Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1918-09-13
CHAPTER uI-contInued.

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As we we're marching we suddenly
received nm order TO surround n certain
house nt the left Of us. Our captain
declared that n shot fred from That
house had killed n soldier. None OF
M Ind heard anything. however. The
house from which the shot was alleged
Ia have been fred was soon SURROUNDS
cd and hnnd %grenades thrown into u
through the windows. In n Minute all
the rooms we're nname. The air pres
sure from the exploding grenndes was
so great that doors IN the house New
from their hinges and the walls OF sew
crnl rooms were crushed.
Almost nj the same time nve civil
inns ran Into the streets with raised
hands. They were seized Mt once ana
led before the officers. who constituted
themselves Immediately into n court
mnrtlni. Ten minutes later sentence
had hccn executed, aud five men Jay
on the ground with eyes bandngen'
riddled with bullets.
In ench case six Of our men were
nlwnys called upon TO execute one
mans sentence. | am sorry 10 u
TINT | wns one OF the thirty cnileu
upon nj This occasion. The condemned
mnn who Il was our duty to shoot was
nbont forty years old. tall and straight
lie never hllnked ms the hnndnge was
nut on. lie wa led to the garden OF
the house near by and his bnck plnceu
10 the house. After our captain snid
10 us TINT II was our duty to nlm true
and end the tragedy quickly. we TOOK
our posItlons six pnces In front OF the
condemned man. The sergeant com
mnndlng ny previously gave us instruc-
tlons that we were to shoot the con
demned Incl through the breast.
Now we formed into two rows. one
beblnd the other. The order sounded
IN lond and aim and we ench put nve
cartridges into our rifles. "Prephre To
nre"-the men In the trst row knelt
down aud the second row took their
pIaces. our guns were now held so
Tint the barrels were forward and
the butts were hip high. "Alm"Tand
slowly we aimed. holding II guns
tightly with the butts against our
shoulders aud our fingers on the trlg'
gers.
The sergeant paused n half minute
and then ordered us 10 tire. ! do not
know 10 this dry whether our victim
died at once, nor wns there ever nm
opportunity to learn how many OF the
six bullets found their mark. All day
! went around like u man In n trance,
%reprouchlng myself bitterly for having
acted the part Of executloner. For n
long time ! could not bear 10 speak
about II to my comrades. for ! felt
guilty, and yet whnt could we soldiers
do other than execute the orders given
us2
In the evening we went into cam
In nm open field. pitching tents, and the
next day continued our march.
The country through which W.
rnsscd WINS embarrassing aud offered
nothing In the way Of variety. Tho
few tiny villages through witch va
pnsscd had an been abandoned and
the orlooklng houses mostly de-
stroyrd Long trains OF fugitiyc'
pissed MS continually These people
were as n rule those who had escaped
when the French army rctrented and
Mflh returning NNNW To- NNN lNfll
holmes destroyed 10y the rough hand ol
war.
After o. long march. interrupted onls
ny limits aud short h%ivouncs, we mp
preached the lnrgc Rolginn-French hor
der town of Suguy. located on the Bel
rluu side of the border. II was abou.
noon. aud as the thunder ~ cannor
constantly grow stronger, which indi
cutcd that % now battle wus develop
iht We hoped "a De able to remain iI
thr town overnight. About one o'clocl
we entered und were hillctcd In n biz
barn. Most 90 the soldiers refused I,
ont from the field kitchens, mud requi
sltloncd eggs. chickens, geese nn,
younr pigs Soon everybody wa
cookinf. ! nm sorry TO say that mos
Of thOse who foraged had refused Z,
pay for what they had tnkcn.
Several soldiers now arrived will