Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-11-27

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But All the Time Had Mine ! Never
Saw Another Sign Of Gas
me suddenly that It was the gas. The
officer who had left few minutes be-
tore poked him head down and shouted.
"Run like b.; it's the gas!"
BY this time could hardly see, and
I was doing some tall old scrambnng
to get out of that place. l would hold
my breath as long as could, and then
I'd take another breath through my
khaki handkerchief. When I got out
hde found that everything was Gov
cred with a greenish yellow haze, and
I couldn't see three feet In front OF me.
ran in the direction Of the place ]
had left my car, and l struck 1t the
first shot. Perhaps ! wasn't thankful
I had left the engine running! jump
ed In and started down that road for
all / was worth, and before had gone
100 yards l was of the road and stuck
In q plowed field. was clear OF the
gas, though. and that was all cared
about.
/ waited there for two hours before
any one appeared, and when a fatigue
party finally came along the road I had
them help me get the car out They
got eight horses, and we hitched them
on to the back. I raced my machine,
and the horses pulled, and after half
IN hours work the car was back on
the road again.
No sooner had they gone than my
officer showed up safe and sound and
We started back for camp.
It was terrible experience, and We
were absolutely helpless, as we had
not been furnished with the respirators
and gas helmets at that time. We Sc
cured these things soon after, but all
the time I had mine l never saw an
other sign Of gas.
found out afterward that those two
officers who had been in the dugout
were both killed by the gas.
The officer who was with me at the
time Of the gas attack was one OF the
most remarkable men ever met. For
several years before the war ne nao
been In the British secret service In
Germany, so he spoke German almost
% well as he did English.
One day we stopped at hospital In
Bailleul, and one Of the orderhes told
Us that there were some German
wounded there. The officer asked me
II I would like to so In and see them
I said would like 1t very much, 80 We
went In. There was one poor devil all
BY himself among some English pa
hents. The officer went over and sat
on the edge of his bed and began to
talk to him.
II you could have seen that poor fel
lows face when he heard himself ad
dressed In his own language! His
whole countenance lighted up, and no
began to talk. Pretty soon the tears
began to run down his cheeks, and
felt awfully sorry for the poor chap.
who was away from all his own peo
ple, severely wounded.
He said that he had Just been mar.
ried before the beginning Of the war
and he and his wife had saved oil they
could, and two days before he was
called ND they had bought cow. he
was as worried az he could be for fear
something had happened to the COW.
The bonn mbardment of Ypres began the
night of the April day We experienced
the gas. and with the bombardment be-
gan the infantry attack. was up at Q
little place called Rheninghlest, and
could hear the rifles aud machine guns
at Il for all they were worth. ! was
thanking my lucky stars that was on
nv car instead Of motorcycle ma
chine gun, when an orderly rode up and
told me that was to report at head.
quarters at once.
All the way back to camp had the
feeling that something was going TO
happen. and when ! arrived there
was told to report myself to the signal
company for duty with my motorcycle.
Then knew that was to carry dis
patches through the coming battle.
] wish to make particular note OF the
fact that at the beginning OF this bat
tie, which lasted three weeks, We dis
patch riders numbered thirty-one In all
for our corps Half an hour later we
were fully equipped and on our way to
the advanced report center, which
would be the scene Of our activities
until the fight was over.
We were about 500 yards to the rear
n the first line Of trenches and were
givsn an old barn to ourselves, and W
laid out our blankets and made oul
beds, for It was 1890 o'clock The At
tack was increasing In fnry, al kinds
Of shells landing around %, and the
Germans were using their same old
tactics OF hurting great masses o.
troops against our position.
Our machine guns gave the usual
good account Of themselves, and the
German dead were piled mp over our
Ftrs entansiemapts IN Reet haape