The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-11-15
CHAPTER xxIv--contlnued.
Il


what seemed a week, though in realit
It could not have been over five mir
utes, we heard a low whispering in ou
rear and footsteps on the stone flag
ging of the courtyard.
Our officer reappeared and in low
but firm voice, ordered:
"About-Turn ~
We turned about. In the gray llgh
Of dawn, few yards in front of me,
could make out q brick wall. Agains
this wall was dark form with whit
square pinned on its breast. We wer
supposed to aim at this square. To tn
right Of the form noticed a white spo
on the wall. This would be my target
Ready! Aim! Fire"
The dark form sank into huddleC
heap. My bullet sped on its way, ant
hit the whitish spot on the wall;
else had received the rifle containing
the blank cartridge, but my mind wa:
Mt ease, there was no blood of {
Tommy on my hands.
"0rdcr-Arms About-Turn Pile
Arms Stand-Clear."
The stacks were reformed.
"Quick - March Right - Wheel =
tnd we left the scene of execution be.
klnd us.
1t was now daylight. After march.
Ing about five minutes, we were dis.
missed with the following instructions
from the officer in command:
Return, alone, to your respective
companies, and remember, no talking
about this affair, or else 1t will go hard
with the guilty ones"
We needed no urging to get away. I
did not recognize any Of the men on
the firing squad even the officer was a
stranger to me.
The victims relations and friends in
Blighty will never know that he was
executed; they will be under the i'm
preston that he died doing his bit for
king and country.
In the public casualty lists his name
will appear under the caption "Acci-
dentaliy Killed." or Died"
The day after the execution re-
ceived orders to report back to the
line, and to keep a still tongue in my
head.
Executions are a part of the days
work, but the part we hated most Of
all. thinll-certainly the saddest. The
British war department is thought by
many people to be composed of rigid
regulations all wound around with red
tape. But it has heart, and one of
the evidences of this is the conSiderate
way in which an executi0 is concealed
and reported to the relative Of the un-
truth. He is listed in the bulletins as
among the accidentally killed"
In the last ten years l have several
times read stories in magazines of
towards changing, in q charge, to he
rOes. used to laugh at 1t. 1t seemed
easy for story-writerS, but 1 said,
Men aren't made that way" But over
In France 1 learned once that the |
streak of yellow can turn all white. |
picked up the story, bit by bit, from |
the captain of the company, the SEN
tries who guarded the poor fellow, as |
well as from my own observations. At
first did not realize the whole Of his
story, but after a week Of investiga-
tion 1t stood out as clear In my mind
az the mountains Of my native West in
the spring sunshine. 1t impressed me
so much that / wrote II all down In
rest billets on scraps Of odd paper.
The incidents are, as I say. every bit
true; the feelings Of the man are true
Il know from all underwent In the
lighting over In France.
We will call him Albert Lloyd. That
wasn't his name, but 1t will do:
Albert Lloyd was what the world
terms a coward.
In London they called him a Stacker.
His country had been at war nearly
eighteen months, and still he was not
In khaki.
He had no good reason for not en-
listing, being alone in the world, hay
Ing been educated in an orphan asy-
um. and there being no one dependent
upon him for support. He had no good
position to lose, and there was no
sweetheart TO tell him with her lips
10 60, while her eyes pleaded for him |
% stay.
Every time he saw recruiting SER
sennt he'd slink around the corner out
II sight, with terrible fear gnawing
It his heart. When passing the big re-
,ruItiag posters, and on his way to {
business and back he passed many, he 9
would pull down his cap and look the J
'ther way from that awful finger
'Oin;ing at him. under the caption. I
Eear King and Country Need XOui" G