Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-03-22
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Five of them we're brought into my
dugout and turned over to me so that
they would be safe from the German
fire.
In the candleight, they looked very
much shaken, nerves gone and chalky
faces, with the exception of one,
great big fellow. He looked very much
at case. liked him from the start.
got out the rum Jar and gave each
a nip and passed around some fags,
the old reliable Woodbines. The other
prisoners looked their gratitude, but
the big fellow said in English. Thank
you, sir, the rum is excellent and l ap-
preciate it, also your Kindness
He told me his name WAS Carl
Schmidt, of the Sixty-sixth Bavarian
Light infantry; that he had lived six
years in New York (knew the city bet
ter than / did, had been TO Coney
island and many of our ball games. He
was a 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 waiter I'm
the Hotel Russell. Just before the war
he went home to Germany to see his
parents, the war came and he was con-
scripted.
He told me he was. very sorry to
hear that London was In ruins FROM
the Zeppelin raids. / could not co{k
vince him otherwise, for hadn't he seen.
moving pictures In one of the German
cities of st. Paul's cathedral. In ruins.
/ changed the subject because he
was so stubborn in his belief. 1t was
my intention to try and pump him for
information as to the methods of the
German snipers, who had been cans1
ing MS trouble in the last few days.
preached the subject and he shut
up like clam. After few minutes
he very innocently said:
"German snipers get paid rewards
for killing the English"
/ eagerly asked, "What are theyY
He answered:
"For killing or wounding an English
private, the sniper 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 q
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 smile he re-
Piled:
swell, you see, if all. the English gems
erals were killed, there would be no
one left to make costly mistakes
/ shut him up, he was gettingftoG
fresh for a prisoner. After while he
winked at me and winked back, then
the escort came to take the prisoners
to the rear. i shook hands and wished
him "The best of luck and q safe jour-
ney to Blighty." Isl
l liked that prisoner, he was a fine
fellow, had an Iron Cross, too. / adj
vised him to keep 1t out of sight, or
some Tommy would be sending 1t home
to his girl in Blighty as 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 there" and brought
his rifle to the aim. His challenge wSsj
answered in German. A captain in the
next traverse climbed upon the SANDS
bagged parapet to investigates brave
but foolhardy deed-"Crack" went al
bullet and he tumbled back into the,
trench with hole through his stomach
and died a few minutes later. A lance
corporal In the next platoon was go 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, fiarsl
in front of us, and then silence.
We Immediately sent up two star
shells, and in their light could see tw0l
dark forms lying on the ground close
to our wire. A sergeant and four,
observation-disclosures went out In front and
soon returned, carrying two limp
bodies. Down in the dugout. In the
Pickering light of three candles, we
saw that they were two German off,
GERS, one captain and the other an
'unteroffizier. a rank one grade higher
than a sergeant general, but below the
grade of lieutenant.
The captains face had been almost
completely torn away by the bombs
explosion. The unterofflzier was alive,
breathing with difficulty. In few MIN
utes he opened his eyes and blinked inl
the glare of the candles.
The pair had evidently been drink
ing heavily, for the alcohol fumes werel
sickenlng and completely pervaded the
dugout. l turned away In disgust
hating to see man cross the Great Di-
vide full of booze.
One of our officers could speak Ger
man and ha uiyacfianad tho Aut,,c r v,aae N |