Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-01-09
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FRONT FROM WRITER
Correspondent of The Associated Press Guest of the
German Army, Draws Pen Picture Of Fighting
Along the River Aisne in Northern France

French from observing movements OF
troops and supplies, they occasionally
drop a shell here, as deep holes in the
road and by the road side show.
Warfare between the German rifle
men and the French colonials and leg
ionaries opposite, has become cruel,
grim sport of hunting the big game
man. When The Associated Press cor
respondent first visited c., few
days ago to take coffee with the Of
ficers of the til rifle battalion he was
told of a new trick being attempted
against the French. A dummy had
been fitted out in German uniform and
would be placed at night in an exposed
place between the lines. The French,
it was hoped, would come out and at
tempt to carry off the body. If so they
would come under fire of the rifles OF
squad of Germans, posted in wood
near the decoy. On his second visit
he learned the ruse had been success
full. The French had come and three,
it was thought, had been killed, al
though only one body had been found.
Through loophole in the parapet of
earth and sandbags one can disting-
uish in an open field few hundred
yards away the bodies of five French
men and one German soldier. The
other French bodies hang suspended
in trees. All have been there for
weeks, as it is impossible to bury the
dead without risking immediate death.
Three of the bodies, those of the three
latest killed, lay in pathetic little red
triangle. The clothing of the others is
so bleached out by rain and weather
that they can hardly be distinguished.
A pleasanter side of the war was
presented by the officers afternoon
coffee served in their underground
casino a spacious vault beneath the
ruins of one of the houses OF the
! town. One end was partitioned OFF as
a drawing room In it were number
of pieces of period" furniture, a large
table with reading lamp, easy rock
ing chairs and the telephone with
which the commander keeps in touch
with the men in the trenches. IN the
! adjoining room long table was set,
snowy white linen, a table decoration
of ground pine, hors d'oeuvres, white
wheat bread, good butter, cold meats
of various kinds cheese, coffee. cigars
and cigarets The table might nave
stood in a club in Berlin, and the con-
trast between it and the scene OF utter
wreck and devastation outside was
startling.
The men in the trenches, too, live
not without comfort. Even in the
trenches nearest to the enemy they
have built in fairly comfortable shell
tiers. square excavations about four
feet deep, rooted and covered with
earth. Many of them have windows
opening into an adjoining approach
trench, many of them board floors and
nearly all have board boxes filled with
straw for beds. A desultory fire goes
on constantly along the lines OF
trenches.
The company barber has established
his chair in the trenches. While the
crack of rifles was heard few hum
dred feet away he could be seen shay
ing one of the handles of the battalion.
The town boasts daily newspaper,
the wireless news bulletin issued by
general headquarters, and transmitted
to individual commands by telephone
or messenger, which is posted on
sheltered wall in the center OF the
shell torn town Opposite on wall
hangs the warning sign of the Touring
club of France, "This road is danger
GUS" There is no doubt that 1t IS.