Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-12-28

our snack. 1t sounded like a
Fourth of July celebration, but it
was little more exciting.
About two hours after dark a
call came, and | was next to go
out. | had to 60, with "brancar
diero (stretcher bearer, to a first
aid station in the ruins of a little
village between the first and second
line trenches. The road had been
torn up in some places by shells,
and, of course, lights were out of
the question. There was smell
of burnt powder in the air and the
smoke looked like a heavy fog.
There were two "blesses' wait
ing for me, one ''couchen dying
down and one "assisn Sitting up. !.
The former was literally torn to
pieces by the explosion of an
eighty eight, and they had wrapped
him in piece of tent, evidently
to hold him together. The other
fellow had a bullet hole through
his head, two or three through his
body, a piece of shrapnel in his
heel and the front of that same foot
torn up. But he walked to the
car, climbed in, unassisted, and
rode ali the way without a groan.
When | shook hands with him at
the hospital and wished him
"Bonne chancel' his only remark
was "c'est Ia querreW
| might mention here that some
Of our men who were stationed at
the hospital at the time told me
yesterday that the men were both
alive and out of danger now.
At the post to which l 60 next
our men have worked great deal
under fire. In fact, one of the
roads is being shelled constantly,
and the chateau itself is full of
holes on the side towards the
trenches.
November 30th: | am now at
the post and it is hard to imagine
that there could be such a place
with in sight of the German
trenches. We have electric lights,
hot showers, fine house to live
in and, best of all, a woman who
is just like a mother to us. She
and her little daughter do all in
their power to make the place
seem like home. Yesterday we
had a Thanksgiving dinner such as
you have all read of but few have
seen. And afterwards we had
something, and plenty of it,
that would make Dollar Bill wish
he had joined us.
The lady who keeps house here
has many interesting things to
tell us. 1t was here that the book
"Ambulance Number 10" was
written by one of the members of
the first American section to come
here. Strange to say, with that
same section there was an old Sc
vance boy, Frank Hoyt Gailor,
whom some of us knew at school.
Several Red Cross sections have
been here, and Madame Marin says
she has found all the Americans
"treS gentil.'
In America we have all heard of
Boche atrocities, but until | came
here, where | can see for myself, |
thought most of the stories exag.
gerated. In a little village near
here nearly all of the children,
boys and girls, had their right
arms cut off when the Germans
took the place. In another town
which was under bombardment at
the time, the women and children
took refuge in cellars. When the
Boche entered the town they
poured kerosene into these cellars
and burned them.
A telephone operator here at
the post was taken prisoner in an.
other sector. He was taken, with
other prisoners, through Belgian
village. On the main street a
wire was stretched in front of a
long wall, and behind the wire,
with their bodies hanging over it,
were women and children, men and
boys and even babies, who had
been shot. All the prisoners were
compelled to march by and view
the horrible sight.
These are some of the horrors
that We hear of every day. Most
of the stories seem impossible, |
know, but We can 90 and see for
ourselves. Nothing seems too bru.
tai for Boche soldier to do.
Tomorrow, if possible, | am go.
ing to the top of a mountain just
opposite the town and take a look
at (depleted) through a tele.
scope. 1t seems strange to stand
here AID look at No Mans Land,
the German trenches and part of
the country that Fritz now holds.
Rnf this ic nnnnnh find thu