The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-05-31

Ina and Communication Trenches
This course listed two weeks and ws
/ rejoined our unit and were assigned %
the brigade machine gun coinpany. Il
almost broke my hehrt To leave m5
company mates.
The gun We used was the vicSers.
Light .303. water cooled.
wns still member Of the Suic.tle
club. having jumped firm the FRYING
pan into the fire. wus assigned 20
section /. gun No. 2. and the fret lime
'-in- took position IN the front'ilpe
trench.
During the day our gun would be
dIsmounsed on the fire step ready for
instant use. We shared dugoIr with
the Lewis gunnerS Al ',stand 20" We
would mount our Gun 90 the parapet
and 10 on witch beside II until stand
down. In the morning. Then the gun
would be dIsm0uuted and again placed
In readiness on the FIRE step.
We DID eight days in the front-line
trench without anything unusual hap
penlng outside o. the ordinary trench
routine. On the night that we were TO
scarry out q bombing raid against the
German lines was pulled OF. This raid
Ing party consisted Of sixty company
men. sixteen homber. and four Lewis
machine guns with their crews
The raid took the Boehes BY surprise
and was a cDmplete success. tfe party
Bringing baek tweny-one prisoners
The Germans must have been awful
ly sore. because they turned loose
bnrnge Of strapped. with fPv Min
MES and -whlEz bangs lntermixed.
The shells were Dropping into our front
line Ike hallstones.
To get even. we could have left the
prisoners In the FIRE trench. In charge
Of the men on guard and let them click
Fritz's strafelng but Tommy does not
treat prisoners that way.
Five Of them were brought into my
dugout and turned over 20 me so that
they would be safe from the German
IRE.
In the candlelighi. they looked very
much shaken, nerves gone and chalky
faces. with the exception Of one. a
great big fellow. He looked very much
at ease. liked him from the start
got out the rum jar and gave each
nip and passed around some flags.
the Old reliable woodbines. The other
prisoners looked their gratitude. but
the BIG fellow said In English. Thank
you. sir. the rum Is excellent and ap-
preciate IL. also your kindness
He told me his name was Carl
Schmidt. Of the SIxty-sixth Bayarian
Light Infantry that he had lived six
years In New York (knew the city bet
ter than l did. had been to coney
island and many Of our ball games. He
was regular fan couldn't make him
believe that Hans Wagner wasn't the
best ball player In the world.
From New York he had gone to Lon
don. where he worked rs a waiter In
the Hotel Russell Just before the war
be weEt home to Germany to see his
parents. the war came and he was con
scripted-
He told me he was very sorry to
hear that London was IN ruins from
the Zeppelin raids could not con-
vince him otherwise. for hadn't he seen
moving pictures In one Of the German
cties Of St Paul's cathedral In ruins
I changed the subject because be
was 30 stubborn In his belief. II was
my intention 10 try and pump him for
information as to the methods Of the
German snipers. who had been caus-
ing us trouble In the last few days.
I preached the subject and he shut
up Ike a clam After few MINUTES
he very innocently said;
-Gernan Shippers get paid rewards
for killing the English"
I eagerly asked. -what are theyY'
He answered:
For killing or wo6nding an English
private. the sniper gets one mark. For
killing or woundlng an English officer
he gets i've marks. but n he kills Red
Cap or English general. the SHIPPER gets
days tied to the wheel Of
timber as punishment for his careless
ness"
Then he paused, waiting for me to
bite. l suppose.
! biz all right and asked him why the
sniper was punished for killing an
English general. With a smile he re-
piled:
well. you see. n all the English gen.
rails were killed. there would be no
me left to make costly mistaken
shut him up. he was getting too
'resh for prisoner. After while he
vinked at me and l winked back. then
he escort came to take the prisoners
Q the rear. shook hands and wished
lin 'srhe best Of luck and a safe Jour
icy 70 Blighty.f
liked that prisoner. ne was a line |
elbow. had an Iron Gross. too. I ad.
'ised him 70 keep Il ont Of sight, or |
ono Tommy would be sending Il home
Q ne Girl IN nllghty as 4 souvenIr