The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-05-30
OVER THE TOP
An American Soldier Who Went
ARTHUR GUY EMPEY

see, at this point of the line there
were strict orders not to fire q shell,
unless specially ordered to do SO from
brigade headquarters. Blime me, If
anyone dsobeyed that command, our
general-yes, it was Old Pepper
would have court-martialed the whole
expeditionary force. Nobody went out
of their way to disobey Old Pepper In
those days, because he couldn't be
called q parson; he was more like q
pirate. If at any time the devil should
feel lonely and sigh for a proper mate,
Old Pepper would get the first call.
Facing the Germans wasn't half bad
compared with an interview with that
old firebrand.
.If company or battalion should
give way q few yards against q ST.
perior force of Boches, Old Pepper
would send for the commanding Off
Ger. In about half an hour the officer
would come back with his face the
color of a brick, and in few hours
what was left of his command would
be holding their original position.
i nave seen I'LL blllCeE NHO "OuIOn
say d-n for a thousand quid spend
ave minutes with the old hoy, and
when he returned the flow of language
from his lips would make navy
blush for shame.
what | am going to tell you is how
two of us put it over on the old scamp,
and got away with 1t. 1t was IA risky
thing, too, because Old Pepper wouldn't
have been exactly mild with us if he
had got next to the game.
me and my mate, lad named Har-
ry Cassell, bombardier in ID 23S bat
terry, or lance corporal, as you call 1t
In the infantry used to relieve the
telephonists. We would do two hours
on and four off. l would be on duty
in the advanced observation post,
while he would be at the other end of
the wire in the battery dugout signal
ing station. We were supposed TO send
through orders for the battery to fire
when ordered to do so by the observa-
ton officer in the advanced post. But
very few messages were sent. 1t was
only III CdSe VI I'LL dCluai ulluth tidI
we would get chance to earn our
two and six day. You see, Old Pep
per had issued orders not to fire ex-
cept when the orders came from him.
And with Old Pepper orders is orders,
and made to obey.
1.-THE Germans must have known
about these orders, for even in the day
their transports and troops used to
expose themselves as II they were on
parade. This sure got up our nose,
sitting there day after day, with fine
targets in front of us but unable to
send over she'll. We heartily cussed
Old Pepper, his orders, the govern
ment, the people at home, and every
thing in general. But the Boches
didn't mind cusslng and got very care
less.f Blime me, they were bally in
sulting. Used to, when using certain
road, throw their caps into the air as
taunt Mt our helplessness.
"Cassell had been a telegrapher in
civil life and Joined up when war was
declared. AS for me, I knew Morse,
learned 1t at the signalers' school back
in 1910. With an officer In the obser-
walton post, we could not carry on the
kind Of conversation that's usual be-
tween two mates, so we used the
Morse CODE To send one of us would
tap the transmitter with his finger
nails, and the one on the other end
would get 1t through the receiver.
Many an hour was whiled away In this
manner passing compliments back and
forth.
I'm the observation post the officer
used to sit for hours with a powerful
pair of field glasses to his eyes.
Through cleverly concealed loophole
he would scan the ground behind the
German trenches, looking for targets
and finding many. This officer, Cap
tain A by name, had habit of
talking out loud to himself Some
times he would vent his opinion, same
as common private does when he's
wrought up. Once upon a time the
captain had been on Old Peppers staff,
so he could cuss and blind In the most
approved style. Got to be sort of a
habit with him.
about six thousand yards from us,
behind the German lines, was a road
in plain view of our post. For the last
three days Fritz had brought compa-
MES Of troops down this road In broad
daylight. They were never shelled
Whenever this happened the captain
would froth at the mouth and let out
a volume of Old Peppers religion
which used to make me love him.
EVERY battery has a range chart on
which distinctive landmarks are noted,
with the range for each. These land
marks are called targets, and are num-
bered. On our battery's chart. that
road was called Target II, Range
5000, degrees 80 minutes left d 238
battery consisted of four AS how'll
zers, and fired a 35-pound Fl. e. shell.
AS you know, II. e. means high ex-
plosive.' | don't like cumming up my
own battery, but we had record In
the division for direct hits, and our
boys were just plning away for "A
chance to exhibit their skill In the
eyes of Fritz.
"On the afternoon of the fourth day
of Fritz contemptuous use of the road
mentioned the captain and / were at
our posts as usual. Fritz was strafe-
Ing US pretty rough just like he's doing