The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-11-08

rSSht to left, then rabbit ran ahead
and I watched him wondering If ne
would get hit. Good rabbit took
my mind off the carnage. You think
Of all kinds of things.
Huns Try TO Surrender
About 60 Germans jumped up out
of a trench and tried to surrender,
but their machine guns opened up,
we fired back, they ran and our left
company after them. That made a
advanced one Of his to do the job
Then a shell hit in a machine gun
crew Of ours and cleaned 1t out COM
pletely.
AT 1890 we dug in-the attack
just died out. I found a hole or old
trench and when 1 was flat on my
back 1 got some protection. Holcomb
was next me; Wilmer some way off.
We then tried to get reports. Two
companies we never could get in
| touch with. Lloyd major Egbert T.
tLloydsEof Philadelphia came in and
reported he was holding some
trenches near a mill with six men.
Gates (Lieutenant Clifton B. Gates
of Tiptonville, TENN with his
trousers blown off, said he had 16
men Of various companies. Another
officer on the right reported he had
and could see some 40 men, all told.
That, with the headquarters, was
all we could find out about the bat
talon of nearly 500. OF the 20 COM
pany officers who went in, 3 came
out, and one, Gates, was slightly
wounded.
|. From then on to about 8 p m.
life was a chance and mighty I'M
comfortable. 1t was hot as a fur
mace, no water, and they had our
range to a "T'. Three men lying in
a shallow trench near me were
blown to bits.
p Hear Cries Of Wounded
81 went to the left Of the line and
found eight wounded men in a shell
hole. We thought they were killed,
but they were not hit. You could
hear men calling for help in the
wheat fields. Their cries would get
weaker and weaker and die out.
The German planes were thick in
the air; they were in grouph of from
three to twenty. They would look
us over and then we would get a
pounding. One OF our planes got shot
down; he fell about a thousand feet,
| like an arrow, and hit in the field
back of us. The tank exploded and
nothing was left. -
I I'VE had a machine gun officer
with us and at six a runner came up
and reported that Sumner was kill
ed. He commanded the machine Gun
Company with us. Hughes head
Iquarters were all shot up. Turner
| Captain Arthur H. Turner Of
Wilkesbarre, Pa.) lost leg.
well we just lay there all through
q M
| a shell would land near by and you
would bounce in your hole. At twi-
| light came. we sent out water par
ties for the relief of the wounded.
Then, we wondered If we would get
relieved. At nine o'clock we got a
message congratulating US, and say
ling the Algerians would take over
! at midnight. We then began to COL
lect our wounded. A man who had
been blinded wanted me to hold his
hand. Another, wounded in the
back, wanted his head patted, and so
| 1t went; one man got up on his
hands and knees; asked him what
he wanted. He said, look at the
full moon, then fell dead. 1 had
him buried, and all the rest / could
find All the time bullets sung and
we prayed that Smelling would not
start again while we had our
wounded on top.
Relief Comes at Last
"The Algerians came up at mid
night, and we pushed out. They
went over at daybreak and got all
shot up. We made the relief under
German flares and the light from a
burning town,
1--WE are now back in a town for
some rest and to lick our wounds.
AS l rode down the battalion where
once companies $50 strong used to
march, now you see so men with
kid Second Lieutenant in command;
one company commander is not yet
81.
I'm the first fight 103 of the men in
the company that | brought over
were killed or wounded. The second
fight must have about cleaned out
the old crowd.
we advanced ten kiIometers, with
prisoners and guns, and the bells
rang in New York for the victory,
while well dressed girls and white
shirted men, no doubt drank our
health in many a lobster palace"
VATICAN SENDS ENVOY
Rome. Nov. Monsignor Bona
ventura Cerretti, PapaI under secre-
tary of state and former Apostolic
Al ~ "a x1fflI yoarFe, Y1ez-F