Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-04-25
Just An Incident


by Fred S. Ferguson
United Press Staff Correspondent
With the American Army near
Huntsville, March 12, (By Mail.)
If out of the toll. the sacrifice and
the confusion of this war you have
not got thrill; you have not felt
proud of the sort of men living all
about you: have not been stirred
by the spirit OF the men OF Lcxing-
ton, and OF those who opened the
west and fought tho Civil war,
Still lives, then you should sec the
American boys go over the top.
| You should talk to them upon
their return. Your respect for
what is in the heart and soul of
the man who left the desk next to
lyOu, or for the man who moved
out of your block to come over
here, will become greater. And you
Twill realize that in the farmer boy
you pass on the road you are pass
ing hero who has only to be put
Ito the test to show the qualities
first displayed by his grandfather
or great-grandfather who helped
to build the nation.
1t was after the big raid against
the German lines of March 9. The
United Press automobile was hid
den away behind building. 1t
was waiting for an Iowa farmer.
He was sitting at rough wood
table, writing out a report of what
had happened the night before,
for his superior officers. His lieu
tenant-colonel called him "Char-
lie" and patted him affcctionatcly
on the shoulder
| The Iowa farmer was Capt. c..
Casey. His home is in Villisca. His
massive shoulders were bent far
over the table he wrote a plain
colorless statement to the effect
that he and his men left their
renches at 5:05 the afternoon be-
fore; that all objectivcs had been
reached, and that they had re-
turned to their own trenches ON
schedule time.
Now the men vaulted over
parapets, how they passed
through hail of fire, found The
woods, trenches and dugouls of
the Germans demolished by ar
tillery; human flesh splattercd
against the sides of the trees and
hanging from jagged limbs: how
an airplane swooped down on
them until the grinning fang of
the aviator plying his machine
gun could be seen all this has
been told.
The boys who went through
this are simple farmer boys again.
though in uniform and i'm IL sold
iers billet. The men who led
them are simple Americans, such
as lived all about you.
Captain Casey has furnished his
report. The United States Press
machine was waiting to take him
to a little shattered town farther
back of the lines where he has a
bare room, the plaster knocked
from its walls in spots; the exter-
|ior knicked and torn. For a
thine it is home-a place TO rest.
"All right, let's CO." and Casey
handed his report to the Colonel,
saluted, and started for the door
1.-THE boys were great, weren't
they?" the Iowa farmer said, as
the car headed for the open road.
1T was the hardest thing I
ever did in my life-that blowing
the whistle that sent them over.
know they wanted TO go, every
one of them. They were spelling
for it. But to look out there, to
know what they were going into
by George, it was hard.
We're all from the same
county, you know. And there
wasn't a yellow one in the bunch.
Two boys left behind to see that
every one went over had nothing
to do, and ran as hard as they
could from one dugout to another
on their inspection, SO they could
|catch up with us.
"have You 8een the Old Man7"
The "old man" is Captain
Ross, also from Villisca. He is
beyond 40. His thinning hair is
streaked with gray, and his face
shows lines Of work and study
He led another raiding party that