The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-09-24
ASSOCIATED PRESS AGENT MAKES
DISCOVERY ON NOTED BAT
TLEFIELD IN FRANCE.
LOCATION is SECRET
For Military Reasons II Is Not Possible
to Tell What They Are Doing, but
Great Activity Prevails-Some Slip
to Trenches.

somewhere Along the British Front
in France, Sunday Sept. 23.-(By Associ-
ated Pressp-On a historic battlefield.
which merges into fighting lines, are en-
! camped many American troops, far re-
moved from the rest Of their compatri-
OTIS who form the vanguard Of Uncle
Sans expeditionary force in France.
For military reasons, it is impossible
to tell just where these men are. who
they are or what they are doing, but
il may be said on authority that they
are credit TO the Stars and Stripes.
which for the first time in history fly
over camp Of American soldiers in
this part of the world
Some of them have been working
continually in a zone covered by Ger
man guns and already two Of their
number have been wounded
Fine Looking Lot.
The Associated Press heard these men
were here and sought them out. They
are fine healthy looking lot and near
| ly two months of hard work under real
campaigning conditions has put them
In shape. They are prepared and anX.
ious 10 attack the enemy Their only
grievance is that for the present they
are not permitted. except where neces-
sity demands. to expose themselves 10
the enemy's guns. In fact, until a
stringent order was issued recently, the
officers had hard time keeping them
out of the British front line trenches.
II is said that more than one American
soldier has crept away when off duty
and after making friends with the
"rommies' has taken his place beside
them for a few glorious minutes while
a minor battle was progressing.
| Il would have been unwise. perhaps
for the correspondent to INQUIRE too
closely whether any OF the American
officers had done their bit" in this
manner Nevertheless. the correspond.
ent had grave suspicious that some
Of them had been "over the top" with
their allies before orders forbade it.
Two Camps Visited
The correspondent visited two differ
ent camps and in each there were the
same scenes OF methodical activity
J characteristic of American methods
Things were moving smoothly and no
false motions were being made. Eff
cheney was the watchword everywhere
! At the second camp during a meal
I the correspondent fell into conversation
with a young officer who comes from
one Of the noted and wealthy families
Of the United States
How do YOU like IL out here?" asked
/ the correspondent
/ The officer gazed reflectivelv
/ through the open door Of the mess
room out across the open aud beyond
the camp. As far as the eye could
, reach there was q scene Of devastation
| and desolation. Here and there shat.
| tered walls OF a building reared them.
/ selves % mark the spot where a farm
house or perhaps a village had .,od.
I For miles could be seen shattered
| trunks of trees that had been smashed
/ hy great shells as though rent by
| lightning Occasionally, the eye met
! little graveyard with its wooden crosses
some for German soldiers and some
for British. In places there still were
lremains OF German dugouts, Tor the en-
emy had held this territory a long time.
Then He Spoke.
/ Grass was growing over AN this
waste, but could not conceal the myri.
ads OF mounds that marked the lips of
great shell craters which pitted the en-.
/ tire zone. The officer turned from his
contemphtive gaze and answered
We'll, It isn't exactly the same as For.
ty-second street and Broadway here. but
We didn't come out looking for the
3 great White Way We are here FOR
/ business and we like it-partly for il.
self and partly because we ought to
like il, We want TO do our bit and we
are more anxious TO do IL than ever
before.
! Il think that some of our boys who
have crept up and stolen look at the
fighting lines have been a little disap.
pointed in way OF course. they read
OF what IL was like over here. but il
did not seem quite right not 20 see ban
ners flying on the battlefield and not 70
witness troops moving out in the open.
But they all are tremendously Impress
ed with things in general They real.
ize more than they did what a vt,st bust
ness this is And they are anxious 10
do bigger part.
Men Hard as Nails
THE health OF the camp is excellent
and the men are as hard as nsuls We
are an ready for the call to action"
. The American quarters are simple
one officer proudly displayed quarters
that he had built out Of airpane wings
which had been discarded by the British
and had been presented 10 him by a colo.
mel
The reported high reward offered by a
{ German officer for the first American
I soldier brought into the German lines
/ dead or alive, has immensely amused
! Americans
{ we are not worrying about Il" laugh.
4 ed one officer I'VE are here aud Fritz
al l. 4.