Evening star., 1918-05-31
.BES|EGE PRISONERS
FOR ANY SOUVENIRS
Germans Taken at Cantigny
Battle Part With Helmets
and Other Articles.
CHEER AN AIRPLANE FIGHT
ax IuNlus q. MOOD.


Cablegram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1913.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY ON
THE FRENCH FRONT. May 30
Most OF the prisoners taken by the
Americans in Tuesdays battle at Can
tigny belonged to the SD Reserve
Division Of Slesians and Branden-
burgers. One regiment had made
relief only the night before. The mil
itary police brought them into our
lines in squads. The policemen and a
squad of fifteen prisoners accommo-
datingly stopped to be photographed.
In passing along the road they had
all turned over their helmets as
souvenirs to their actual captors be-
fore they were delivered to the po-
lice. The latter wanted souvenirs also.
and before starting the march again
each guard provided himself with
German canteen which by that time
was empty. Photographs of women.
souvenir postals. clasp knives, watches
and cigars were found in the pockets
of the prisoners together with part
of a loaf of heavy, hard black bread.
the ration for the day. All money
was returned after the search. greatly
to the delight of the prisoners.
Just as a batch of more than 100
prisoners arrived a spirited aeroplane
tight started overhead and the prls-
oners began cheering for the German
planes, shouting words of encourage
ment. The French cavalry waiting TO
escort the men to prison camp in
the rear quickly suppressed the dis-
play of partisanship. However, the
taubes suddenly described a circle
and returned to their own lines.
Captured by Ones and Twos.
The prisoners were captured by
ones and twos by various patrols.
Some of the guards made motions,
others clapped their hands and others
shouted in fluent English. The Ger
man soldiers instinct was usually
sufficient. for he kept his eyes straight
ahead and marched stolidly onward.
"Allez lei ("come here'D said one
guard busily directing his squad at
anything" he complained. You are
talking French to them." suggested
another soldier.
"They are foreigners and those are
the only foreign words ! know" in
sisted the guard.
been hidden in dugouts until they
rushed out when our men reached the
trenches. Their clothes were white
with chalk but they showed few
marks of the conflict. Four ran out
of one dugout in Cantigny shouting
"Kamerad," and with hands aloft tried
to surrender to James Hopper, cor
respondent of New York weekly,
who went across with the first wave.
Lamented He Had No Gun.
But l haven't a gum" lamented
Hopper, with tears running down his
cheeks. Hopper had been with the
unit before 1t advanced and started
out with it intending to accompany
it only part of the way. Carried away
by his enthusiasm. he went on and
quicker than he expected he found
himself in the German trenches. He
returned unscathed.
A busy movie man 1amented bitterly
because the prison stockade was in
the woods and there was insufficient
light for a picture. Another griev-
ance was that a peppery Prussian n
soldier considered his dignity offended
ana turned his back on the camera.
The airplanes took pictures of every
stage of the fight as the light was
excellent at 7:30 in the morning and
later. The finished prints delivered
at headquarters showed the tanks
and infantry waves advancing and
shells bursting. These pictures were
ready at 1880 in the morning. The
artillery fired mostly high explosives,
but shrapnel, gas and smoke shells
were also used.