The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-04-20
RHETA CH|LDE DORR MEETS
j, s. FIGHTERS At FRONT
Lads Stopped and NarowChested Few Months Ago Now
Splendid Men and Keen to Be "On the
Fighting job

fore ;hc Germans stole away its head
and heart.
Lately III" German airplanc& have
been Systematically bombing Nancy
and to-day he city seems doomed 10
follow Rheims and Louraln INTO INC
limbo - vanished beautiful things.
TOUT tl,. German bombs have spared so
TAR
Peaceful enough. France appeared al
| approached the war zone from INC
south. Spring was in the air In 81 +"
II cold wind and Il wet. clInEinG. snow
tina, foil Internationally during three
DAYS and nights. The fields surrounding
thc low villages had becu freshly
pluwcd and here and there Snariea
peasant man Or woman. blue shocked
and kcrchicfed, Stolidly dug and har-
rowrd lust as their grandparents dld
tho while Frederick the Great-and Gote
-raided the border near these very
farms; lust aS their ancestors did dur
ing numberlcss wars OF old.
Straight and white for miles ran In"
RI bhon"d htChroads between their ave-
nucs Of tall poplars. Rut soon the roads
began 10 show holes worn by wheels OF
heavy var trucks and gun carriages
and fields to the right and left put on
a strange and sinister dress.
Without the aid OF pillow or harrow
,hcy blossomed suddenly into a harvest
81 harhed wire cntanglcmeneS. macs so
wound and woven. SO thick and stroEE
that only repeated Shcllings from hcaFE
guns could level them. To me thcy
looked like some derilsil parody OF the
rich vineyards | haa seen only week
,ro tcrracinc the WssaSs* OF southern
france.
o. 8. A. Looked Like Home.
Other reminders there wer" OF combat
dcfcnses SO far removed that I cNclalm-
I'd Surely the Germans could never eel
as FAR as this:
Probably not was the reply or me
officer who was personally conducting
our party OF correspondents. but VIC are
no, taking any chances. Suppose our
men arc forced to retreat. We'll. mere
arc roar dcfcnscs waiting for them.
Our motor car was no longer alone on
rho lone high road to the north. we
,ravcled now in company with many
chocolate colorcd motor trucks and am
balances. all with II. S. A.. and strlnS
of identify numbers painted in white
LETTERS on tho sides. We passed mule
,>:,,ns the melancholy mules wearing
around their necks. and Erotcsouc gas
masks which arc a part of their para
uhrsualta over here. Groups OF 1907 SOL
diers. mostly Americans. hailed us as
we nasscd. Others VIC saw in I'll" road
in ,he distance digging and draining.
The road over which We Travelled WAS
hard and dry. but the country was
sea of mud.
Our Immediate objective vas n village
TOO small 10 deserve a namc except on
war maps. II is about IN" last point at
which il is safe TO venture without !"
GAS mask, and it is n distributing point
about this particular sector for Antcri-
can troops and army supplies. The road
leading into the village and the main
street whom We reached it. were chokcd
with motor trucks. ambulances, mules
and men. If VIC had luck our otflccr
guide told us. We might meet So'diers
either going or coming from the trench
eS. ,
IA We vormcd our way into the VII
Iaec. through mud q foot deep and IN
maze Of heavy traffic. l WAS unaccount-
ably transported hack IN imagination 70
p warm November day in New York.
Again I waS standing on Fifth avenue.
watching with half 4 million others. a
thousand rnwly drafted men starting for
training camps on Long Island and In
New Jersey New York was giving IN"
mo, Z :-rcat send off. bands. flags. and
cheers. and from the marble htirony OF
rho Union club a reviewing party NJ dis
,inguiShed men. some OF them veteran
officers OF the civil war.