Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-09-27

The German army In its precip.ta-
ton had left things of every descrip'
ton. honsG.s and men, dead or dying,
ammunition, arms, carriages, autos,
blankets and tents -four and bread
oats that the starving horses couldn't
lind.
Everything was dying. Everything
was rotting. cd soldiers would bury
all that devastation Uf,war. We crossed
small and large villages. Everyone had
some houses burnt to the ground, stab
les burnt with the cows inside unable
70 escape because they were attached
Every store had been broken open;
mansions also In the streets you
would lind womens linen, carpets and
furniture, pianos and beds, ,children's
toys and rich pictures. Everything
broken. with IA stupendous and wicked
rage marked on it, Bottles thousands
OF bottles.
They would tell YOU OF the drunken
ness of barbarous army passed by.
of the sufTcrinCs of the people left there.
The old women would tell YOU the in
famous stories. German officers rob-
bling women of their jewels and their
honor, killing children for nothing, Just
because they love the sight OF blood.
| tell YOU what | have seen OF my own
eyes. After that the cannon could roar.
| could rot he afraid.
! had yet to see the first shell com
ing on me. 1t would not he long. one
day, morning, we were in the main
street Of a village. torn down recently.
All night long we marched and we were
tired. We had nothing to eat either
and it VAS very cold. In front of MS
was the battle. and we couldn't light
fire. | had an idea that II / could
find some wine or alcohol | could warm
up, for could not buy any food. Every
thing had been stolen, and people were
living on very little.
was going up a steep road when !
heard in the air long whistle. Natur-
ally curious | raised my eyes in that
direction, when BOOM had been
thrown on the ground. l saw cloud
Of black smoke. My nose and throat
were fun Of sulphur: a horse was cut
in two parts near me. In front Of me
was a large hole, big enough TO bury
six horses. | understood then. II was
Il shell. enc enormous shell. | came
back rapidly near my companions and
told the story. but they had seen and
were as much excited as myself. From
then on shells would fail on everything.
except on US. BY s o'clock in the at
ternOOn. when we went to the firing
line, we were well accustomed to that
new and dangerous experience.
But | found a bottle of white wine.
II Il tx-t,
for it. Through the night one behind
the other. we marched to the enemy.
guide led us We crossed a little
brook and a wood. In the morning we
knew not where We were. but we knew
that thousands of guns at a short dis
lance were ready to kill US. But II
takes lots of bullets to kill a man.
should say thousands. There is so
much place in the space and in the
ground around you.
For five days we stayed in the woods
and kept watch on the front, lying fiat
on the ca rth Our Captain was heroic.
He would give courage to anyone, and
take a rifle himself. His name, fCof-
fenburg) recently taken from. Ms and
placed on detached duty as battalion
quartermaster. same regiment.
On the 3rd of June | had my first
affair. By-l0 O'Clock We left-the wood
and went down a small hilyf We had
to turn 1t. the enemy was on the other
side. As soon as we were in touch with
the Germans. rifles and machine guns
received us with d formidable taCtac.
And we did not see anybody: We lay
down tiat and put the bayonets at the
end of our guns. The Captain said,
Boys. many of us will die. but the
brutes have deep trenches. and we must
throw them out" We will make a fast
run on them. Now, altogether. En-
avant a la fourchette.' Go ahead with
the fork) We had already many
wounded, some were dying. We could
not move 10 help them. The only move
TO make was a run on the enemy.
fast run to the luck. Such a move
must be made fast. Everybody must
jump on his feet and run, run TO the
enemy fast as possible. because then
the fellow standing there to shoot you
is greatly surprised. gets excited. He