Williston graphic., 1918-06-13
MACHINE GUNNER jfRYNGM fAhcf~

CONTINUED from last week.
Men, you are here on very solemn
duty. You have been selected as Z
6ring squad for the execution of . SOL
dier, who, having been found guilty
Of q grievOus crime against king and
country, has been regularly and duly
tried and sentenced to be shot at 3 :2d
q. m. this date. This sentence has been
approved by the reviewing authority
and ordered carried out. 1t Is our duty
to carry on with the sentence of the
court.
"There are twelve rifles, one OF
which contains a blank cartridge, the
other eleven containing ball cartridges.
Every man is expected to do his duty
and fire to kill. Take your orders from
me. Squad-'Shun!
We came to attention. Then he left
Ny heart was Of lead and my knees
shook.
After standing at "attenti0n'' for
what seemed a week, though in reality
It could not have been over five min
utes, we heard low whispering in our
rear and footsteps on the stone flag
ding of the courtyard.
Our officer reappeared and in . low.
but firm voice, ordered:
"AbOut-Turn"
We turned about. In the gray light
Of dawn, a few yards In front of me,
could make out a brick wall. Against
this wall was dark form with white
square pinned on it's breast. We were
supposed to aim at this square. To the
right of the form noticed a white spot
on the wall. This would be my target.
"Ready! Aim! Fire!"
The dark form sank into huddled
heap. My bullet sped on it's way, and
hit the whitish spot On the wall; /
could see the splinters fly. Some one
else had received the rifle containing
the blank cartridge, but my mind was
at ease, there was no blood of
Tommy on my hands.
"Order-Arms About-Turn Pile
Arms! Stand-Clear."
The stacks were reformed.
'Quick & March! Right " Wheel!"
And we left the scene Of execution be-
hind US.
It was now daylight. After march
Ing about five minutes, we were dis
missed with the following instruction1
from the officer In command:
"Return, alone, to your respective
companies, and remember, no talking
about this affair. or else 1t will go hard
with the guilty Ones"
We needed no urging to get away.
did not recognize my Of the men on
the firing squad even the officer was q
stranger to me.
The victims relations and friends In
Blighty will never know that he was
executed; they will be under the i'm
preston that he died doing his bit for
hing and country.
In the public casualty lists his name
will appear under the caption "Acci-
dentally Killed." or Died"
The day after the execution I re-
ceived orders to report back to the
line, and to keep a still tongue in my
head.
Executions are part of the days
work, but the part we hated most Of
all, Enthusiastically the saddest. The
British war department is thought by
many people to be composed Of rigid
regulations all wound around with red
tape. But 1t has heart. and one Of
the evidences of this is the considerate
way in which an execution is concealed
and reported to the relative Of the un-
fortunate man. They never know the
truth. He is listed in the bulletins al
among the accidentally killed"
In the last ten years l have several
times read stories in magazines OF
towards changing, in charge. to he
roes. I used to laugh ut It. 1t seemed
easy for story-writers, but said
"Men aren't made that way.y But oveI
In France I learned once that thu
streak of yellow can turn all white.
spicked up the story, bit by bit, from
xthe captain of the company, the sen
tries who guarded the poor fellow, a:
well as from my own observations. Al
f6rst did not realize the whole Of hi:
: story, but after a week of investiga
tiOn it stood out as clear In my mint
rs the mountains Of my native West II
the spring sunshine. It impressed M
20 much that 1 wrote 1t all down II
rest billets on scraps of odd paper
The incidents are, as say, every bi
true; the feelings of the man are tru'
II know from all l underwent In tn
fighting over in France.
We will call him Albert Lloyd. Ina
wasn't his name, but 1t will do:
Albert Lloyd was what the worl'
terms Z coward.
In London they called him Stacker
His country had been at war nearl'
eighteen months, and still he was no
in khaki. .r s
He had no good reason for not en-
listing, being alone In the world, nav
ing been educated In an orphan asy
aum, and there being no one dependen
upon him for support. He had no goo'
position to lose, and there was N
sweetheart to tell him with her lip