The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1918-12-26
Alabama Sergeant Gives Graphic
Description Of the Hell
OF War.
big BATTLE As he saw II
Inferno Of Noise, Confusion and Death
-Barrage and Gas-"Gott" win
the Germans but Ameri-
cans With French.

Admission, Ala.-Here Is the descrlp-
ZION of big battle as 1t impressed IL
self upon the mind Of Sergt. Lawrence
Hopkins Of Oxford:
They're off
ut sends a thrill through you as
YOU hear their cry and rise up ana
And yourself in crowd Of men; paus-
Ing a moment to light our pipes or
cigarettes and we are hurrying for
ward with glistening steel in our hands
to meet the foe.
sIf 1t were not for these other men
moving along heavily laden to Keep
pace with the barrage one might Well
stand in amazement at wilderness
suddenly become crowded with sway
ing humanity, bravely attempting 70
weather the furious storm.
.'The big guns roll like heavy tnun-
der. the little field batteries answer
with a bark, shells scream, whistle,
howl, according to their moods.
Death 10 Everywhere.
"The quick staccato coughing OF
machine guns goes on increasingly ali
around you and Is swallowed up In
its echoes. There Is spatter OF rifle
bullets as they whiz by you and you
wonder that you are untoucned.
Barbed wire tears our clothes TO
pieces mud sticks them together
again. Birds fly at our feet and from
the sky winged airplanes swoop
down. Spitf1re tanks plod on behind,
crashing and crushing; burning, boil
| ing oil sends flames leaping to the
clouds; molten phosphorus Is poured
into dugouts. There is gas to blind
and choke you.
| 'There are laughs and cries; the
laugh Of a comrade as he struggles
on, or the cry Of another as he drops
his rifle and puts his hand to his
heart-his last cry. There is the yell
of the hunter, the wild-crying despair
of the hunted. The PUNK Of the NOR
tars and the burst Of the bombs ado
to the tumult Of the storm.
"Stretcher bearers rush to and FRO
running zig-zag across the battlefield
with their messages. Then drop int
q shell hole, the cold sweat running
of my face, and breathe. Take 80!
compass out, get direction adjusted
and when the barrage lifts dive int
the tornado again-and so on Ger
mans are scarce; they are down below
Moppers up behind will deal witt
them. Over broken trenches and tor
ground, slipping, falling, sprawling,
20 for our objective. As the curtain
OF fire and smoke passes over the VII
lage we make the final squirt forwar'
and-dig like hi.
Germans Fear Americans.
1.-THE noise increases, the guns &c
more angry, shells and showers Q
| mud and dirt are falling all aroun
you. The devil seems to be rakin
out his furnaces, the sky seems
. crash down on you, then my hea
. swims, my arms fall to my sides, m
legs grow limp and drop down as
hastily don my gas mask. And whe
h open my eyes and find myself ! a
on a strercher and someone with
smile all over his bronzed face offel
Il me q cigarette.
II eyes, we ran the Huns for six day
II and five nights, and I did not wal
Il to eat or sleep. I tell you 1t WI
II grand, and If I hadn't been gassed
II feel like I could still be runnir
them. We started In on the oath dt
Of July, my birthday. and, mothe
II dear, took no prisoners.
II "a German officer said to his mel
why do you run; is not Colt n
II your And the German soldiers q
swered: Yes, but the Americans a
NIT the French"