrified milital
o habit, he received the feverish new
!. = that grew worse with each brief bull
tin. He, the chief of staff; he. He
le worth Westerling, the superman, mu
g be a rock in the food of alarm. Whe
3. he heard that his human ram was
1s recoil he declared that the reP1isc hs
been exaggerated-repulses alwal
10 were. With word that a heavy counte
a. attack was turning the retreat into
ne nngovernable rout, he broke into
% storm. He was not beaten; he cou
lg not be beaten.
e. Let our guns cut a few swaths
oy the mob!" he cried. "That will stt
,ir them from running and bring the
It's back to q sense Of duty to their cosi
sn try" .f
az The irritating litter Of the bell
d. the closet OF the library only increas'
re his defiance Of facts beyond contr'
He went to the long distance with
reply to the premier's inquiry ready
iii hia lima