Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-24
BruUe americans
Disregard Danger


SOHtiHueu IfUui EnEe WIG
lains. To illustrate, I will cite one
case. When the GermanA crossed the
Marne and advanced against the
Americans through Messy. many of our
men were wounded in a brave stand.
Two days later an airplane brought
word that Americans had been seen
lying in graveyard In Messy. pre-.
sumably wounded.
This chaplain, with a squad Of vol
unteers went through the German
lines and to the graveyard. where he
found private Knight with three
wounded Americans. He stayed there
two days and nights. giving food and
water to the wounded men. with every
move placing him in danger Of death.
The keeper Of the mausoleum had con.
Quoted a private hospital until the
chaplain came. The three wounded,
Knight and the rescuing party made
their way at night back to the Ameri.
can lines.
Runners Risk Lives Hourly
There is another group Of Americans
whose deeds are heroic but do not ap-
pear in the official communicates. I
refer to the runners. These lads. when
the line gets too far ahead for tele-
phonic communication. risk their lives
hourly carrying messages.
, Two days ago a. platoon of Americans
was cut off In a narrow strip of woods
and were being shot down one by one
by German machine-gun fire. Along
about noon the Americans ammunition
ran low They must have ammunition
and re-enforcements or all was lost
The captain started ore runner back
across an exposed wheat field. only to
see him cut down by the machine-gun
fire The second. third. fourth and fifth
lad undertook the task willingly and
paid the price Of the first runner.
To the sixth runner the captain hand
ed the message. telling him to wait
until nightfall and try 1t. This lad
disobeyed orders and started at once.
He crawled through the machine gun
and sniper fire to shell hole edge. He
lay there few minutes and like a
frog leaped to the next shell hole.
He kept this up for three hours. and
after crossing wheat field kilometer
wide, by keeping the snipers guessing
when he would jump to the next shell
hole, he got to the shelter of the
woods and delivered the message. When
dwindlng party in the woods he was
killed by a shell. The re-enforcements
rescued what was left of the platoon.
There are hundreds of such instances
Of bravery.
we rushed the enemy machine-gun
position." This line appears in a re-
mort made by an American compan ny
captain to the colonel Of his regiment.
Let me try to picture what that cold
and colorless line meant, for saw what
it meant.
Mark Spot For Vengeance
Our line is on the edge of a wood
on the northern slope Of hill about
15O feet high. In front stretches a
yellow wheat field. maybe kilometer
or less in width. Beyond it rises an
other hill In the nearest edge of the
wood Is German machine gunner who
has been amusing himself by sending
streams of bullets. raking along the
edge of the woods held by us. This
position Is in a sort of clump of trees,
with a slight clearing almost surround
ing It before the thick wood begins. We
have tried shells and rifle fire without
success. That spot is marked for venge-
ance when the Americans make the
advance scheduled.
The Germans have gently Withdraw wn
and the gunner seems to have been left
there to protect their retreat.
The order comes to advance in a few
minutes with their eyes on that clumr
our men get fixed In direction. A mo-
ment later and the line Of men in skir-
mish formation. some twenty-five feet
apart, crouching slightly forward. their
rifles ready. step from the edge Of the
woods and start through the wheat.