Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-19
20 Cannon and Many T Prisoners Taken
SERGEANT BROWN
BRINGS 159 BOCHES
TO HEADQUARTERS
He and Captain Storm Ma
chine Guns, Take Prisoners,
and Brown Goes After More
Guns and Cleans Out Trench

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
THE CHAMPAGNE July 1S.-After
killing or capturing the crews Of four
machine guns and raking a Boche-filled
trench with his automatic rifle until the
survivors surrendered, Sergeant j. F.
Brown walked into American headquar-
tiers late yesterday with 159 prisoners.
II am sorry, sir, that 1 was unable
to bring in all had he said in report
ing, but four of the wounded died on
me-"
The fighting in the fields and woods
in the present battle of the Marine is
most unusual. Companies, platoons and
even groups of two or three men are
waging their own warfare in clearing
out the BoChes.
Sergeant j. H. Brown, separate from
his platoon, encountered the captain of
another company. Pointing at four en-
envy machine guns, the captain said:
Let's get EN-"
The pair charged the nests, seemingly
impervious to the hail of bullets and
killed or captured the crews of two OF
the guns The prisoners were in their
way, so Brown turned them over to the
captain and cleaned up the other two
guns alone, taking additional prisoners
and smashing the pieces.
Captures Trenchful
The captain had started back to the
American lines with his captives. Brown
followed some distance in his wake. The
sergeant encountered a comrade, Cor
poral Pipp, who volunteered to guard
the prisoners : Brown readily accepted.
as he had just caught sight of a shall
low section of a trench, half filled with
dead Boches. The other half was filled
with Boches, too-very much alive
had IN
hot that he could barely hold it. But
he lay it across his arm and opened
fire on the trench, killing several of it's
occupants.
One of the Huns yelled 'kamerad."
"All right, come out" Brown re-
piled between shots.
All of the Germans, numbering nearly
a hundred, dropped their guns and sur
rendered.
Brown and Pipp started for the rear
and encountered numbers of their
platoon with prisoners. Brown took
charge of them all.
The wood where Brown and the others
had been fighting was being shelled
continuously. Once Brown and Pipp
were surrounded, but they fought their
way out.
At the edge of the wood, Browns COM
panions left him to get some more
Heinies" and he herded his prisoners
along a shell-pitted road toward the
rear still clutching his trusty auto
matte. He walked them fourteen kilo-
meters from the front and marched them
TO headquarters, making a total hike of
40 kilometers (nearly 25 miles,.
Arriving at headquarters, Brown made
an accurate count of his bag for the
first time. There we're 159 of them
including a major, a captain and two
lieutenants. The sergeant assured the
commander he had receipt" and
| turned over a pistol and pair Of wire
cutters he had taken from the major.
Uniform Torn With Bullets
Brown had narrowly escaped death a
number of times, as his uniform was
torn with bullets. Early in the fight
ing his pack had been shot from his
back by shrapnel.
Browns feat was the climax of a
| dozen of similar episodes. Eight Amer
| leans, captured by the Boches, were
taken to the north side of the river
They overpowered their guards, took
boat from a German officer, and pad
died back.
A single machine gunner saw two
platoons of Huns advancing. The gun
had been damaged and he was unable
to swerve it, bringing them into line
| Of fire Whipping out his automatic
pistol, he fired several shots. picked off
the Germans on one side. causing them
to alter their course. This brought them
within range Of the machine gun. He
then wiped them out.