Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1916-01-26

grass. Our machine guns, four to the
section, just waved in a semicircle
and waved back again. We fired our
Lee-Enfields as fast as we could pump
them, and no bullet was wasted.
They lay in piles in front of the
trenches, and the piles were always
wriggling around as some of the in.
jured underneath tried to creep out.
A whole battalion of them were put
out of the way before they drew back
and formed for another charge, be-
hind cover of their trenches.
"And this time we saw poison gas
for the first time. 1t was the second
assault, about eight O'Clock in the
morning. We could see that some
thing was coming off, and then sud
denly there spouted up thick green
cloud, that hid everything in front of
lis. The fellows under the German
piles wriggled harder than ever and
everybody in our trench asked: Well,
what's comm off anyhow The wind
was wrong for EN-, and the Germans
went back, and there was quiet until
ten o'clock.
"This time their gas came in. 1t
rolled along the ground like moving
wall about eight feet high. Behind It
We knew the Germans were coming.
but we couldn't see them, SO we let
fire through the cloud. The gas had
holes blown in it and the force of the
bullets swayed it bit, but before we
knew it the gas was rolling in the
trenches.
The End of Princess Pats own"
Il heard men cursing at one end Of
the trench where the gas struck first,
just as shell buried me, and then
got the gas myself | got it light, for
I was half buried, but the fellows
about me screamed and rolled up as If
they were burned, cursing and pray
ing. It caught you by the throat and
burned its way into your lungs; then
you couldn't breathe out, and you
burst or slobbered | crept back on
my stomach, for I had bit of shrap-
mel in my stomach and bullet in my
leg, just as l saw the Germans. drop
ping over the sand bags. The fellows
who could stand knitted 'em with bay
onets or bit md fought them. | saw
four of my pals-right fellows they
VERIFYING almost over each other,
all of them with gas in them.
'''Oh, Christ, Kysh!' one EN- called,
DOT drir q
German drove bayonet clear through
his thoat and lungs before he could
finish it. And then the same German
knitted the other three boys.
THAT was The end of Princess Pats
Own Long before the Germans came
the last time there weren't sixteen
men of the sixteen platoons of the
regiment who could defend them
selves. fired ITO rounds myself from
my Enfield, and she was SO hot
couldn't hold her | crept back and
somebody put me on a Maltese cot
and got me to Dickelbusch. | spent
six months in hospital at Beech
bury Park and then came over to Que
bee, where | got my discharge"
And Corporal Kysh, still moving
the hand that was raked with shrap-
mel over his yellow face. lighted an
other cigarette.
There's lots l could tell you" he
said after minute.
But I'm not much good at talking;
then my nerves are rotten. / tried to
go to work today, but had to call it
OF. | just went down to the French
line and told EN- I'd have to lay Off
a bit until could get eased up some
How "SIim" Perry Died.
And then he told the story of how
"Slim" Perry died Slim" was the
younger son of a well-knovr English
family, who had lived several years
in New York. At the start of the war
he hurried up to Quebec and enlisted.
He was a sidekick of mine Finest
lad ever. Always out for the eats
whenever the bully beef palled. He
could pick up chicken or fresh meat
any old day. We were side by side
at Ypres, and he just turned to me
duu STIllICu dlLcI GAC HIS vi
Germans had failed. Il got to see 'em
run, Kysh," he said, and peeked over.
A bit of shell got him right across the
head and took it off to the mouth. He
fell against me and laid him down.
When l got out of the hospital went
down to see his mother and sister. His
mother hadn't heard from him for a
long time and asked me where he
was. Well, I had to tell her. Rotten,
Ell?
"Oh, they were fine bunch of sol
diers and gentlemen, from old
Mickey Welsh, who'd seen service
in Egypt in 80, to Perry Mickey
was resting in little scooped-out hole
at the bottom of trench, and he
looked up at me.
Corporal he says, we thought
we'd seen war. What muckers we
were! When / get out of this I'm go