Gunnison news-champion., 1917-10-19

While Shells Continued Screaming Over
Us. They Were Bursting In the Town.
remember seeing my officer coming.
SO | got out and started the engine.
There We're two horses standing Just
behind the car. and as the officer went
to step In a piece OF shell cut one OF
these horses In two
As soon as We were clear of the
town we were all right, for. while the
shells continued screaming over Us.
they We're still bursting In the town
This was the beginning of the first
battle of Ypres. in which the little
Seventh division did the seemingly I'M
possible. Day and night the Germans
poured shells into us. and still We held
on. Then their artillery fire would
slackcn,, and they would hurl their SUI
perior numbers against our contempt
ible little army" In u vain endeavor to
crush us by sheer weight. ss II were.
The enemy seemed TO rise out Of the
ground and sweep toward us like Q
great tidal wave. but our machine
guns poured steel into them at the
rate Of 80 shots per minute. and they'd
go down like grass before the scythe.
II they did reach our lines at all they
never went back to tell about It
II Is my honest opinion that q man
in action gves temporarily insane. for
were it not SO how could any man con.
tinue to work gun that was sending
hundreds Of his fellow creatures into Q
heap Of groaning. squirming death?
That is exactly what was happening
Of their own dead only to meet the
same fate themselves. The deeds OF
vaior which have escaped notice around
the Ypres salient would fill at least one
large book.
With the end OF the nrst battle Of
Ypres our division retired to a village
called St Jean Capelle. While the Bel.
gian civilians had been so nice to Us on
the way down from Ostend am sorry
to say that we found them exactly the
opposite here. We had not been In the
town three hours before we had three
Belgian peasants arrested and convict
ed Of espionage.
There was Z windmill on q hill Just
back Of the village and some one no
ticed that as soon as We entered the
village this windmill started to 60. al
though there wasn't breath Of air
stirring Investigation showed that
two Belgians were signaling to the
Germans In this way.
The other case was even worse. One
Of our police stopped an old Belgian
with q bag under bis arm and asked
him what was In It. He replied that II
contained nothing but Q few vegetables
Something aroused our chaps suspi.
cion. and on examination be found that
1t contained two pigeons with messages
giving our exact strength attached to
them These men were taken to the
rear and shot. Things like this make
It very unpleasant for all concerned.
1t was about this time that new
driver was found for the generals car.
20 that left me without any definite
worS to do. At that time. too. We had
the first armored cars In action on our
part Of the line. They were beautiful
machines. sixty horsepower. mounted
with machine guns or three Founders
While ! was waiting to 6nd out what
was to become Of me ! made one trip
In the armored car-that 10 to say.
went Into action With II once. OF
course the gun was worked by expert
gunners and was simply acting n q
spare driver In case anything serious
happened. The body Of the car was
covered with bullet prnof STEEL and II
was bullet proof too
We didn't get up N far n some Of
the cars had been. but We got quite far
enough to suit me What With the
racket our gun was making and ths.
noise Of the bullets bouncing o6 our
arlmor plate. h was no place for
servous man. the hard spaft for me
Wis the inSctjvity simply siffing there
and waiting ln ease should b.
wanted
We didn't stay there % very ioae
and was not sorry Tor e. either
That was my only trip in m armored
ear. and I'm not pafticulaF aboet NJ
NJ any more. Thank yos.
! vas advised that the Only way