The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-01-02
GREETS GERMAN
SHELL AS Joke
How Pershing Men Conduct
Themselves in Trenches.
JUST MISS GENERALS AUTO
Chauffeur Ducks Head, Dons STln
Hat" and Sticks to WheeI-Laby-
rinth Of Trenches IL Just Like Main
Street to American SoIdiers-Gun
Forces Huns to Lose Laundry.

1.-THE Boche just came close enough
was the way certain American colo
mel smilingly described the visit OF
German shell which recently STRUCK
his headquarters.
The colonel at that time was work
ing in his "office" at headquarters, 8
chateau near the trenches. Orderlies
were coming and going. A dozen Off
GERS were working In various rooms
Suddenly the German she'll crashed
into the roof and exploded half way
down the second floor.
The explosion smashed windows ev-
erywhere and scattered rain Of plas-
ter over the coloneps bed.
Two minutes later we found the
colonel standing on his steps looking
the building over and glngerly han.
ding some hot fragments Of the shell,
One hour before the German shell
struck home an American general had
left his automobile near the chateau
and walked 100 yards away, when a
shell struck near the car. The auto
mobile was showered with mud and
stones. The American army chauffeur
ducked his head, donned his "tin hat"
and stuck to his wheel.
A zig-zagging ditch, walled in with
hand-woven twigs khaki-clad Sam
mics standing on the firing step-this
Is Americas first line.
Know Trench Labyrinth.
It winds like a brown scar across
the face of the hill. Sammies, peer
| ing cautiously over the parapet, have
an unobstructed view across a valley
| to where the Boche is sulking in his
own front line trenches.
Americas front line in the land
branch of the battle for democracy
isn't just a plain ditch. To the I'M
initiated it is a labyrinth Of twists
and turns and holes and mounds. But
to Sammy, 1t is as simple as Main
street, back home. He knows every
dugout, every traverse, every listening
post.
Standing on the f1re-step at one
place in the trench beside Nebraska
soldier, strained by eyes across death
valley to where the enemy holds forth.
1t was dank, tangled tarn. Weeds
run wild for three years, luxuriated
there. A battered village stands mid
way, awaiting the day Of reclamation.
It was still. Not sign Of move
ment showed anywhere. Nothing
moved over where the German
trenches were.
Suddenly an American gun cracked
twice. Shells shuf1ed instantaneous
~ over us and detOnated lover there"
in wrfggly puffball fashion. Perhaps
unseen Boches were sent scurrying
underground by its wicked fragments.
A crow wheeling in midair was
struck by bit Of this shrapnel. He
dropped to the earth like plummet.
There amt any use writing about
that to the home folks" said the tall
Nebraska soldier. "They wouldn't be-
lieve me If told it to EN-"
We passed on down the trench. A
Memphis (Tenn.) machine gunner was
our next acquaintance.
"There are plenty Of ducks in Death
valley" he volunteered, after someone
had mentioned the crow incident.
There's small lake midway over No
Mans Land, and they gather around
there"
From somewhere an American snip
er's rifle cracked the deep stiffness
md then quiet settled down again. In
growing shadows we passed on down :
he trench. As. we stopped, there came T
abruptly the unmistakable whistling
If shells. then instantly three bangs
Is the three shots struck q hundred
ards away, near the first line. There
we're 40 casualties.
Immediately the American guns
ook up the challenge, measure for
Measure. Then it was quiet again.
That brief interchange suggested in Z
Luiry as to what took place in the
rst lines when shells came over. A
Wyoming boy proudly showed his dug
ut.
Huns Lose Their Laundry.
1T accommodates thirty-eight of us,
lso million rats" he remarked with
grin. "And forgot the dozen or so
ats
We passed still farther along-and
OF by machine-gun post just in time
} see the little death-dealer rattle :
vely barrage over against a German :
,llage where the Boches were seen to
e hanging out their shirts on a
othes-line. The Huns fed-leaving
leir laundry. =
Reaching the end Of the American
sctor, we turned to the rear. A tomb =
Ike stiffness reigned at that moment. F,
was so quiet that the loudest sound
as the water splashing and swishing
lder the "duck-boards" Qattice work
avements) beneath our feet.
Half an hour later the lull was
oxen. The Boches started a sud- III
n spasm of artillerying. They hurled
shrapnel shells with a drurn-fre
eed-25 minute, perhaps. Distant
jumps and red flashes near us showed
e American gun volley sent painstak-
IL