Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-11-06
BY ]. w. PEGLER.


Inducements did not deter them In stri
FOUGHT IN TRENCHES.
In the narrow trenches where there
was no room for rifle shots, the Amer
leans fought with their dubbed guns,
their bayonets, their trench knives,
their entrenching spades-even their
hands. Flares and the sudden glare
of exploding shells showed occasional
rapid pictures of fighting groups-one
OF two American soldiers surrounded
by a solid mass of Germans, a whirling
maelstrom Of arms and hands and
kicking feet, flashing bayonets. shouts,
muffled yells and the sounds Of pain
wrung from the wounded.
DID NOT HAVE CHANCE.
This was the story as survivors tell
1t. The Americans did not have
chance against overwhelmingly supe-
rior masses of the enemy. The fact
that they didn't have a chance didn't
make them stop fighting, however, un-
til they had literally been smothered
under the Germans.
The small American detachment was
In front line trench. The usual des-
ultory artillery fire suddenly rolled to
an intense rumble. The enemy put
down a heavy ,barrage of shells COM
pletely round the single unit. Then q
big party OF Germans--American
wounded estimated them at 210 In all
suddenly swarmed over.
MADE A POWERFUL RUSH.
The German raiding party was COM
posed of picked and veteran shock
| troops in attack. They
| charged in powerful rush. The
American troops had just entered this
particular bit of trench. They fought
back ike wild cats until literally
smothered in the weight of the supe-
rior attacking force. Then the Ger
mans scurried back to their own lines,
dragging their own dead and wounded
with them, together with their ,Ameri-
can prisoners.
A young reserve lieutenant with the
detachment attacked was puzzled after
he brought his men into the trench
by the sudden acceleration of artillery
I fire. He decided to consult his supe-
rior officers and started carefully
weaving his way back. He struck the
German barrage. 1t knocked him flat'
but he recovered and second time
tried to press along. Again he was
flung down by exploding shells and Tor
the third time he dauntlessly went on
Then he was completely knocked
out" by a narrow shave from q high
explosive shell. After the German raid
ers had returned to their lines the lieu
tenant was found, unconscious he
. was revived later and told his story
, Today he Was in the base hospital re-
tcovering from shell shock.
BOILING FOR REVENGE.
The shelling began darn suddenly
said one OF the wounded Sammies to-
day. "A few minutes later l tnrnec
:. around and saw big German standing
in the trench beside me. The mex
thing knew ne shot me--bang!"
= The whole American army in France
realizing that the first American arm.
casualties were OF an ordinary trench
! raid. nevertheless was boiling with i'm
. patience today to get revenge on thu
, Boches.
. The American dead will be buried
Il with military honors in little Ameri'
can cemetery near the camp.
The official casalty list. as ISSUED
by the war department from Genera
Pershing's reports. showed three dead
: five wounded and ~ missing-20 II
!. all. 49,
> The United Press front dispatches
above makes the HIST. Three dead. fcul
wounded and - taken prisoners
II In ALL
The discrepancy Is in the wounded
!. and missing.