The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-09-27


fill the gaps in the line. Even after
this terrible loss the Teutons came
on and took two and half miles of
the American lines, the colonel stated
He said that as fighting men the
enemy shock troops were wonderful
and should not be under rated.
"No people here at home can COM
prehend the terrible cost Of this war;"
Colonel Donohue stated. He told of
one dugout in which he was located
at regimental headquarters which it
cost 100000 to construct and he said.
had it been located one German $50
shell would have destroyed it. For
eight days he was quartered there
and came out only at night for ex-
ercise when airmen could not see
them.
Nineteen batteries were in action
under command of Colonel Donohue
and Colonel Leach and these formed
a small part of the bombardment In
order for the infantry to advance the
artillery must cut the barb wire en-
tanglements along the front and to
cut this wire for 5000 yards cost on
an average of~$10,000 Colonel Dono-
hue stated that wire entanglements
like this have Leen constructed all
the way to Berlin and he warned his
listeners OF. the terrible cost that must
be borne if this war is to be won.
Cut the Wires to Berlin.
I'VE are going to back those boys
and cut the wires all the way to Ber-
lin. / know you'll stand behind them,''
he declared.
Sergeant Davis, veteran of the
Spanish American war, was the first
speaker yesterday morning. He told
of his enlistment in the Spanish
American war and of fighting in the
Philippines. AS soon as war broke out
in 1917 he again enlisted at Cincin-
natl, Ohio. Not content to remain as
a drill sergeant, to which he was
first assigned he applied for a trans
fer and sent to the 10Th Engineers
with which command he saw active
service in France.
On the trip across he told of sight
ing two enemy submarines and how a
young gunner, seventeen years old
saved $1,000 men by scoring a direct
hit and blowing one of the U-boats
completely out of the water. In France
he told of the terrible suffering of the
poor people, of women and children
ragged, cold and starving and how the
American boys give their last cent to
aid these stricken refugees.
At the front Sergeant Davis assisted
in bringing up ammunition over a
railway in district range Of the Ger
man guns.
Never Can Stop Americans.
II saw 10000 guns in action at once
and yet the Hun did not stop us. The
damnable Hun never did and never
can stop those boys" he declared.
1t was while working with this am
munition train that the sergeant was
gassed and sent to the rear, later to
be sent to this country on detached
service. While lying in hospital to
the rear of the lines Sergeant Davis
stated that boche airmen bombed the
shelter, killed ill and wounded men,
nurses and workers of mercy. This he
said was common practice on the
battlefield where the Red Cross meant
no protection at all.
Germany is using the most fiendish
means of hell to keep up this war.
There is no dastardly crime too low
for the damnable Hun, but the Amer
leans are on the road to Berlin. They
are going to take the forts at Metz
and you folks at home are going to
help do it," he stated in closing.
Corporal Chase, a Minneapolis boy
of. the twenty ninth engineers, sent
home because of shell shock was the
next speaker. He told of the sacri-
| fees the French are making, of the
hardships the men in the trenches
meet and said he knew the folks at
home would lend their money to keep
hot coffee and bacon on the way to
the men in the cold, bleak front lines.
Saw Boys Hands Cut Off.
A pitiful incident was related where,
near the front Corporal Chase person
ally saw five little Belgian boys about
twelve years of age with their hands
cut off at the wrists. The Germans
had done this that they could never
bear arms against them.
"They looked at you with their
large, pitiful questioning brown eyes
as though to ask what they had done
to deserve such cruelty in the war;
the corporal stated "I'll tell you when
man sees those things first hand it
makes his hands itch to get on the
throat of the man who is causing all
of this"
At the front the men all receive
issues of. American papers printed in
France and Corporal Chase stated
they would welcome the success as an
even greater victory than the taking
of Metz.
Musician Kelly of the Naval band
which accompanied the train spoke on
the work the navy has done in the
war. He said that all credit was due
the men in the trenches, but at the
same time people should not forget
the navy This was the first branch
of the service ready to strike when
war was declared. After trip of 5000
miles to England the American COM
mander was asked when he would be
ready for action.
Ready For the Fight.
Were ready for fight now" he
informed the English admiral.
Of the 100000 men who have been
sent to France but about 200 have lost
their lives from submarines, silent
tribute to the navy, the speaker stat
ed. He said when the kaiser sank the
Lusitania he sounded his death knell
and that the soldiers and the jackies
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