The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-18
PatrOling Parties Make Nightly
Raids UnresiSted.
One Party Spent Five Hours
Exploring Hun Trenches.
YANKS AID FRENCH IN FIGHT
Enemy Driven Out and Posi-
tiOns Strengthened.
Every Man a HerO-CannOt
Pick Out Any One.
(By the Associated Press)

(By the Associated FressJ
With the American Army in France,
Wednesday, April IS. - American
troops operating in the Lorraine sec
tor have taken over control of No
Mans Land Patrolling parties are
making almost nightly visits up to
the German wire entanglements with
out encountering any resistance
A lieutenant and a party of IL
have made a five hour exploring trip
penetrating to the German third line.
and making maps of machine gun and
sniper posts and strong points with
out being seen by the enemy.
Smashed a Field Kitchen.
An artillery lieutenant in an obser-
walton post sighted a German field
kitchen coming up to the enemy line
He gave his battery the position and
the kitchen was destroyed with three
shots.
Twice in twenty-four hours an
American company has assisted
French troops in a neighboring sector
to regain trenches temporarily taken
by the Germans. The company was
led by a captain who took his troops
over the top in the face of the most
violent machine gun and artillery fire
Each time he succeeded in driving
out the enemy and in inflicting heavy
casualties and then strengthening the
positions -
A Young Corporal Killed
A most pathetic story from the
American lines is that of young cor
poral who was wounded fatally after
fighting for four hours A piece of
shrapnel struck him in the head He
had a grenade in each hand. Giving
them to his companion he said:
II guess I'm done. Please write to
my mother and tell her how il hap
pened. But here-take these gren-
AIDES and for Gods sake don't waste
| them"
The corporal fell in a faint and died
| in a hospital the next day without re-
| gaining consciousness.
"What Are You. Anyway"
At one point on this sector there
was a space of only fifteen yards be-
! tween the opposing trenches A day
! before attack the Germans threw
a note into the American trench 1t
read:
'-What are you? Canadians or Aus
| tralians?''
| Come over and find out" was the
| reply thrown back by an American
soldier.
| incident, added: II guess they know
who we are now and they will not be
likely to forget it for some time"
| Every Man n Hero.
| Commanders of units who partici-
pated in the several days of fighting
|
in the Apremont wood sector, are find
ing it difficult to pick out men who
especially distinguished themselves in
! the operations. One commander said
that every man acted like a hero and
| it was hard to choose the most de-
| serving cases. One of the most popu-
! lar men with the soldiers on this sec
| tor is the Reverend Des Wales, a Re-
man Catholic priest of New Bedford,
| Mass, who is living with the men in
an unofficial capacity. he having come
| to France as a representative of the
Knights of Columbus.
A Game Chaplain.
| When the attacks began Father Dcs
Wales, Drawing the dangers of shell
and machine gun fire, went to tho
casualty clearing station near the
front line to administer to the wound
| ed. He assisted in dressing the in
! jurtes of the soldiers and gave each
man a word of cheer He handed out
cigarets to the men who smoked
Hes as game as they make them
and every inch a soldier" said a
Of he inspiration furnished by the
| priest
Another popular man is a young
| banker of Springfield, Mass who
wa pressed into service as a stretcher
| bearer He was the smallest man In
| the outfit and after several trips be-
came SO exhausted he was unable to
| kold the stretcher. He refused to
give up and had his companions tie
the stretcher to his wrists
American artillery on this front al
ready has reduced the German artil-
lery by two-thirds. silencing enemy
batteries with only a few minutes,
bombardment- The French are amazed
at the Yankee gunners' accuracy.