The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1917-04-26
BATTLE STOPPED !.
BY LITTLE BABY
MysteriousIy Appears Crawling
Between Lines Where Fierce
j Fight Is Raging.
IS RESCUED BY A GERMAN
Soldiers Forget They Arc Enemies and
Cease Slaughterinu Each Other
While Prussian Carries In
fant to Safety.

NeW 1Ork.-EuSar Won Scnml0t-
Pauli, n Prussian cavalry officer, who
is on the western front, hasl written
Tor the German newspapers the fol.
lowing remarkable incident which he
and his men witnessed recently:
"Donnerwetter what hellish
noise! About me shells are bursting
and all around me Is the rat-tat-tat Of
machine guns.
1t is just before dawn, and the fog
is SO thick that one can scarcely see q
yard ahead. All we know Is that our
troops during the night stormed and
captured the French village over yon-
der. I want to see how our left wing
is situated, and therefore ride to the
village where the enemy's bullets are
falling as thick as hailstOnes during a
heavy thunderstorm. The fog contin-
ues thick, but 1t is not cold.
II find q shelter where other cavalry
men are taking little rest and at once
proceed to get some needed sleep my
self, ordering the lieutenant to rouse
ME in case of necessity.
suddenly 1 ain awakened by q pc
culiar, uncomfortable stillness-as is
the case often where 4 sleeper is awak-
ened either by n sudden noise or the
cessation Of noise.
Baby in Battlefield.
"As I emerge from the dugout the
lieutenant winks Mt me somewhat mis-
chievously and points directly in front
Of him. Carefully I raise my head
over the top Of the trench to get a
view of things.
"The sun had risen and the fog had
disappeared. In front of us Is a
meadow, and there, midway between
our trenches and those Of the enemy,
is-God, it is impossible; it must he
delusion IA Fata Morgana; bat no
there in the middle of the field, crawl
ing on hands and knees, Is a little
child, baby. 1t appears perfectly
happy and contented, and seems to be
enjoying itself. Not sound Is to be
heard, not a shot is fired. Every man
has become dumb from amazement.
"'A child has fallen from heavenr
cries n soldier near me.
''Well, that Is about the case, for
where else could that child have come
from?
"Before my weary brain can summon
up any convincing reasons how that
child got out there-whether some poor
mother lost 1T in the panic due to
the battle Of the night before-a Ger
man soldier jumps out of the trench
and runs to where the child Is crawl
Ing about. Absolute stiffness prevails
in the trenches, and only to our right,
from which this extraordinary sight is
hidden by clump of trees, is the sound
Of gunfire heard.
Like Peaceful Island.
Sand this spot, which all through the
night had be.n veritable inferno Of
shot and shell, is now like some peace
full island or n cool, friendly oasis In
burning desert.
"Over there in the enemy's trenches
we can see the helmets Of the French
men as they peer over the edges. No
one Is any longer thinking Of the en-
emy or the war, or Of danger. All eyes
are on the tall soldier and the child
which he Is approaching. AS he picks
up that little frightened, helpless bit
OF humanity and fondly takes 1t In his
arms, laugh, low, friendly laugh.
passes along our entire column. The
iduSi 10 ihitNtiouS, anu we Gun Ieel
how 1t is going along the ranks over
yondcr. And suddenly-what, are they
going to ot?--no, on the contrary,
great wave of applause with shouts
Of Bravo! from thousands of French
throats break the stiffness. Then, as
the soldier jumps back into our trench
with the child safely in his arms, our
ranks, too, burst into a triumphant
shout which passes all along the line.
"Even for some time after not q
shot Is fired. 1t is as If we felt ahamed
of ourselves, and no one touched a gun
while that child was in our midst.
"When the firing did start again It
was rather desultory and Indifferent,
and there was nothing dangerous
about 1t. That little child had worked
wonderful change in the hearts of
both friend and foe that morning"