The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1918-02-18
By Sergeant Arthur Guy Empey

AA SAANAA
dirt would rise INTO the air and rico
chct bullet would whine on It's way
If a Tommy should see one Of these
littic Spurts in front Of him, he would
tell The nurse about it later The
crossing Of No Mans Land remalns
blank to me.
Men on my right and left would
stumble and IAN. Some would try to
get up while others remained hnddled
and motionless. Then smashcdup
harbed wire came into View and
seemed carried en tide to the rear.
Suddenly in front Of me loomHl Il
haShed-n trench about four feet wide. |
Qucer-ooliing forms like mud turtles
were Summhling up its wall one Of |
these forms seemed 10 slip and then
rolled to The bottom of the trench !
leapcd across this intervening space. |
The man TO my left seemed to pause in |
midair then pitched head down into |
the German trench, laughed out loud
In my delirium. Upon alghting on thel
other side of the trench came 60 with
a sudden lolt, Right in front Of me
doomed giant form with a rifle which |
looked about ten feet long, on the end
of which seemed seven bayonetS. These
flashed in the air in front of me. ThT'
through my mind flashed the admoni@
tion Of our b0yonet Instructor back in
Blighty. He had said. "WhencVCr you
get In n charge ana run your hay0nct |
up to the hilt into,a German the Frit@l
win fal Perhaps your rifle will bHi
wrcnched from your grasp. DO not
waste time, If the bayonet is fouled
i1 his equipment, by putting Your foot
on his stomach and tugging at the ritlel
10 eNtrcgte the bayonet Simplyl
press the trigger and the bullet Will
free it," In my present situation thisI
was the logic, but for the life Of mel
| could not remember how he had toldl
me to get my bayonct into the Cert
man. To me this was the paramount
issue, closed my eyes and hngcd
forward. My r%flc was torn from my
hands. / must have gotten the Ger
man because he had disappeared.
About twenty feet to my left front
was Il huge PrusSian nearly six fect
four inches in height, a fine specimen
Of phySicsl manhood. The haNonct
from his rifle was missing, but he
clutched the barrel in both hands and
was swinging the butt around his head.
| could almost hear the swish Of tho
burt passing through the air. Three
little 'TommieS were engaged with him.
Tbcy looked like pigmios alongside Of
/ the PruSSian. Tho Tommy on the left
was gradually circling TO the rear OF
! his opponent. 1t was a funny sight to
/ see thcm duck the swinging butt and
/ try to iab him at the same time. The
Tommy nearest me received thc butt
of the Germans rifle in n smashing
blow below the right temple. 1t
smashed his head like an cggShcll. lie
pitched forward ON his side and a con-
yul>ivc Shuddcr ran through his body.
Meanwhile tho other Tommy had
gained the rear of the PruSsian. Sud
denly about four inches of bayonet
Wotrudcd from the throat of the prus-
sian soldier who staggered forward
and fell. l will never forget the look
Of blank establishment that came over
his face.
Thon something hit me in the aft
shoulder and my loft side went numb.
II felt as if hot poker was being
driven through me. felt no pain
just Il sort of nervous shock. A bay
onct had pierced me from the rear.
fell backward on thc ground, but was
NOT unconscious. hot"ueo | could see
dim objects moving around me. Then
Il flash Of light in front Of my eyes and
mconscioUSncSs. Something had hit
me on the head. I have never found
out what il was.
dreamed | was being tossed about
in nm open boat on Il hcavlng sea and
opened my eyes The moon wax shin
ing was on Il stretcher being car
ried down one Of our communication
trenches. At the advanced firSt-ait
post my wounds were dressed ant
then ! was put into an ambulance mt
sent to one of the base hospitals. Th'
wounds in my shoulder and head were
not serious and in six weeks | had re
. y,