The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-08-22
YANKEES ORATORY
CAPTURES 81 HUNS
Germans Yield When Their
One Prisoner Says They'll
Be Blown to Pieces

This is the story of Pvt. Frank Len
ert, a sleepy looking, flat-footed, 49,
year-old Marine from Chicago, who
emerged from Belleau Woods with 80
boches as his personal prisoners says
the current number of the Stars and
Stripes, the official newspaper of the
American Expeditionary Forces.
1t happened on the night the Amer
leans in that sector rounded out their
possession of the woods, killing, cap
turing or driving out the remaining
German machine gun companies that
had chung stubbornly to their final
strip of the debatable forest. It was
little after midnight, and the intel
ligence officer at one regimental
headquarters had turned in with full
pack on for an hours sleep when he
was awakened by the voice of pri-
vate calling out his name under his
window. The voice went on in what
it's cwner fondly believed to be a stage
whisper, but which was really a sort
of nuffled roar.
Gay, come on down; got some
prisoners, I have" HI.
"Weli,"' said the lieutenant, "stick
trem in a shed somewhere, and I'll he
down and look them over"
81 guess I'll have to hire a hail."
was the reply the lieutenant heard
while he adjusted his helmet and gas
mask, and he was chuckling at that
bit of Yankee braggadocio as he tunl-
bled down the stairs and out into the
moonlit road. The road was crowded.
The sleep vanished from his widening
eyes as he gazed upon German COM
pany drawn up in full array, with a
beaming Marine on guard at either
end, and Private Lenert standing at
attention, with his right hand fond
ling the butt Of German captains
automatic.
| Over his shoulder was slung an ex-
ceptionally fine pair Of German field
glasses. He had just tossed away a
pleasantly favored German cigarette.
Everyone looked happy, including the
Germans.
ssWhere in the name Of all that's
wonderful did you get all these?"
HOh," said Lenert cheerfully, "they
just came along"
Later, when the prisoners had been
marched off down the road to brigade
headquarters, this account of the cap
ture unfolded itself from the testimony
of all concerned.
Lenert's battalion had been in the
thick of the fighting, which had been
preceded by series of holly contest
ed advances since a little after sun
down. He, himself, in the height of
the excitement, had got astray from
his company and, confused in his bear
tings, he was looking for his own peo-
pie again in the darkness Of the woods
when he stumbled into a German COM
pany-walked into a German machine
gun, and knew as much by the way
they fell upon him.
i The boches dragged their lone pris-
oner before the captain, who put him
thru a hurried examination-an ex-
animation carried on in German, fol
lLenert can speak German.
Lenert did not know much, but he
tried a few details on his inqu1sitor
and noting the profound effect they
seemed to have, quite warmed up tx
his story. He bent over the map they
showed him, and reluctantly described
the position of the various American
regiments until he had conveyed TIT
impression to the already unhappy
captain that this nest Of Germans was
virtually surrounded.
j aAnd want to get out Of here
Lenert went on with growing convic
ton. 1'There's a lull now, but They're
going to turn the artillery on thi!
patch of woods and blow it to bits.
don't want to be here. I want to ge
right out now"