The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-08-02

F~renchman Was Armed With a Leg
of a Statue of venus-Machine Guns
Active.
or all the tragic, intense minor en-
gagements of the war, that of the fight
by which the French captured the Cha
teau of Vermelles. at the end of fifty
days battling for possession of the
town. is most thrilling. The cores
pendent of the London Post at the Brit
ish headquarters in France tells of the
fight as follows:
The story of the struggle may seem
Incredible TO those who have taken no
part in this style of fighting. After
several futile attempts at a direct adj
vance the French commenced to carry
a mine underneath the chateau. but it
exploded just outside. An immense
cavern yawned in front of them, and
the bodies of Germans were flung In all
directions. All that was to be seen of
the enemy was the shapeless mass of
what had been a man half driven
through a garden wall"
Germans crazed by Explosion.
The correspondent then describes the
condition of the German soldiers caught
i'm trenches which had been dug into
the garden in front of the house.
The men In the trenches instead of
firing at them tthe French were CROP
ing about confusedly as though it We're
pitch dark. paving at each others
faces and feeling about for their arms.
The tremendous shock of the eXplo-
sion SO close at hand had blinded and
deafened some and deprived others of
their senses.
Scarcely understanding their good
fortune. the French leaped on the dis
tracted men, and a weird struggle fol
lowed In the narrow trenches between
the half crazed Germans and their as
sailants.
Machine gunners In the chateau.
with that happy Indifference to every
thing, tilted their weapons owe the
sandbagged windows, determined to
kin friend and foe together. The ut
most depression, however. which could
be given their guns only enabled them
to hit odd corners of the trenches. but
III lntll dCcptIdlG dlltulDL u NIL SOi1AC-
thing they fired belt after belt. sweep
ing to and fro hat awful scythe of
steel and, like Death himself. were fu-
rious at being outwitted.
Germans Hold Two Floors.
'"The garrison of the chateau, irritat-
ed by the impotence OF their machine
guns, were dragging a couple OF the
guns out to play from the s~andbagged
porch. The Germans were of
twenty-five or thirty Frenchmen who
had gained the shelter Of the house
walls. These. as the door of the cha
teau. which barred their hopes. so nm
expectedly opened. leapcd with q Joy
Gus yell upon the emerging Germans,
who. encountered by guns. tripods and
: belts. gave way before the onslaught
and either were b%ayoneted or shot or
escaped to the first story of the
. chateau.
T Thus there were Germans on the
first floor OF the chateau and In the
cellar. with the French on the ground
l floor between them.
, After an attempt to carry the stair
case leading to the Germans above had
been flung back the French on the
ground floor began to fire upward
through the ceiling, and the Germans
above them fired down. The Germans
even managed to get off part of the
belt of a machine II, but the effort
proved disastrous. Such a fusillade
from below was concentrated on the
spot that the ceilings were falling In
every direction: the air was scarcely
breathable with dust and smoke; men
were collapsing. shot through the whole
length of their bodies. and the din was
indescribable.
: Seize Leg Through Ceiling.
suddenly a mans leg protruded
through the ceiling. A leap was made
Z for 1t. and a couple of Turkos hung on
Z to the boot. The Germans may have
I made a dash to rescue their comrade.
but the ceiling was too riddled to
withstand it. Another leg came through
q the ceiling, and q cluster OF men set.
S tied on to it like flies. dragging tie
e owner through the floor. his face scrap.
f ed of all flesh on 1t as he came through
the ceiling.
'"Then the beams of the foor began
rending and crashing. The upper sto
n ries OF the chateau. already more OF
e less I'm ruins, began to topple.
e Through the break I'm the floor slid
a horrible confusion Of masonry, fur
= niture. Germans and guns. The French
: were outnumbered. but the men that
, came down with that debris on top OF
them were not well placed to make
q fight of 1t. and the dreadful piece OF
carnage ended I'm favor of the attack
Ing party.
r I'VE just killed killed. killed. sai'
a French officer. We used anything
that was there-pieces Of furniture
d pieces of chandeliers, anything. Ons
man of mine killed his enemies witt
a chunk of marble-a piece Of the lei
q Of a statue Of Venus"