Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-19
PERSHING'S 5
Men SEARCH
FOR hun spy
Signals From House Within
American Lines North
west Of Toul Give Clue;
Yankees on Patrol Silence
German Gun.
ARTILLERY DUEL
RACES FIERCELY

| hkAULS FlEhCELI
by Associated Press STAFF
Staff Correspondent
With the American Army In Franca
March 17.-(Delayed)-Am "a.
teLlgence officers report evidence
leading to the conclusion that possibly
spy may be at work within the Amer.
lean lines northwest Of Toul. Early
this morning an American sentry sav
flashes OF signal light from win.
dow facing in the direction Of the On.
emy lines. He fired through the win.
dow and dashed into the house hut
failed to find any one.
Four hours earlier important tsle.
phone wires within the American lines
were found to have been cut. B
INVADE HUNS TRENCHES
An American patrol last night On.
tered the enemy trenches at one end
OF the sector and penetrated them for
some distance. Much valuable infor
nation was gathered. As they were
about ready to return they established
contact with the enemy who opened
fire with machine gun. Tho Ameri.
cans jumped to q safe position and
hurled grenades at the enemy gunners
sflencing the gun.
Returning to the American side OF
No Mans Land the raiders brought
back with them a German rifle breech
protected by metallic cover over the
muzxle and snap clip cover, both OF
which operate quickly and effectively
OMcers declared 1t was the best thing
OF the kind they had ever seen for pro-
tecting rifles. The mechanism was
turned over to the intelligence depart
ment with Recommendation that the
Iattachment be furnished the American
[ xRTiLtERY sxTrEks tNEaiv
Another patrol ON the end Of the sec,
tor reported that the enemy first, line
was held strongly. While the raiders
were inspecting the German positions.
the enemy fired upoE them several
times with rifles and machine guns,
which are unusual at that point.
Our artillery bombarded effectively
billets, troops and new enemy works
at Lahayville. St Baussant, the village
Of Montseo, Richecourt; in the Quart
de Reserve, along the Pannes-Monsard
Iroad, and a considerable body Of troops
northwest Of Buxieres. They also bat
tered to pieces another battery Of gas
projectors which had been set up In
double line of trenches.
| GERMANS USE GAS
The enemy has shelled various parts
Of our positions rather heavily. many
gas shells being mixed with high ex-
.plosive ones Some American soldiers
who happened to be near or who
walked through the shelled areas after
ward said there were indications that
the enemy was trying to isolate one Of
! our positions with she'll fire.
| The visibility was exceptionally good
today and the weather was like sum-
mer. A great number Of wagon trains
and small groups of Germans were
seen walking behind the enemy lines.
! Several times during the day the air
was crowded with airplanes and on
one occasion several enemy machines
were overhead at the Same time.
/ Airplanes from the rear OF our lines
carrying American observers maneuv.
| cred to get into fight with the enemy
machines but they were unsuccessful.
American anti-aircraft guns drove OH
a number of enemy machines and kept
the others high in the air. American
observers succeeded in accomplishing
haze had prevented. They obtained
valuable photographs and observed
certain things back Of the German
lines.
HOLD MEchLENeURG TRENCH
American troops in the Luneville
sector have been spbjected to fairly
heavy bombardments during the past
twenty-f -four hours but have been Civ.
ling the enemy as much as they re-
ceiyed. Patrols at two points estab-
hshed contact with the enemy last
night and early this morning. After
brief firing the Germans retired.
1 American soldiers still are holding
the Mecklenburg trench, taken two
DAYS ago and which it is now permit.
ted to name. The anti-aircraft guns
east of Luneville were extremely busy
TODAY In driving off enemy airplanes.
ENEMY RAIDS U. S. LINE
With the American Army in France.
March l6.-Delayed.o-A terrific
artillery preparation this morning
large numbers of the enemy crossed
No Mans Land on the ext-crnt
right of the American sector west o.
Toul.
Apparently the purpose OF the raid
was quickly accomplished and only a
comparatively small number entered
our lines Permission has not been
given to mection the number OF CASUAL
ties This raid. like most of the others
carried out all the way from the North
sea to Switzerland. was designed 10
gather information by means OF taking
prisoners.
ILLINOIS WOMAN MURDERED
Peru. H., March ls.--jrs John
! Kastner was beaten and choked to