Evening journal., 1915-08-03
american IN The
FOREIGN LEGION
New York Boy Had Many
Thrilling Experiences
on Battlefront
NEAR DEATH ON
MANY OCCASIONS

NEW YORK. Aug. S.-when Rus
sell Kelly. % years old. son Of New
York attorney and for a while a stu
dent al Virginia Military Institute,
got the war fever last fall, he took
a job on a cattle boat, worked his
way to Bordeaux and enlisted in
the famous French Foreign Legation.
In recent letters home he tells of
taking part in terrific fighting at La
Targette. near Couchez and not far
Z from the celebrated Labyrinth. His
company was badly cut up but he
escaped with a bad bruise on the fore
head caused by the vacuum Of a great
shell which passed a few inches from
his head Under the date of May %,
he writes.
After our attack of May $40. we
went to the rear. about 10 miles from
the front, and were reorganized. We
needed it. as 1 understand more than
half of the regiment was either killed
OF wounded The general reviewed
us and distributed FIVE military med.
ais
"The recruits came up from VAL
bonne and Lyon. so we are ready 10
90 back. We have a new captain "
place of the one who was killed The
one we lost was a very game man,
he led us without a sword or any side
arms. using only his swagger stick.
4 Our new captain is a Swede. Many
. German prisoners have passed Us
4 lately: one day as many as 500 went
. by they looked we'll By a strange
coincidence the same Bavarian troops
+ who faced us in Champagne are
against us here. and yesterday We
recognized among the prisoners
s man who deserted from us in Cham
n paigne I guess it is all over With
f him. 1t should be.
You remember in nv letter from
Lyon I spoke about three brothers
from Argentine. and how inseparable
y they we're; well. they are inseparable
Y in death. as they were killed side by
side.
After leaving our trenches our
first stop was in the shelter Of a
81 road Here the good looking Italian,
81 the fellow who hit me with the brick.
+ IN the scrap / wrote about, became
reckless and tried to survey the land
scape He was killed instantly by a
bullet through the heart. No con-
n vulsive tossing of the arms one reads
about or sees in the movies: he just
sank down and it was all over. Soon
after we left this position. his chum,
the other Italian, was shot through
the leg. There was absolutely no
i'll feeling between us on account OF
our scrap.
we advance by sections. When the
order comes we jump up. and carry
ing the stack as a shield run about
# Il 90 feet. and talk about Ty Cobb slid
ing into second base. it isn't a circum-
stance to the way hit the grit. and
what a strain to the nerves waiting
for our turn to advance again, fellows
Is all around being hit. In a couple OF
cases have seen men lifted from
the ground, so hard we're they hit
s One fellow very near me got hit and
. began to squeal; almost Immediately
s. q second bullet hit him and he made
s for the rear on all fours, crying like
a baby.
Field was full of such sights But
compared to the shells the bullets are
nothing; give me most anything bu
an artillery bombardment Shortly af
ter we gained the crest of the nil
81 their artillery came up and begar
firing on us; It was terrible. Th'
way those shells would tear by ant
dig a hole five feet deep. was enough
for the most solid nerves. At night
rs fall we intrenched but were on thu
watch all night
THE next day their artillery open
ed on us and their infantry starte'
an attack. but stood firm and smear
e1 them"
In letter dated June 10. he says
"The German trenches are bull