The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-24
French Soldiers Fought by Side
of Americans.
BATTLE ONE TO Be PROUD OF
A Connecticut Lad Went Ahru
Barrage Seven Times.
Salvation Army Girls Helped
Boys With Coffee.
lRr the Associated Press.l

ness of the American troops during
the German attack at Seicheprey last
Saturday is given unstinted praise by
the French troops on the same front
This admiration for the fighting quail
tiles of his transatlantic comrades is
demonstrated in report forwarded to
the general commanding by the col
tonel of a French infantry regiment
which took part in the Seicheprey en-
Eagement.
u visited Renneres wood after the
counter attack in which the position
was recaptured. and examined the
situation in detail" says the report
Everywhere the traces of hand to
hand fighting show that the American
soldiers. despite two hours of heavy
bombsrdment by large calibre guns,
defended themselves valiantly.
I'm the vicinity between the front
trenches and the communication
trench connecting the jury and Rem
neres woods two American machine
gunners died fighting on their weap
with German dead. The enemy suf-
fered great losses thanks to this he
roic resistance
German Wounded Everywhere.
l'Everywhere there are signs of
German wounded having been carried
off while many German bodies remain
because the retiring enemy was I'M
able to remove them. Numbers of
the dead belong to German storming
detachments."
1.-TWO American machine gunners
were separated from their company.
Altho partly surrounded, they refused
to. retreat standing fast under a ter
rifle bombardment and engaging in
hand to hand combats thruout the
day.
i'-When the Germans reached the
American machine gun positions. the
Americans blew up their guns and re-
treated.
Hospital Blown Up.
Toward evening the hospital at
Selcheprey was blown up. All the doc
tors and nurses were either killed or
wounded. Thereupon, the head doc
tor of an American regiment engaged
volunteers and Selling both French
and American ambulanceS dashed
thru repeated barrages into the vii
lage. where he attended the wounded
for many hours.
AT Seicheprey, an American group
broke open grenades cases and estab b.
lished themselves in the northern por-
ton of the village, maintaining their
positions thruout the day. Nine of the
twenty-three We're still alive when
evening came. An American cook
seized rifle and fired until he drop
ped dead
Refused to Go to Rear.
An American lieutenant and six
men. caught a 700 yard front con-
tinued patrolling all day, keeping up
contact between the battalions fight
ing on their right and left. One of
these men who was seriously wound
ed was ordered to the rear. Instead
of obeying he leaped into a shell hole,
and with his rifle and hand grenades,
maintained his position
The French soldiers who joined in
the fight declare that the Americans
displayed a splendid spirit of combat.
voTa hot e
an American detachment was separ-
ated into small groups and cut off
from the company to which it be-
longed thruout the entire fight.
Battle to Be Proud OF.
The shell torn village of Seicneprey
around which centered the hardest
fighting in connection with the recent
German attacks on the American po-
sitionS appears to be destined to hold
"A proud place in the story of Ameri-
can participation in the world war.
As further details OF the cement
become known there are disclosed
deeds which are fully in accord with
the finest A-ierican traditions.
THE correspondent is now permitted
to tell of a few cases OF individual
heroism, which will convey an iEea
as to the mettle of the men.
One of them, David Griggs of East
Hampton, Conn.,, passed thru the
enemy barrage at least seven times to
carry ammunition to his hard pressed
comrades Twice he was partly buried
by earth. upturnd by shells falling all
around him, but he kept at his :.
Griggs who is 10 years old. was 50
modest that he would not tell his story
but insisted on speaking of the BRAY
cry of others. Finally one of his COM
rades pointed him out and said, chat
is the bravest man in the regiment.
Carried Out Orders.
RAYMOND A Ferris of Medford
Mass acting as courier, was blown
off the road twice by the conclusion
of shells Altho stunned and nearly
crazed by the intensity of the gunfire
when he reached the point in the real
of the lines to which he was sent for
ammunition. he carried out his orders
Then he asked for a revolver saying
he wanted to go out and fight the
Germans, but he tainted from ex-
haustion. When he regained con
seriousness his first words were an in
ouiry whether his message had beer
delivered.
Charles Sinkler, a Philadelphia
lawyer. who is now with the Red eros:
and was in the thick of the fighting
told the correspondent today of two
Americans who, armed only with
machine gun. killed eight German:
and captured the gun. 1t is also re-
lated that one American Sharpshootel
killed 8 Germans.
Salvation Army Girls Help.
In a village a short distance behind
the front lines Gladys and Irene Nc
Intyre sisters of Mount Vernon, n. Y.
salvation Army representatives. dur
ing the height of the engagement
handed out to the soldiers coffee
chocolate. doughnuts and much good
cheer They went on with their work
while the shells were falling al
around them and would not leave