Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-04-20

"tt hfHH't 1iiitt "hA never Hilh' I
give? My family. my own countr,
needed me mestl
. "Yet left them. In the night. wit
only cowardly little note to Tel
where ! had gone. offered myself
Iny technical skin my soul. TO tn
Fatherand.
= WAS sAIIlfui; was an Inventor, :
scitntist aund they gaze me my wish
to enter the submarine service; tina
dare devil, thrilling service Of dcstruc-
ton. 81 assassination. only Il was moi
that to us. II was war subilmatcd
glorified war. the small against the
great the weak against the mighty.
"'Kia. burn. slayr were the orders
Make the Fatherland respected, fear
ed Always came the same cry. We
battle against the whole world every
thing that floats under another flag Is
an enemy that hides our place IN the
SUM KIM
we killed the whole world knows
the story. The gods too know II; and
the devils in hell that wait for the
perpetrators OF the crime.
yet ] gloried IN the work. one. ten.
twenty ships | destroyed; they were
aliens they carried comfort for some
encmy--they hid our place In the sum
Ten thousand lives I snuffed out. glad
~. with my own hand that released the
torpc,ioes from our deadly craft. The
Fntheriand owed much TO me!
"F3Ioodthlrsty2 Monstrous? As you
will have it-but walt until have
written all.
Il Iongcd for my family. | sent them
money 20 come. They did not know
where only somewhere In Germany
for 1 had not told my wife where
served. But Comet Comet
Orders came to shift station. to
where could attack the great liners.
Perhaps forgot my family my letters.
their prospective coming: perhaps the
gods planned II so-but the day came
when the greatest ship Of them all
raced across our path. scudding for
harbor and the safety only few hours
away.
"Thcy did not see usthey could
a touch OF the trigger. the unsupported
torpedo sped to the fatal spot alongside
the bollers--and then all hell boiled up |
through the waves into the blue sky
THE boilers burst with the explosion.
The oil tanks. too. burst and ignited.
A volcano OF steam and smoke and fire
shot up to the heavens. The great ship
broke In two as one breaks reed.
Men women. children. shot up through |
that frey cauldron. A rain OF bodies
'eil around us: a tornado OF shattered
steel. coal. woodwork. sheet OF flam-
ng oil. pursued them out OF the sky
,ack into the kissing waters. The two
'nds OF the ship reeled like drunken
men; then plunged down, down. into
he depths OF the sea-and the tragedy
vas over. We had followed orders: no
more would they hide our place in the
un.
"over? The tragedy over? No, For
mt OF the sky. almost within reach OF
ny hand as we rose TO the surface and
flung the sea doors open. rained a
Woman and two children. You know
shom they would be--you who believe
a an eternal hell \
Faithful little Max was dead there
a his mothers arm: the arm itself was .
roken even as II ciasped. her boy. and {
he sheet OF Jagged steel that did II had '
at the boy almost In two My wifc's I
ice was gone--sho was horribly CASH ,
l. and the little babe that was to ;
ave been our Joy would never know n =
other linda. too. was at her side. the C
Others other helpless hand clasping &
ie clothing Of the sweet girl in impot- II
Il protection The stream of oil had n
ught her. the fire. too. and she burn Il
and screamed through the air. And
en- the seR leaped at them to drown D
en- and the other helpless survivors 81
saw II all, Ell
The end? Something gave way W
thin me; something that ragged and n
re like wild beast. This was the gl
nd Of war ! had waged on helpless n
,men and children for the Father h
ad, Tine Fatherland must payl
I'VE 10 mes know what we can sur d,
We til the test comes. For some di
lines. we. like the Wandering Jew. n,
~ not be able to die-until the APP CO
ntcd time shall come; though IT were M
thousand times welcome, thousand re
nes deserved did NOT die, ri
Z WAS sane when began this recital. In
i er,wiifg up out OF the dark as l
! i,. come frightful shapes To menace