Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-20

The gun we used was the Nickcrs
light .3o3. water cooled
| was still Il member OF the Suicide
Club. having jumped from the frying
pan into the fire. was assigned to
Section l. Gun No. ., and the first time
lin" took position in the front-liuc
trench.
During tho day our gun would be
d!smounted on the fire step ready fer
instant use We shared Il dugout with
the Lewis gunners. at stand to- we
would mount our gun on the parape;
and go on watch beside it until stand
down" in the morning. then the gun
would be dismountcu and again placed
in readiness on the fire step.
We did eight days in the frent-line
trench without anything unusual hap
pening outside OF the ordinary trench
routine. On the night that we were TO
carry out" a bombing raid against
the German lines was pulled Oft. This
raiding party consisted Of siNty com
pany men, sixteen bombcrs. aud four
Lewis machine guns with their crews.
The raid took tho Boches by sur
prise, and was a complete success. the
party bringing back twcnty-onc pris-
oucrs
The Germans must have been awful!y
sore, because they turned loose bar
rage Of shrapncl. with Il few 'minnies"
ana "whiaa-hnugs'' intermiXcd Tho
shells wcr. dropping into our front
ine like halstonos.
20 get even. we could have left the
prisoners IN the fire trench. in charge
OF the men on guard and let them
click f'ritz's strafing. but Tommy does
not treat prisoners that way.
Five OF them were brought into my
dugoIt and turned over TO me so that
they would be safe from the German
fire.
In the candlcliEht. they looked very
much shaken, nerves gone and chalky
faces, with the exception of one a
great big fellow. lie looked very muciT'
ut ease. liked him from the start.
got out the rum jar and gave each
a nip and passed around some fags
the old -cliabie Woodbiues. The other
prisoners looked their gratitude. but
the big fellow said in English. Thank
YOU. sir, the rum is excellent and APP
preciate it. also your Kindness
lie told me his name was Carl
Schmidt, of the Sixty-sixth Bavarian
Light Infantry: that he had lived six
years in New York (knew the city bet
ter than did, had been TO Coney
Island and many OF our ball games
He was regular fan. couldn't make
hlfa believe that Hans Wagner wasn't
the best ball player in the world
From New Yorl; he had gone to Lon
don. where he worked rs waiter in
ID" l!otc! kIsscli. Just before the war
he went home u Germany 10 see his
parents. the war came and he was cen
stripted
He told me he was very sorry to hear
that London was in ruins from the
Zeppelin raids. I could not convince
him otherwise, for hadn't ne seen NOV
ing pictures in one OF the German cities
Of St pau!s Cathedral in ruins.
changed the subject because he
was 50 stubborn in his belief /, was
my intention TO try and pump him
for Information "a TO the methods of
the German snipers, who had been
causing US trouble in the last few days
broachei the subject and he shut
up like a clam. After a few minutes
he very innocently said:
German snipcr2 get paid rewards
for <illns the Eng lish."
eagerly asked. What are thcy?"
He answered.:
For killing or wounding an Eng
lish private, the snipcr gets mark.
For killing or wounding an English
officer ne en,s marks. but If he Kills
=, Ped Cap or English general, the
snipcr gets Iwcuty-onc days tied to