Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-11-01

ET0uCuLHcn TO pass so mat Ln0y cOuiu
be taken prisoner, yet, not too large
] force. lest it might prove a menace
to the German arms.
After these hostile troops had
crossed. the plan was to destroy the
bridge to prevent their being re-
enforced. That was why the sergeant
manning this switch had been kept
waiting for the order to blow up the
| bridge But the sergeant In the ex-
citement and confusion thought that
the cable to which his phone was con-
nected had been disconnected and blew
up the bridge on his own initiative
while it was crowded by Frenchmen
and long before the enemy could have
had an opportunity to cut that cable.
At the same time the officer at the
switch connected with the explosives
| under the second bridge received his
| orders He afterwards said that the
order he received was hard to make
out and that he had lost his presence
of mind and threw in the switch,
| thereby killing thousands on the bridge
and leaving many other thousands to
the mercy Of the enemy.
| Before there was time for more Inn
pressions our entire unit was ordered
| to Vitry to be assembled in front of
the cathedral. With sigh of relief
we hurried away, for the French ar
tillery began once more to send shells
with much accuracy over the entire
countryside. Wounded men from other
| dQfQ w naCC06
rod told us that the French had al
ready crossed the Marine in several
different places. Everyone among us
voiced the same opinion. We had al
ready sustained great losses on Bel
gian soil and each day brought new
sacrifices. Our lines became thinner
and thinner. Many companies were
entirely destroyed and all units suf-
fered heavily. These companies whose
forces had been reduced to a minimum
and with the survivors half starved
were opposed by an army well
equipped with supplies and arms. The
enemy constantly brought up fresh
troops while our forces became fewer
from hour to hour. We realized that
it was impossible to make a stand
here. We were constantly learning
from soldiers of other contingents that
their losses in men and materials were
enormous.
| I thought Of the God Of the Ger
mans. Had he forsaken them?
I thought it so loud that the others
could hear.
Eyes," said another, "whom the
Lord wishes to punish is first stricken
with blindness. Probably he thought
Of Belgium, Donchery, Sommepy and
Suippes, and still many other places
and let us run into this perditioD like
| flying fiends."
We reached Vitry. Here the misery
seemed to be still greater than ever
before, for in the entire town there
was not a single house that was not
overcrowded with wounded. In the
midst Of all this misery robbery -four.
ished. All residences had been emp
tied of their furnishings and every.
thing was thrown into the streets to
make room for the wounded.
The sanitary squads went over the
town and took everything Of any value.
The munition and railroad columns
followed the same practice. They had
plenty of room for plumber. This was
amply proven by numerous seizures
afterward of parcels put in the mail,
which contained gold rings, watches,
precious stones, etc. The business of
the marauders fiourished here in Vitry.
The soldiers in the supply columns en-
,countered very little actual danger;
they had an easy time as compared
with soldiers fighting at the front.
We soon reached the cathedral and
reported to Lieutenant Elm. He also
had defended his fatherland at a safe
distance and here In the city, freshly
shaved and in immaculate attire he
looked very presentable.
The contrast was vivid as he stood
before us who were torn. dirty and Gov.
cred with blood, with unkempt hair,
with boards grown and caked with
mud and dirt.
We were obliged to wait so we sat
down and looked around US. The
church was full Of wounded; many
| UlcU uuucT the IdnUS Ol Tie uOCCOTS.
They were carried out to make room
! for others. The dead were carried to
one side, where whole rows of corpses
lay. We counted more than sixty.
On our way TO Vitry we had begged
some bread, but we were still hungry
and our field kitchens were nowhere in
sight. The crews Of our field kit, lens
as well as our forage officers and nom
commissioned officers prefer to defend
their fatherland many kilometers be-
| hind the battle fronts. They did not
| care about US as long as they were
not obliged to go within range Of the
artillery fire. Comradeship has its
| limitations with them.
The Germans, unable to with
I Il