The Dermott news. (Dermott, Ark.) 1910-1977, 1918-06-20
CHAPTER l-Continued.

But there was no time 10 be spent
in speculation. With fixed bayonets
we went from house To house, door to
door. and while the results were nesli-
gible because we found no soldiers we
did not come out quite empty-handed.
We made the inhabitants deliver all
guns and munitions and so forth in
their possession. The mayor, accom-
panying the soldiers. explained to
every citizen that all found with arms
after the search would be punished
according To the rules of war and
German rules of war in Belgium
meant execution.
An hour might have passed when
we were again aroused by the sound
OF artillery and guniire. new battle
had begun. Whether the artillery was
busy on both sides could not be Judged
from our village Rhe bombardment
was tremendous. The ground shook
from the growing and moaning that
rolled backward and forward. always
seeming to become stronger.
The ambulance columns now
brought In the first wounded. Cour-
all its phases.
.. Darkness came over Us before we
fhad finished our house toulouse search.
We dragged all the mattresses. straw
sacks and feather beds that We could
lay our hands on. To the community
school and church 10 care for the
wounded. They were made rs com
,th
rounding villages now came the first
fugitives They may have been march
ing. for they looked tired and utterly
exhausted.
Women. old men aud children were
huddled together in one mass. They
had saved nothing except their hare
lives. I'm baby huggieS or ON wheel.
harrows these uHfortunates carried
whatever the rude force of war had
left them In contrast IL the fugitives.
whom We had met before these were
extremely frightened, appearing to be
in mortal terror OF their enemy. When
ever they looked upon one of US Ger
man soldiers they cringed in terror.
How different these were from the
inhabitants OF the village where we
had first stopped, who had met US In
friendly. even polite manner We
tried 10 learn the cause Of this fright
and discovered that the fugitiveS had
witnessed In their village bitter street
lighting. They had become acquainted
with war-had seen their houses
! burning had seen their little property
destroyed and could not forget the
sight OF their streets filled with corpses
and wounded.
II dawned upon us that not merely
fear gave these people the appearance
of hunted animals: there was also
hatred toward the invaders who had
fallen upon them and driven them
from their homes by night.
In the evening NE departed and
tried TO reach our own regiment. The
Belglans had concentrated somewhere
To the rear under cover of darkness.
We were quite near the neighhorhood
of the fortified city Of Liege. Many
settlements through which we passed
stood in flames the Inhabitants driven
out. passed us In droves. Women.
children aud old men We're butfeted
about and seemed To be everywhere in
the way. Without aims or plans. with
.out place on which TO lay their heads
Ftnese poor people dragged themselves
By.
Again we reached a village. which
10 all appearances had been Inhabited
by contented people. Now indeed
nothing but ruins could be seen.
Wrecked houses and farms. dead sol
oilers, German and Belgian. and among
them many civilians. who had been
shot by military order.
Toward midnight we reached the
German lines. The Germans had
tried to take village which lay with
defended tena ciously by the Belgians.
Here all forces had To be used In or
der to drive the enemy out, house by
house and street by street. IL was not
very dark yet, so that we had 10 Wit
ness with all OF our senses the terrible
fights which developed here 1t WAS n
m,n-to-man fight With the butts of
our guns, knives, fists, teeth We went
against the enemy
one of my best friends fought with
n giant Belgian. The guns OF both had
D fallen TO the ground. They hammered
one another with lists. had just
closed an account with twenty-five
year-oid Belgian and was going TO as
stat my friend because his antagonist
was OF superior strength. My friend
succeeded suddenly In biting the Bel
gian on the chin 80 deeply that he tore
a piece of flesh out with his teeth. The
Belgian's pain must have been terri