The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1918-09-11

In the candlehght, they looked very
much shaken. nerves gone and chalky
faces. with the exception of one, 9
great big fellow. He looked very much
at ease. liked him from the start.
/ got out the rum jar and gave eacf
nip and passed around some Tags
the old reliable WoodbiRes. The other
prisoners looked their gratitude, hut
the big fellow said In English, "ThanI
you, sir, the rum is excellent and 1 ap
preclate 1t, also your kindness"
He told me his name was Car
Schmidt, of the Sixty-sixth BavariaI
Light infantry; that he had lived SIX
years in New York (knew the city bet
ter than / did, had been TO Coney
island and many of our ball games. He
was regular fan. couldn't make him
believe that Hans Wagner wasn't the
best ball player In the world.
From New York he had gone to Lon.
don, where he worked as winter In
the Hotel Russell. Just before the war
he went home to Germany to see his
parents, the war came and he was con.
scripted.
He told me he was very sorry to
hear that London was in ruins from
the Zeppelin raids. could not con.
vince him otherwise, for hadn't he seen
moving pictures in one of the German
cities OF st. Paul's cathedral in ruins
changed the subject because he
was so stubborn in his belief. 1t was
my intention TO try and pump him for
information as to the methods OF the
German snipers, who had been cans
ing US trouble In the last few days.
l preached the subject and he shut
up like clam. After a few minutes
he very innocently said:
German snipers get paid rewards
for killing the English"
1 eagerly asked. what are theyT
He answered:
"For killing or wounding an English
private, the sniper gets one mark. For
killing or wounding an English officer
he gets five marks, but If he kills Red
Cap or English general, the sniper gets
twenty-one days tied to the wheel of
timber as punishment for his careless
ness"
Then he paused, waiting for me to
bite, / suppose.
bit all right and asked him why the
sniper was punished for killing an
English general. With a smile he re-
piled:
'Well, you see. If all the English gen.
erals were killed, there would be no
one left to make costly mistakes"
shut him up, he was getting too
fresh for prisoner. After while he
winked at me and l winked back, then
the escort came to take the prisoners
TO the rear. l shook hands and wished
him "The best Of luck and safe jour
ney to Blighty."
liked that prisoner, he was a fine
fellow, had an Iron Cross, too. / adj
vised him to keep it out of sight, or
some Tommy would be sending Ii home
to his girl in Blighty as a souvenir.
One dark and rainy night while on
guard we were looking over the top
from the fire step of our front-line
trench. when we heard q noise imme-
diately In front OF our barbed wire.
The sentry next TO me challenged,
HALT. who comes there?" and brought
his rifle TO the aim. His challenge was
answered In German. A captain In the
next traverse climbed upon the sand
bagged parapet TO investigates brave
but foolhardy deed-"Crack" went a
bullet and he tumbled back into the
trench with hole through his stomach
and died a few minutes later. A lance
corporal In the next platoon was so en-
ragged at the captains death that he
chucked Mills bomb in the direction
of the noise with the shouted warning
to us: duck your nappers. my lucky
lads" A sharp dynamite report, a flare
In front of us, and then silence.
We Immediately sent up two star
shells, and in their light could see two
dark forms lying on the ground close
to our wire. A sergeant and four
stretcher-bearers went out in front and
bodies. Down in the dugout, In the
Pickering light OF three candles, we
saw that they were two German Off
GERS, one'a captain and the other an
"unterofflzler," a rank one grade higher
than a sergeant general, but below the
grade of lieutenant.
The captains face had been almost
completely torn away by the bombs
explosion. The unterofiizier was alive,
breathing with difficulty. In few min
utes he opened his eyes and bllnked in
the glare OF the candles.
The pair had evidently been drink
Ing heavily, for the alcohol fumes were
sickening and completely pervaded the
dugout. / turned away In disgust,
hating to see man cross the Great Di-
vide full of booze.
One of our officers could speak Ger
man and he questioned the dying man.
N faint vofoa ~ h,v fro