Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1918-11-14
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: Camp & Fieh
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to be small jelly beans suspended
from the clouds. AS we advanced,
they grew larger and larger, and later
/ learned that they were our observ-
alton balloons Our camp was not
these balloons, SO you can imagine
we were not far from the lines. Just
before we entered the woods that
were to hide us for awhile we passed
an American field hospital. Here
saw a number of American lads bear
ing ugly wounds with a. true Ameri-
can spirit, which is smile, and a
curse for the kaiser: I did not real
ize then that before the week was up
| was going to feel hundred years
older in the line Of adventure and
experience. This hospital personnel
was very small and at that time the
Americans were coming in thick and
fast-much faster than they could
handle them, so we would often go
down and lend them hand, usually
at night, so that it would not inter
fere with our work. Never will | for
get that first night, for | had a. most
pleasant job wished upon me-that of
burying thirty-one dead heroes. |
hated to start the job, but after | had
asked for work it was up to me to see
it through. Anyway, captains, lieu
tenants, sergeants and privates were
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had all died for the same cause, and
there was no distinction between the
work they had done. That mound is
now a monument to the memory of
Americans, as are many more along
the line from Montdidier to Verdun.
So l was glad when this job was fin
ished and the rest of the night |
helped bear stretchers.
Hauling the Wounded
To show how little he thought Of
civilization and humanity, Fritz would
occasionally come over and drop a
few bombs around the hospital, as
we'll as fly very low above us and open
up with that deadly put-put-put-put of
his machine gun. Luckily none was
hit and he only wasted his time. One
night little later while working at
this same hospital, l decided that l
would give the helper on one of the
ambulances a lift. These poor fell
lows are compelled to lead a tough
life and often go days without sleep,
so to show them that | was 0. K,
decided to go the rounds for one of
them. | want to state right here that
for anything, for | got more WAR
that night than | ever want to be told
about again Fritz had been bombing
the roads as usual that night and
where traffic was thick he would
sWoop down and cut loose with his
machine gun. A Scotch division was
entering the trenches, relieving the
Americans, and as we started for the
front they were still trudging along the
road, a gay and humorous set, these
Scots, and before the night was over
| learned to more than idolize two of
them. AS I have stated, we were we'll
on our journey and were just nearing
an open place along the road. | no.
ticed the driver feed the car more gas
and felt the jerks as it picked up
speed, but little dreamed what it was
for. We had just cleared this open
when, bong, bong, bong, and the now
familiar rattle of a machin gun. All!
My eyes were open now, and | could
plainly see the reason for all the
speed We had been lucky, but as
is often the case, some were unlucky,
and we knew this was no exception
to the rule, for the means of wounded
and the shrieks of dying plainly and
loudly called us back. What few
minutes before had been a laughing,
singing bunch of Scots was now a
bunch of sad and revengeful faces.
Thirty some had been killed and many
more wounded We loaded four of
the bad cases on the ambulance and
started back for the hospital. The
trip back | shall always remember,
for from the inside noise | knew that
four human beings were making their
last fight for life. 1t seemed as though
we were weeks getting back, although
in reality we made it in good time.
AS soon as we could get them out of
the ambulance we rushed them to the
operating room. Two of them died
just as we were lifting them on the
table. l began to feel sick and am
glad that [ am unable to state what
happened to the other two. / made
one more trip up the line and called
my nights work done. / hand it to
the ambulance drivers and always
shall, but | am willing to be painter
myself.
Hits Shel-Torn House
Our next move brought us on a diff
ferent front, but with just as much
if not more, WAR than the one we
had left. Here l received my first
taste of wartime sign painting, as well
as the condition the Boche can leave
a place in when leaving it. Towns
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