American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1918-09-24
NATIONAL ARMY MEN EAGER TO GET
into FRONT LINE TO STOP BOCHE
"Theyh Make the Finest Soldiers in World" Says General Over
seaS-SOdierS Determined to Fight to Finish-Snipers Take
Daring Chances in spot Huntng"-Negro Troops
Furnish Much of Humor in War Zone.

cally be called murder. The snipers
don't call it that. They call 1t pot
hunting. 1 have talked with several
and have been on the line with a few.
They wouldn't any more shoot a song
bird or a maybe than they would kill
one of their own officers, but shooting
Fritz across the llne-that's another
story. It is dangerous business, too
Many a sniper is sniped himself. Some
of them %camOufage themselves and
stand for hours In range of a thousand
rifles. There is a young American Of
fcer from Massachusetts who is assign
ed to technical work, who spends a day
and a night each week on the line
sniping the enemy. He does it be-
cause he likes it. He is an expert rifle
shot and he enjoys the hazards Of his
work and gets satisfaction from killing
Huns.
The two best known Hun snipers are
Black Fritz and Crazy Fritz. Black
Fritz is dead. Crazy Fritz was wound
ed, but whether he is dead is not
known. Black Fritz harassed the
American sector for weeks. He was a
good shot and put bullets now and then
through a soldiers armOr hat. But one
day he was spotted behind a log and
a bullet struck him between the eyes,.
HE was a handsome chap" said a
sniper, 'and had beautiful hair, blonde
as a girls and cOmbed back like a col
lege boys
If he had blonde hair why did you
call him Black Fritz?'
Because he hung so much crepe on
our DOORS"
There is another Hun known as
Foolish Fritz, and a rather pretty story
may be told about him. He is not a
sniper. The men in the trenches can
o tell just what he is. Perhaps, they
have figured. he corresponds to an
American football or baseball mascot.
He is a mere youth and he takes Ian
gerous chances. He might have been
shot a hundred times, but the Ameri-
can snipers haven't the heart to kill
him.
zone day" said a sniper who has
watched him play around like a kitten,
"he crawled up over the top Of the
trench and went over to a log and lay
on it. He was there for an hour sum
ming himself. 1 had a bead On him all
the time, but what's the use2-a mere
kid. Another time a new sniper here
saw him and was just about to pick
him when 1 said Nothing doing We
can't exactly understand what It
means. About two weeks ago l thought
= I'd give the yOungster a scare, SO 1 put
= a bullet in a very small tree about a
foot from him. He scampered out OF
sight like a frightened puppy. l often
/ wonder if he or anyone else knows
that he is living in the shadow Of
death. Maybe the Germans figure they
/ learn something from 1t. However,
/ you'll never catch me killing that kid"
Negroes Furnish Much Humor.
Humor CLEANS frequently through
the grimness Of war and much Of it
comes from the negro soldiers from
the United States. A particularly dark
skinned private was ~overhauled re-
! Gently by a military policeman. 1t was
on a country road and the soldier was
ambling along with his military outfit
as well as about $50 pounds Of SOU
u venirs Of France.
"where are you fromT asked the pO-
liceman.
q me. sab? Use from Alabama"
whereabouts in AlabamaF'
u Don't know, sab. exactly, but Use
y from Alabama
= "Where you going tor
= swell, 1 don't 'xactly know, sah."
> "Where you coming from?'
~ 1.-THE last place 1 member, sab, Z
Is B~arleybuck. Seems to me the train
d was on went while Is buying a few
things to take back when 1 GO"
&c do you know where you are?'
Cant 'xactly say 1 do, sab Cooking
lie around with the feigned eruditiOn o
Y an a-stronOmer), but 1 reckon Use some
IL where in France"
The negroes amuse the French pee
ple. The big black boys swing alon
the country roads singing OF smiling
m They frequently organize a quartet i
10 a camion and if the work in which the
= are engaged isn't vitality important stO
~ beside a road to put over a few d
IN mlnished seventies, better known a
barber shops. And they know how {
at do it. They are happy-golucky whel
e ever found.