Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1918-07-19

eft side of my face about half an
nch from my eye, smashing the cheek
zones. I put my hand to my face and
ell forward, biting the ground and
Kicking my feet. l thought was dy-
ne, but, do you know, my past life did
lot unfold before me the way it does
n novels.
The blood was streaming down my
unic, and the pain was awful. When
came to said to myself, Emp, old
10Y, you belong in Jersey City, and
,ou'd better get back there as quickly
IS possible"
The bullets were cracking overhead.
crawled few feet back to the Ger.
nan barbed wire, and in STOPPING pc.
ition, guiding myself by the wire. I
vent down the line looking for the
ane we had cut through. Before
eaching this lane came to a limp
,orm which seemed like bag Of oats
hanging over the wire. In the dim
light could see that its hands were
,lackened, and knew it was the body
# one Of my mates. I put my hand
IN his head, the ton Of which had BEEN
flown of by bomb. My fingers sank
nto the hole. pulled my hand back
ull of blood and brains, then went
razy with fear and horror and rushed
,long the wire until I came to our
ane. had just turned down this lane
When something inside of me seemed
o say, Look around" I did SO; a bull
ct caught me on the left shoulder. IL
lid not hurt much, just felt as If some.
me had punched me in the back, and
hen my left side went numb. Ny arm
vas dangling like rag. I fell forward
a sitting position. But all the fear
lad left me and was consumed with
age and cursed the German trenches.
With my right hand felt In my tunie
or my first-aid or she'll dressing. Ia
feeling over my tunic my hand came
n contact with one of the bombs which
carried. Gripping It, I pulled the pin
tut with my teeth and blindly threw Il
owards the German trench. must
nave been out Of my head, because !
vas only ten feet from the trench and
ook a chance Of being mangled. It
he bomb had failed to 60 into tho
rench I would have been blown to
BITS by the explosion Of my own bomb.
BY the flare of the explosion Of tho
bomb, which luckily landed in theat
trench, I saw one big Boche throw 1h
his arms and fall backwards, while biz
rife flew into the air. Another OBJ
wited and fell forward across tho
sandbags-then blackness. "
Realizing what foolhardy and risky
thing had done, I was again seized
with horrible fear. I dragged myself
to my feet and ran madly down the
lane through the harhed wire, st14>
bling over cut wires, tearing my dnl>
form, and decorating my hands ana
legs Just as / was about to reach
No Mans Land again, that same voice
seemed to say, "Turn around" ! did
60, when, "crack," another bullet
caught me, this time in the left shout
Ter about one-half inch away from the
other wound. Then it was taps for me.
| The lights went out. s
When came to was crouching In
hole ,in'No Minis Land. This shell
hole was about three feet deep, SO that
It brought my head a few inches below
he level Of the ground. How reached
this hole I will never know. German
'typewriters'' were traversing back
and forth in No Mans Land, the bull.
let's biting the edge Of my shell hole
and throwing dirt all over me. I
Overhead shrapnel was bursting.
I could hear the fragments slap the
ground. Then went out once more.
When came to everything was silence
and darkness In No Mans Land. I
was soaked with blood and a big dap
from the wound in my cheek was hang.
Ing over my mouth. The blood rum
ming from this flap choked me. Out Of
the corner of my mouth would try
and blow it back, but 1t would not
move. 1 reached for my shell dressing
and tried, with one hand, to bandage
my face to prevent the flow. I had
m awful horror Of bleeding to death
and was getting very faint. You
would have laughed if you had seen my
ludicrous attempts 1T bandaging with
one hand. The pains in my wounded
shoulder were awful and was getting
sick at the stomach. gave up the
bandaging stunt as bad job, and then
tainted. IS. =
When came to, hell was let loose.
An intense bombardment was on, and
on the whole my position was decided
ly unpleasant. Then, suddenly, our
barrage ceased. The silence hurt, but
not for long, because Fritz turned
loose with shrapnel, machine guns, and
rife fire. Then oil along our line came
a cheer and our boys came over the top
in . charge. The first wave WIS COM
posed of "Jockf." They were . mag
nificent sight. kits, Tapping in the
wind, bale knees showing, and their
bayonets glistening. In the first wave
that passed my shell hole, one of the