Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-20

the wheel OF Il Timber as punishment
for his cnrelcssness"
Then he paused waiting for mo to
bite. | suppose.
| bit all right and asked him why
the snipcr was punished for killing an
Ensl general with smile he re-
Piled:
generals wcr" killed. there would be
20 one left to make costly mistakes"
| shut mn. he was getting to fresh
for a prisoner. After Il while he
winkcd at me and winked back. then
the cscort cam, to take the prisoners
to the :c.,r. shook hands ana wished
him The best OF luck and Il safe
journey TO liligh'!
| liked ia; prisoner. he was a iuc
fellow had an Iron Cross, too. ! adj
yiSCG him 10 keep II cut OF sight or
some Tommy would DO sending il home
&c his girl IL Hight. as IA souvenir.
one dark and rainy night while on
guard w were looking over the top
from the fire step OF our front line
trench. when we heard noise inme-
diatciy in front of our barbed wire.
The sentry next to me challenged,
HALT. who comes there" and brought
his rifle 10 the aim. His challenge was
answered in German. a captain In tho
next traverse climbed upon the sand
p
but foplh"rdy deed--'crnck" went a
bullet. and he tumbled back into the
trench with a hole through his stom-
ach. and dicu few minutes later
lance Coipora' In the next platoon was
SO curagcd at the captains death that
he chucked a Mills bomb in the direc-
ton OF the noise with the shouted
warning !" us: Duck your nappcra
iGy luck" !ad$." y sharp dynamite re-
port. Il fare in front OF us and then
silence.
We Immediately sent up two star
shells. and III their light could see two
dark forms lying on the ground close
to our wire. sergeant and four
stretChcr- bearers went out In front
and soon returned. carrying two limp
bodies. Down in the dusout. In the
pickering light of three candles. we
say that they were two German Off
GERS, one captain and the other an
untcroihccr. Il rank one grade higher
than sergeant major. but below the
grade OF a lieutenant
The captains face had been almost
completely torn away by the bombs
explosion. The unterofcer was alive,
breathing with difficulty. In a few
minutes he opened his ayes and blinke ed
in the glare of the candles.
The pair had evidently been drink
ing heavily. for the alcohol fumes
were sickenns and completely per-
vaded the dugout l turned away in
disgust. hating 10 see man cross the
great divide full of booze.
one Of our officers could speak Ger
man and he questioned the dying man.
In a fain; voice. interrupted by fro
qucnt hiccoughs, the unteroiliLicr told
his story.
There had been a drinking bout
among the officers in one of the Ger
man augouts, the main beverage being
champagne. With Il drunken leer he
Informed us that champagne was plen-
tiful on their side and that il did not
cost them anything either. About !
that night the conversation had turned
TO the "contcmptibl." English. and the
, captain had made wager that he
would hang his cap on The English
harbcd wire TO show his contempt for
the English scn,rics. The wager was
accepted. Al o'clock the captain and
he had crcDt out into mo mans land
10 carry out this wager.
They had gotten about half way
across when the drink took effect and
the captain fell asleep After about
TWO hours Of vain attempts the inter
oiiizier had at last succeeded in wax
ing the captain. reminded him OF his
bet. and warned him that he would be
the laushinEstock OF the officers mess
If he did not accomplish his object, but
the captain was trembling all over and
insisted on returning TO the German
lines. In the darkness thoy lost their
bearings and crawled toward the Eng
fish trenches. They reached the bar
bed wire and were suddenly cha llenged
by our sentry Bcing too drunk 10
realize that the challenge WAS in Eng
lish the captain refused to crawl
back Finally the unteronzier con-
WINGED his superior that they were In
front of the English wire. Realizing