The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-08-02
ACTS OF HER0|SM
IN France

Marine, July 23.-"We rushed the enc
my machine gun position" This line
appears in a report made by an Am
erican company Captain to the Colonel
OF his regiment to day. Let me try
and picture what the cold and color
less line meant, for I saw what 1t
meant.
Our line is on the edge OF a wood on
the northern slope of hill about $50
feet high. In front stretches a yellow
wheat field. maybe a kilometer or less
in width. Beyond 1t rises another hill.
In the nearest edge OF the woods is
a German machine gunner. who has
been amusing himself by sending
stream Of bullets raking along the edge
of the woods held by US. This position
is in a sort OF clump of trees. with a
slight clearing almost surrounded be-
fore the thick wood begins.
We have tried shells and rifle fire
without success. The spot is marked
for vengeance when the Americans
make the advance scheduled The
Germans have generally Withdrawn
and the gunner seems to have been left
there to protect their retreat
Order Comes to Advance.
The order comes TO advance in a
few minutes. With their eyes on that
clump our men get fixed in direction.
A moment later and the line Of men, in
skirmishing formation, Some rs feet
apart crouching slightly forward, their
rifles ready. step from the edge OF the
woods and start through the wheat,
above their waists The machine gun
stops. They 60 There is no firing.
They are half way across the field A
few steps further and with a sound like
a steam hammer the machine gun cuts
loose. Our line drops TO a man. The
machine gun stops. They start again
with four or five missing, and the ma
chine guns rat-a-tat begins again.
Again they drop. and when they start
one or more are missing. One and
then another drops out and sinks
among the wheat stalks. Again they
drop and again they start Now there
are only few left. and they drop
down and seem TO stay down.
But there is a disturbance In the
wheat stalks From three directions
other thin brown lines move the same
way toward the machine gunner. while
our snipers take pot shots into his
clump Of bushes.
But the German is brave At every
opportunity his gun spurts bullets at
the advancing Americans
/ Americans Close in.
Now our men are close upon three
sides. Suddenly they leap up. crouch
ing little to get more shelter from the
wheat, and go at the clump Of BUSH
es- They know the German can get
some. but cannot get all.
From hundreds OF yards off a Ger
man sniper picks off two of our men
. but no other Germans seem to be near
II Nearer and nearer the men get. wher
20 or more rifles and the officers au-
tomato begin speaking
Ran-a-tat goes the machine gun
with our men seemingly upon IL Their
suddenly as 1t started, the rat-a-tai
ceases Our men scatter about the Ions
edge Of the woods and Others NOV,
across the fields to join them
learned later that the American of.
1cer had shot the German through
the head AT short range with his au.
tomato pistol There was no kane.
rad in that Germans system
Stretcher bearers brought back tn.
wounded from that wheat field. Som,
!. OF the Americans who had fallen has
no need OF stretcher bearers
Stories OF American bravery and dis
regard Of peril in the last weeks fight.
ing are so numerous that il seems un.
fair to others to recount their feats.
Stories of Heroism.
III There are two or three that seem su.
: preme-
4 During the fighting north Of Chau.
teau Thierry a well-known physician
hailing from West Virginia. Captain
! in the ranks. was in charge OF a Ger
tain hospital corps
Word came that behind an embank-
ment, sheltered by line OF thin woods
were II Germans guarding 40 captur.
ed American wounded This poin
was kilometer behind the German
front line
II His stretcher bearers were all busy
50 the Captain got eight priyates in
charge Of a Corporal supplied then
: with stretchers, and went 10 get rhOss
! American wounded. who had been sew
en- hours without medical aid Tbs
erstwhile dignified practitioner. A
years old. crawled on his stomach
with his squad past our front lines
down big ditch and drew near the
Germans and the wounded captives-
Crawling close to the group. the
Captain stepped boldly into the oyer
and demanded the surrender OF the
Germans
I'll The enemy began shooting despite
the doctors Red Cross. vhereupon the
Corporal and his eight priyatss opened
! fire on the Germans. killing eight Ths
other six surrendered
Act As S.retchsr Bearers
The captured Germans and the Am
: orleans who could walk acted as
stretcher bearers for the more serious
: " wounded Americans Insisted on
: being allowed TO carry on a stretch
4 er = wounded German, saying he had
saved their lives According 10 shs
Americans the German guards were
: going 10 XIII them all. but the wounded
: German persuaded the guards to agree
: to wait until nightfan for the execu-
) ton
Led by the Medical Captain the cav
; alcade. with 40 wounded lay on ths
! side Of the wood until dark and an 30;
, hack TO the American hospital safe
/ lly
Next day the doctor was killed BY a
German sniper. and therefore am no:
Iperrniffei N e-fve HE r,ar-,a Ta,fS 4