The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-04-18
AMERICANS
PENET RATE
THIRD line
OF GERMANS
Positions Are Strengthened
When Americans and
French Attack in Face of
Violent Artillery Fire.
HUNS LOSE HEAVILY
ASSOCIATED Press.)

WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE. Wednesday. April 17.-On
the Lorraine sector American troops
have penetrated to .he third German
line and are in unmolested possession
Of No Mans Land.
Commanders of units who particl-
pated In the several days Of fighting
last week In company with the French
in the Apremont wood sector are find
ing It difficult to pick out men who
especially distinguished themselves
In the operations
One commander said that every
man acted like hero and 1t was hard
to choose the most deserving cases.
One OF the most popular men with
the soldiers on this sector is the Rev.
Des Wales. Roman Catholic priest.
Of New Bedford. Mass. who is living
with the men In an unoflcial capacity,
he having come to France as a rep
resentative of the Knights of Colum-
bus.
When the attacks began. Father
Des Valles. Drawing the dangers OF
shell and machine gun hre. went to
the casualty clearing station near the
front line to administer to the wound
ed. He assisted in dressing the inju-
ries OF the soldiers and gave each
man word of cheer. He handed out
cigarettes to the men who smoked.
"0ame az They Make EN-"
Hes as game as they make them
and every inch q soldier said
doughboy. while other soldiers spoke
OF the inspiration furnished by the
priest.
Another popular man is a young
banker Of Springfield, Mass, who was
pressed into service as stretcher
bearer. He was the smallest man in
the outfit and after several trips, be-
came SO exhausted he was unable to
hold the stretcher. He refused to
give up and had his companions tie
the stretcaer to his wrists with rope
80 as to enable him to hold the
stretcher on the journey from the
front line to the dressing station.
Regain Foe Trenches
Twice In "a hours an American CON-
pany has assisted French troops in
a neighboring sector to regain trench
es temporarily taken by the Germans.
The company was led by a captain
who took his troops over the top In
the face Of the most violent machine
gun and artillery fire. Each time he
succeeded in driving out the enemy
and inflicting heavy damage.
A most pathetic story from the
American lines is that Of young cor
, poral who was wounded fatally after
fighting for four hours. A piece Of
shrapnel struck him in the head. He
had a grenade in each hand. Giving
them to his companion, he said:
Don't Waste Them
II guess I'm done. Please write to
my mother and tell her how 1t hap
pened. But here-take these gren-
AIDES and for Gods sake don't waste
them"
The corporal fell in faint and died
in a hospital the next day without re-
gaining consciousness.
At one point on this sector there
was a space of only fifteen yards be-
tween the opposing trenches. A day
before an attack OF the Germans threw
a note into the American trenches. It
read:
What are you, Canadians or Aus
tralians?"
"Come over and find out" was the
reply thrown back by an American
soldier
The infantryman who related the in.
cident added:
~ guess they know who we are now
and they will not be likely to forget
1t for some time"
One lieutenant in a listening post
with a small party Of men was cut of
from the remainder Of the platoon In
Fridays attack He tried to send up
rockets to signal an American barIage
but the rockets failed to work Al
private then volunteered to run back
with the message. He passed through
three lines Of barrage fire without be-
ing harmed. and delivered the mes
sage The American Runners laid
down a tarrage Immediately and saved
the lieutenant and his party from the
hands Of superior force OF the en-
emy which was headed In their
direction.