The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1918-05-09
THE HERALD, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.
them. We all knew that two murder
ers had received their Just deserts.

erS nau received tnelr just ueSerIS.
Another instance requires me to run
somewhat ahead of the sequence Of
events. AS talked to a comrade OF
my company the next day l asked him
for a pocketknife and In reaching into
his pocket he pulled out three car
tridges. l was surprised that he should
carry cartridges In his trousers pocket
and asked him IL he had no room in
his belt
81 have" he said, "but these three
have a special mission. There are
names of the intended victims on these
bullets"
Some time later after we had be-
come good friends | asked him again
about the three cartridges. He had
only one left. l thought about IT a
great deal and in my mind went over
the noncommiSsioned officers, who. be-
fore war was declared had treated us
like animals and whom we had hated
as only human fiends can be hated.
Two of these had found their grave In
France.
The murder of Frenchmen who had
surrendered continued as long as an
enemy was alive. Then we received
orders to determine if the enemies
unable to fight. If anyone was found
Stimulating death il was ordered that
he be killed. But the soldiers had lost
some of the fever which had seized
them during the battle and refused TO
obey this order. How they felt about
1t was illustrated by the remark of a
member of my company:
"We had better look once more and
see If the two officers are really dead
and if not they ought to be killed with
out mercy for a command is a COM
mand."
We now advanced quickly but our
part in the battle was over as the en-
tire French line had retired to make
a fresh stand, two kilOmeters west OF
Sommepy. The city was mostly In
flames. The enemy artillery lombard
ed the town without intermisSion anC
shells burst all around.
Several hundred prisoners were cor
rallied in the market place. Severa
French shells struck the prisoners bu
they were obliged to remain where
they were. An officer of my company
Lieut.. A. r. Neesen, remarked that N
harm was done as the prisoners knew
at least how their own ammunition
tasted.
Toward one O'Clock the battle souti
Of Sommepy reached its climax. WheI
the Germans advanced to make storm
ing attacks on all points the French
gave up their positions and retired IL
the direction of Suippes. Whether ou
company was no longer considered Fl
to fight or whether we were not neede'
any longer do not know. We received
orders to go into quarters. But neithe
a barn nor a stable could be found s.
that nothing remained but to camp Il
| the open. The houses were all file,
with wounded. Citizens of the town
who had not fled were all gathered Il
| large barn. Their houses were most
ly destroyed so that they had to max
use of what shelter was offered then
There was one exception to this al
rangement and that was a. very old lii
tie motherly woman sitting, bitterl
crying, by the debris of her late HON
and nobody could induce her to leav,
In the barn, which served as a she
ter to the civilians, were thrown t
gether men and women, youths, chi
dren and old men. Many were wOunC
ed by shell splinters and cartridge
and others had suffered burns. Ever,
where was the most terrible misery
sick mothers and half-starved infant
for whom there was no milk wer
obliged to perish here; old people die
from the excitement and fright of tn
previous few days and last OF all me
and women in the prime Of life slOwl
died from wounds because there wa
nobody to care for them.
A company of Hessian reserve
every one a veteran, passed wit
bowed heads and tired feet. They mu:
have had very long march. Their o
ficers tried to make them move NOR
lively. They ordered that q song
sung bat the Hessians were not In tn
mood.
Evil you sing, you pigs?" cried a
officer and the pitiful-lOoking pigs
tried to obey. this order. Family soun'
ed from the ranks Of the Overture
men: Deutschland, Deutschlan
Ueber Allies, Ueber Allies in Der Welt
Despite their broken strength, the
tired feet, disguised and resentfu
these men sang their symphony of 81
per-Germanism.
Several comrades who like myse
had watched this troop pass came
sIMANs H7k-