Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-03-20

when IL came to putting It over the
| Boches, but confessed that l had "a
weakening OF the spine, even at the
mention of Old Peppers name.
"He came back with. It's so absurd,
| ~ easy and simple that there is no
chance of the old heather rumbling it.
Anyway, IL we're caught, I'll take the
blame
"Under these condition ] told him to
spit out his scheme. 1t was so daring
and simple that 1t took my breath
away This is what he proposed:
"If the Boches should use that road
again, TO send by the, tap system the
target and range. l had previously
told him about our captain talking out
orders. Well IL this happened, l was
TO send the dope to Cassell and he
would transmit 1t TO the battery com
mnnder as officially coming through
the observation post. Then the hat
| terry would open up. Afterwards, dur
ing the investigation. Cassel would
| swear he received II direct. They
1 NVulu huNt ~ ttiltNt Hitiit DttluNt II
was impossible from his post in the
battery dugout to know that the road
was being used at that time by the
| Germans. And also II was impossible
for him 10 give the target range and
degrees. You know battery chart Is
not passed around among the men like
a newspaper from Bllghty. From him
the investigation would go to the OBJ
servation post, and the observing Off
Ger could truthfnlly swear that l had
not sent the message by phone, and
that no orders TO fire had been issued
| by him. The Investigators would then
be up in the air, we would be safe, the
Boches would receive good bashing,
and we would get our own back on Old
Pepper. II was too good to be true.
I gleefully fell in with the scheme,
and told CasselI was his meat.
"Then l waited with beating heart
and watched the captain like "A hawk.
"He was beginning to fidget again
and was drumming on the sandbags
with his feet. At last, turning to me,
he said:
"'Wilson, this army is blankety
blank washout. What's the use of hav-
ing artillery If It is not allowed to fire?
The government at home ought to be
hanged with some of their red tape.
| It's through them that we have no
shells
sending this opinion over the wire to
Cassell, but the captain interrupted
me with:
"Keep those internal fingers still.
| What's the matter, getting the neryesf
When I'm talking to you, pay atten-
tom
my heart sank. Surprising he had
rumbled that tapping, then all would
be up with our plan. ! stopped drum
ming with my fingers and said:
"'Beg your pardon, sir, just habit
with me-
"'And a id silly one, too he an
swered, turning to his glasses again,
and l knew l was safe. He had not
tumbled to the meaning of that tap
ping.
"All at once, without turning round,
he exclaimed:
"'Well, of all the nerve I've ever run
across, this takes the cake. Those
- ---- Boches are using that road
again. Blind my eyes, this time it's
whole brigade of them, transports and
ALL What pretty target for our
| ass The beggars know that we
i won't fire. A ID shame, / call 1t.
Oh, just for chance to turn ID 23S
loose on them
III was trembling with excitement.
From repeated stolen glances at the
captains range chart, that road with
its range was burned into my mind.
"Over the wire tapped, ID 23S bat
terry, Target II, Range 5000. 3 degrees
80 minutes, left, salvo, fire. Cassell
O. KID my message, and with the re-
ceiver pressed against my ear / walt
ed and listened. In couple of min
utes very family over the wire came
the voice of our battery commander
issuing the order: ID 238 battery.
Salvol Firep
"Then a roar through the receiver
as the four guns belched FORTH, a
screaming and whistling overhead, and
the shells were on their way.
1.-THE captain jumped as IL he were
shot, and let out great big expressive
d---n, and eagerly turned his glasses
in the direction of the German road.
also strained my eyes watching that
target. Four black clouds Of dust rose
up right in the middle of the German
column. -Four direct hits--anotber
record for d 23S.
''The shells kept on whlstling over
head, and I had counted twenty-four
of them when the firing suddenly
ceased. When the smoke and dust
clouds lifted the destruction on that
road was awful. Overturned limbers
and guns, wagons smashed up, troops
fleeing In all directions. The road and
roadside were spotted all over with
little field gray dots, the toll of our
guns.
"The captain, in his excitement. had