The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-19
americans MET HIN
GAS WITH SLAUGHTER
Germans, Posing as Friends, Made
surprise Attack But Found Ready
Opponents I'm Our Boys.
WE'RE TIRED BUT JUBaIAANT
P1vatrs From All sections of United
States Tell OF Their Novel ana
thrilling Expcricncc--All Talk in
Enthusiastic Tones.

France, A pril I2.--In the battle on
the east haak of tho Mouse. near 81.
Mia,aI Germans, taking advantage OF
the daIkn ness, posed as friends. IN
Ghe darkness and confusion they
sounded the gas alarm in English ana
attacked squads OF Americans In the
trenches as The latter were putting on
their gas masks
The Americans, however. were
quick TO discover the deception ana
to ayenge II by wholesale slaughter.
In a little village just behind the
lines the correspondent today inter
viewed the victorious American IN
fautryrnen Their clothes were smear
ed with mud and the blood stains On
their shoes, uniforms. gas masISs ana
hayonets were grim reminders OF INC
encounter. The men we're tired buS
jubilant They were eager to mix
it" again.
A private from Indiana had this to
say:
Right after the barrage seen two
Germans cutting wire with tong snip
pers. / spun a couple o grenades at
EN- and blow EN- both to hell
Il never had any time for baseball
/ worked in a coal mine before 7
Joined. I'm twenty four. l kinder
took to grenades. ] was assigned to
an automatic gun when the scrap be-
gan, but | can do more with greuaoes
! popped EN- in as fast as the fellows
fed EN- to me. | used the gren1des
on those two FNritzes like | WAS play
ing spitball Me for grenades.
A mail clerk who had listened to
the young Hoosier's story gave him
wooden box plastered with stamps.
That's from my mother said the
mail clerk. She sends em to me
regular Know what's inside? Chocc
lates and tRbscco. That's all right
you're sure welcome. after such
fight"
a private. who halls from New
York gave choice descripticn Of his
experiences.
Some Hun behind me wallopcd
nae over my helmet with the butt Of
his rife. but l swung around and fix
ed him for good. which means | left
Inn dead Then | was 1ust in time
~ help bag a couple Of prisoners.
they said they had come FROM the
russian front. They Also said some
~ st} ans had been shot heca use they
G}un't want to come to the western
ront Ia help the Germans.
"Thtse prisoners were very hungry
so they got water and bread. This
vas the FIRST scrap I've been in. The
enemy was yellow They cried when
ti,e5 tscrc caught. Woun5r,i soldiers
las all around and their moaning
sounded weird
Seeing several Of Our platoon
v nunded made us fight Ike demons
A corporal from Massac husetts helped
% corporal from Chicago ont OF a
ti-hf place
\ Yrivate from Pennsylvania. WHO
r@ed 20 hn a miner. Killed two Ger
mans He shot one and baYoncted
,.cther Here is his own story
These two Germans were chatter
ing French and English in the 6lrk
They kept saying Cease firing and
shouted Gas They knew, Of course.
that the wind did not favor gas
II said to myself, While them guys
IS preaching gas I'm going to ger IN
my Hicks. I've been "a hunter Tor
Years. and 7 was born in Italy
plugged one Of the Germans in the
bean as he was going to stab one
ri our fellows The other came at
me, so | ran my bayonet through him
How did ! feel. killing the first
man? l didn't mind killing these
Germans. when / thought of what
c-en.
Il captured two prisoners asked
a platoon mate for a match lie re-
piled. tn give you one IL YOU get
another German prisoner. and ] did
He was a guy six feet four, whose leg
Was wounded Them guys don't
stand up and. fight. They're all right
In crowds, bat they quit cold when
they get into hand Ito hand fight4ng.
bunch OF Germans had SOME
ef our fellows prisoners when our
guys passed the word for a rush. and
We got the gang away from the Ter
mans | don't want medal want
more Germans"