El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-04

{ l. a tTssEendoUs broad neadman's ak
with curved blade. a German OF six
/ foot four tried several times TO get at
me. Each time an enemy officer
I stopped him. but still he persisted He
4 his eye fastened on me with deadly
intention in it.
He pushed aside the others,
Prussians and prisoners DIilzc. he
uhirled the shining blade high
above n face lit up with savage
eIuItatiOR terrible to sec. and
vrich reflected he sensual revcl-
ling Of his heated brain In the
bloody orgy ahead.
Ny blood turned to water. Ny eye
followed the incredibly rapid motions
Terror swept over ne like spring
[ time flood. AS he stood over me with
feet spread wide. the circles Of his
AXIS swing broadening for the finale
the thread of rabbit like mesmerism
broke, and I sprang nimbly aside as
the blade buried itself deep in the
mud wall had been covering
against
1 endeavored to dodge him by put
ting some OF my fellow prisoners be-
tween US No use. He followed me,
showing and CursinE his way amongst
them, swinging his AK.
Ny hair stool on end and I felt
rather critical Of the much Wanted
Prussian discipline. Another en-
deavored TO bayonet Charlie Scarfe-
The officer at last stopped them both
Armed With Saw BnyOnets.
Our captOrs belonged 10 the -lst
Prussian regiment. They were armed
for the most part with pioneers
hayonets. as well adapted. by reason
OF their saw edges, for saving wood
ae..Hae H.
for the latter, an unnecessarily cruel
weapon. since IL was bound to stick
in the body and badly lacerate it in
ternally in the withdrawal, especially
If given q twist
They were already casting our dead
out Of the shattered trench, both I'm
front and behind. and in many cases
using them TO stop the gaps jim the
parapet. so that they received the bull
lets of their estwhile comrades. TIE
trench front had been aboutfaced
since its change OF ownership
We were marched TO the rear, with
the exception Of one. who remained
with dying man bp permission OF
the officer.
There were ten Of US all told. I have .
only heard OF three others who were I
captured that day, and two of them
T did not see-Roberts. who is still in Z
Germany. and Todeschi. since ex-
changed and now in Toronto. The lat T
ter lay with q boy OF the machine gun
crew for a couple Of days in a dug I
cut. both badly wounded
A German stumbled on to them. and I
when they pleaded for water, the
Hun replied
I'll give you water" and bayOueted 4
the boy as he lay
~AII right" TOdeschi replied in Ger
man: xiii me, too, but first give me
NJ r-e-r-sr lowered his rifle in
amazement- He had raised his
weapon so that the blood OF his COM
rade dripped on TOdeschis face
What. YOU schwein. you speak the
good German2 Where did you learn
In your schools. Give me water.
and kill me-
"AlI right. viii give you water and
7 viii not kill just TO show YOU how
well we can treat prisoner"
TOdeschi was taken TO the field
dressing station, where. according
to his own account. his mingled
leg was amputnted without the use
of any anesthetie. But that they
probably did not have in time Of
stress. Later he was exchanged.
About the middle OF the afternoon
We were herded by our guards into a
shallow depression a short distance
I'm the rear of the trench and there
told 10 lie down. The officer and his
men returned TO his trench
SHIPPED At By Germans
Until We were taken back to the
trench AT o'clock We were conun-
ually sniped at by the Germans in the
captured trench. We had no recourse
but to make ourselves IS small al
possible. which we did. Whether oW-
ing to the fact that the hollow we
were lying in prevented our being
actually within range OF the enemy
vision, OF whether they were merely
playing cat and mouse with US I do
not know, but none were hit
Young Cox suffered stOically.
HIS manEIed hand had become
badly fouIed with dirt and filth.
and the ragged bones prOtruded
through the broken flesh. so. in
n quiet interval between the snip
ing periods. we hurriedly sawed
the shattered stump Of his hand
with our clasp knives and bound
IL up ~ best we could
During the operation he did not so
much as Erunt. The nearest he came
10 complaining was when h. asked me
to let him lay his hand across my
body TO ease IL, at the same time re-
marking Il guess when they get US
to Germany they'll let US write, and
III be able to write mother, and then
she'u not know TIE lost my hand
He was a most valiant and faithful
soldier.
Called And Examined
At o'clock our guards came for us
and curtly ordered US to our feet We
were taken back 10 the trench. where
our officer friend had US searched
again As 7 happened to be in the
lead Of our party and the first 10 enter
the trench, was the first man
searched. and so had TO await the
examination OF the remainder
Worn out by the events Of the day
md the wound I had received earlier
IN the morning from q shell fraE-
nent, fell asleep against the wall OF
FOR EXCESSIVE
p