Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-10-30

pynght, 1918. by Reilly and Britton Co., THROUGH
special Arrangement With the GDoiKo
Matthew AdAml AaPvioA

~ ss: ~ Rss3ss S e. Through
matthew Adams boIvtoA
When I got into the dugout again
the man was coming to. He was just
about as near shell shock as 1 had
been-by this time I was shlvering
only once in while. when I did not
watch myself. He said four men had
been sliced up trying to get to us be-
FORE he came; that they had lost
IL men out of their 80, including the
sergeant-majOr in command and two
cOrpOrals; that they We're almost out
o. ammunition; that the trenches on
Doth sides Of them had been blown in
and that they were likely to 60 to
pieces at any moment. He said they
az thought the Turks would attack
behind their barrage, for he said the
curtain Of fire did not extend more
than a hundred yards in front of their
trench. What they wanted us to do
was to relay a man back with the
news and either get the word to ad-
vance or retire or await reinforce
ments, they did not care which-only
to be ordered to do something. There
was not commissioned officer left
with either Of the detachments, you
see, and you might say we were up
In the air-only we were really as far
In the ground as we could get.
The man thought there were other
of our lines not fur behind us, but we
knew better; so then he said he did
rot see how any one could get back
from there to our nearest lines. I
did not see either. Then we all tg-
ured we were forgotten and would not
come out of there alive, and you can
believe me or not, but l did not much
care. Anything would be better than
just staying there in that awful noise
with nothing to do, and no water.
Our sergeant said he would not ask
ANY man to attempt to carry the mes
sage, because he said it was not only
certain death, but absolutely useless.
And he began to show that he was
near shell shock himself.
Then l began to shiver again, and
thought to myself that anything would
be better than sitting in this hole wait
ing to go "cafard," so decided to vol
chance to get through, but 1t seemed
as If just had to do something, no
matter what. I had never felt that
way before, and had never been
anxious to "go west" with a shell for
company, but I have felt that way
Gil kyn fo1
you.
The man was telling US that some
time before they had seen the Turks
bringing up ammunition from some
storehouses, but they did not come
anywhere near. He said their sergeant
wanted our messenger to tell them
that, too. He would say few words
very fast, then he would SILVER again,
and his jaws would clip together and
he would try to raise his hand, but
could not.
Then our sergeant asked the name
of the other sergeant, and when the
man told him he said the man was
senior to himself and therefore in
command and would have to be obeyed.
He seemed to cheer up lot after
he said this and did not SILVER any
more, so l thought would volunteer
. Ken, 80 I said to him, "Well, mon
vieux, do you think we are seeing real
Smelling now?" And then was going
to say I would 60, but he looked at
me In funny way for second and
then said. swell, my son, suppose you
60 and find out"
thought he was kidding me at first
but then saw he meant it. I thought
two things about it-one was that any.
thing was better than staying there
and the other was that the old dugout
was q pretty fair place after all. But
I did not say anything to the ser.
geant or the other men-just went
out of the dugout. The sergeant and
ed me over the back wall Of the hole
lay fiat on the ground for minute tc
get my bearings, and then started off
set my course for where I thought
the communication trenches were, tt
the right, and just stood up and ran
for I figured that as the shells were
falling so thick and it was opeI
ground would not have any better
chance If l crawled.
I tripped several times and went
Sx71,g and each time thought I was
nit, because when I got it in the thigh
: at Dixmude it felt good deal a.
though I had tripped over a rope
And one time when I fell shell ex
ploded near me and began to shivel
again, and could not go on for {
long time. All this time I did no.
think I would get through, but finally
when reached what had been tn
communication trench 1 felt I hat
done the worst part Of it, and I began
to wish very hard that 1 would ge
through-I was not at all crazy abou
going west
The mouth of the communicated
trench had been battered in and tn
trenches it joined with were all file
up. There were rifles sticking on
of them in several places, and
thought probably the men had bee
buried alive in them. But 1t was to
late then, if they had been caught, S
: 7 climbed over the blocked entrance t
the communication trench and starte
, back along it. 1t led up through sol
Of gully, and I thought it was a ba
olace to dig a communication trenc
x because it gave the Turks some
=. Thing like the side of hill to shoot a
y Every once in while would hav
to climb in and out Of she'll hOl'
and parts of them were blocked wher
. }.I,o1l Ehod cave6 in tho wal1s Tn IN