The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-05-14
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a nip and passed around some Tags.
the old reliable Woodblnes. The other
prisoners looked their gratitude, but
the big fellow said In English. THANK
you, sir, the rum is excellent and I APP
preciate 1t, also your kindness"
He told me his name was Carl
Schmidt, of the. Sixty-slxth Bavarian
Light infantry; that he had lived six
years In New York (knew the city bet
ter than l did,, had been to Coney
island and many of our ball games. He
was q 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 a waiter in
the Hotel Russell. Just before the wal
he went home to Germany to see his
parents, the war came and he was con-
.cripted.
He told me he was very sorry to
tear that London was in ruins from
he Zeppelin raids. / could not con
vince him otherwise. for hadn't he seen
moving pictures in one of the German
titles of st. Paul's cathedral In ruins.
/ changed the subject because he
ras so stubborn In his belief. II was
ny Intention TO try and pump him for
Information as to the methods of the
German snipers, who had been cans
.ng us trouble In the last few days.
] preached the subject and he shut
up like a clam. After a few minutes
he very innocently said:
German snipers get paid rewards
Ior killing the English"
/ eagerly asked. what are theyT"
He answered:
For killing or wounding an English
private, the snlper gets one mark. For
killing or wounding an English officer
he gets five marks, but If he kills a Red
Cap or English general. the sniper gets
twenty-one days tied to the wheel of a
timber as punishment for his careless
ness"
Then he paused. waiting for me to
bite. l 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. II all the English gen.
erals were killed. there would be no
n left to make costly mistakes"
l shut him up, he was getting too
fresh for a prisoner. After a while he
winked at me and I winked back, then
the escort came TO take the prisoners
to the rear. l shook hands and wished
him 'The best of luck and a safe jour-
ney to Blighty."
/ liked that prisoner, he was a fine
fellow, had an Iron Cross, too. i ad-
vised him to keep IL 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 a noise imme-
diately in front of our barbed wire.
The sentry next to me challenged,
Halt, who comes there7" and brought
his rife to the aim. His challenge was
answered In German. A captain In the
next traverse climbed upon the sand
bagged parapet to investigate brave
but foolhardy deed-"Crack" went a
bullet and he tumbled back into the
trench with a hole through his stomach
and died a few minutes later. A lance
corporal In the nex platoon was so en-
ragged at the captains death that he
chucked a 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
forms lying on the ground close
to u wire. A sergeant and four
stretcher-bearers went out in front and
Don returned, carrying two limp
bodies. Down In the dugout. In the
fickering light of three candles, we
saw that they were two German Off
GERS, ne a captain and the other an
"unteroffizier. a rank n grade higher
han a sergeant general. but below the
,rade of lieutenant.
The captains face had been almost
ompletely torn away by the bombs
Kploslon. The unterofizier was alive.
reathlng with difficulty. In a few min
ties he opened his eyes and blinked In
he glare of the candles.
The pair had evidently been drink
ng heavily, for the alcohol fumes were
ickening and completely pervaded the
.ugOut. l turned away In disgust,
lating TO see a man cross the Great d.
tlde full Of booze.
One of our officers could speak Ger
man and he questioned the dying man.
In a faint voice, interrupted by fire.
Iuent hiccoughs, the u~nteroflzier told
ais story.
There had been a drinking Il
tmong the officers In one OF the Ger
man dugouts. the main beverage being
.hampagne. With a drunken leer he
Informed us that champagne was plen-