The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-06-30

gave my attention principally to q con-
sidcratipn vi tho irregularities OF the
! German parapct aheuu OF us. picking
out the spot where we were TO enter
the trench. 1t seems silly to say H.
but | seemed 10 get some sort or sails
raction out OF the realization that We
had lost the percentage which we
might be expected TO lose. going over.
Now, 1t seemed. the rest Or Us were
safe until. We should reach the next
phase Of our undertaking. | heard d.
rections given and gave some my,
self My voice WAS firm, II surprised
me. and | rclt almost calm. Our artii,
lcry had so torn up The lirrnlan parpea
wire that 1t gave US no trouote At an.
We walked through II with only lew
scratches When We reached the low.
sandbag parapet Of the nremy trench.
VIC tossed III II lew bombs and followed
them right over AS soon as they hau
cApiuded. There wasn't German IN
,irhI. They were all i'll their dusuuts.
But we knew pretty we'll where every
dugout was located, and we rushed Tor
the entrances, with our bombs. Every
thing seemed to be going just as We
had expected il 10 SO. Two Germans
ran plumb into Mo AS | was rounding
u ditch angle with X bomb in my hand.
They had their hands up and each OF
them yelled:
Mercy. kamarad!'
passed them back TO be sent TO the
from me chuckled and told them 10
move lively. The German trenches
were practically just Us We had rX-
pcctcd TO find them, according 10 our
sample. They were SO nearly similar
to Tie duplicate section In which We
had practlced hat we had 10 trouble
finding our way In them. | was just
thinking that really the only tough
part Of mo joo remaining would DC
getting back across No Mans Land.
when 1t seemed that the whole eartn
behind me ross in the air. For mo-
mcnt ] was stunned and hall blinded
by dirt blown intu my face. When
WAS able to Sca. | discovered that all
upturnrd earth nhd rock. with here and
there man shaking himself or
scranlblinE out Of 1t or lying sull.
Just Two minutes after We went into
their trench thY Germans had exploded
mine under 'lhcir pnrapct. ] have
always believed that in some way Or
another they htd learned what spot
we were 10 raid ami had prepared Tor
us. Whether that's true or not, one
thing Is certain. That mine blew uu:'
lucky. ''pIumh TO hell And 1t killed
or diSa bled more than half Of our party.
Great Confusion.
There WAS much confusion among
those Of us who remained "n our tect;
Someone gave Ill order 10 retire ana
, someone countcrnnndrd It, More Ger
mans Cafuc oul of their duG-"utS. hut.
! instead Of surrendcrlug as per "Hr or
isinml schedule, they threw BONDS
amongst us IL became apparent that
40 would be captured or KILLED II W.
stuck there. and thHt We w"u!dn get
any Irprc prisoners. looked ~ my
wrist watch and saw that there re-
manned but tive minutes of the time
which had been allotted for our stay ~
thu trench. 50 | blew my whistle ana
started back. | had seen i'rivatr t,rerh
Go. l7T.2I0} knocked down by oHInn
in TN. u.Nt section. and ! picked him
"" Hrirc,. nt.i p,'rurni / took shelter with
him in the first shrll hole. but tound
That he was dead and left him there. \
few yards further back io"ara "Tr h n.y."
win mari ri his hip shot away Tie
said he thought he could get naEk ,, !,
helped him and | started win MN.
Trivnir IIuntcr. who had been In
nrtrhhnring she'll hole. came /" our as,
si$fancr and. between US. iiuhtcr anu
| got rilnss 10 our front trench. ,,,
We found them lining up tmT i, S"r tr,,v.
or Of our parry tGr ,s . rp!' that t Major
Lewis, formerly of tho Montreal star,
called for volunteers TO e" out IN NO
Mans Land and try 10. ma some OF uaI
mon Corporal Charleson, priFate
Saunders and | went ont. We brought
in two wounded and we saw a numoSr
Of dead. but. on account Oh '"'i1 o n.%I
cndd faces were unable 10 teGuenImE
thcm. The scouts later brought IN SOW
cral bodies. 49, ,,,
tif the 10 odd men who had started
in our party. As were found to o. cas-
moI,ins-Ejlicd. wounded or missing.
RI" missing list was the longest. Ths.
names Of those were marked m: b. T..
missing. believed Killed. on our TOLLS;
hnYe learned since that some lev ~
ihnm hive been reported through Swift
acrinnd a, prisoners of war In Cor
many. but most Of them are now ON
cinlly listed as dead.
Marty were sent 90 miles TO the rear at
o'clock. and the non-commisisonnd Of
ncers were ordered To make reports In
n.rifInr CONCERNING tho cntiro operation