Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-25
QUEER-LO0KING PAIR,
OVER FIFTY, WITH IRON
GRAY HAIR, CAME TO CAMP
CONTINUED from First PageD

a pretty picturc-and was not the
only one so adorned that night And
that by the way. may explain the silly
German allegations about the British
using black troops. My joke. Never
mind.
term. as far as Me.sincs was con-
cerncd. All we had to do. practically,
was to walk ahead and take up our
objective. OF course, tho walking was
not SO simple. either. owing to the state
o; the ground, which was full OF
cratcrs. but what I mean is that there
was precious little actual fighting even
with those who FIRST went over. We
Who followed up wero in nice time to
meet the patches OF prisoners as they
came truudiinc In.
JovIAL GERMANS PROPHECY
HAD AIR OF MYSTERY
How any men escaped at all ~
mystery. There we're precious tcw,
compared with the numbers who must
have been asscd near the ridge. and
they were queer lot, right enough.
they were such awful sights. with be-
6ri'nmed faces and torn clothes. and
oii GltneF laOSH!US oF StiNi-
insane antics. ] believe the half Of
them were OFF their nuts with nerves.
who's going TO win. Fritz? shouted
our company humorfs, as we swung
past batch OF them on their way 10
th, cages.
Nobody shouted back q big, joviol
looking German. Wen be shaking
hands in August. You'll see
Now fancy that! And the chap
somehow seemed quite sincere. He
may be- riEht or wrong about August.
nobody knows anything about It, but
everybody knows. or feels convinced.
that It won't be case OF nobody win
cins. At any rate. to keep 10 the story
We won the day. 1t was panorama,
and perfect battle all in one.
1t was perfect Knockout for me.
TOO. later on. Shrapnel did 1t. think
che explosion must have blown the
wits out OF the Huns heads. which.
considering their thickness. is only
another way Of Caugtng It's terrible
force; at any rate, they took a mighty
long time to get any OF their guns
into order to give US 4 bit Of pepper
ing. Aud when it did come. II looked.
go puDy after what had transpired
that. really. we went On without much
worry
DO you know that in the base hos
ptal when ] was having repairs per
formed my anatomy, there are
tightly drawn classes that scmetirn cs
tell on a fellows nerves. 1t told on
mine more than once. II Is like this:
Before the old tank" intruded into
our midst, the tnachine-Eun fellow used
to feel that he was the only hero that
walked On two feet. They would
cocks. and. would you believe II II L
tell you that they actually went TO
work and got Up a name for them
sclvcs, and under no other name would
they identify themselves. And what
DO YOU think they called themselves?
Tho Suicide Brigade"
Well. when the tank came along, the
market price-at base hospitai--of the
Suicide Brigade" went down ten points
at time. until It became SO low that
It was > wonder that tho brigade"
did not actually commit suicide in one
bunch.
Yes, sly. the tank fellow became the
proud hero. DO you know that you
had to have SONG real pull with
Some one - be able to join The new
suicide brigade' The popularity OF
the tank service is that il you get away
v,
and tina, is all there Is TO IT. but IL
you did not return from, a friendly
a:rafinG visit 10 the Fritzics, you sim
ply don't return, that is all.
ThiE is tho way il goes You start
with bunch of crazy "blocks'--ncycr
mind the numbcr--and start on a visit
TO the Fritzies. You are told to do q
certain thing, and which certain thing
for you to do is often TO see that the
Han machine guns are steam-rollcd
and not u Fritz escapes. Or, sometimes
YOU arc Md TO 60 right to the front
door OF The b'ritzies' dugout. and gently
announce TO the Hun bunch that YOU
have just dropped in Ia see them, and
move away from his front door until!
YOU have taken a stock OF all tho
bis and small. fat and slim Fritzies
IN there.
1t Is hard telling how the Huns viii
take your visit Sometimes they would
be really rude. and other times they
would be real polite, and suggest that
they would sooner have d talk with
you at your own quarters. just like
him-the f'ritz--you don't know how
be is going to behave.
GET HUN RAVISG MAD
RY SHOOTING INTO TRENCHES
And still another time you are told
TO do other stunts. For instance the
most favorite way OF getting Fritz
.aying mad is 10 so and sit right on
his communication trench and send
him a couple OF voileys in the form of
informing him that you are there on a
serious business. and that you wish 10
see how he is getting on in his rat
hole. O my! but doesn't he get mad?
Fritz can't see the Joke j.. calling on
him unannounced
You see, that is one or E-ritz's real
shortcomings. He--thc Iritz-neyer
secs point in any one else's jokes
He never laughs al anybody clse's
Joke. Just like hm--the Fritg-he
will laugh only at his own rude joke,
and how he laughs when he plays the
trick himself!
That reminds me Of wounded Hun
officer once met at the hospital.
From the way he complained about
the misbehavior of our tanks. you
would think that he was either a &. O..
conscientious objector) for
''shirkcr'--or the Bishop Of London
with couple Of broken wings over his