Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-03-24

CHAPTER Xxx.


= We were swimming IN money, frol
the receipts Of our theatrical ventur,
and Ind forgotten all about the wal
when an order came through that GU
orignde would again take over thel
sector Of the line.
The day TINT these orders were Is
sued. our captain assembled the com
pany and asked for volunteers 20 go 4
the Machine Gun school az So. Omar
I volunteered and was accepted.
Sixteen men from our brigade lefi
for the course In machine gunncry
This course listed two weeks and We
rejoined our unit md were assigned "a
the brigade machine gun company. II
almost broke my heart to leave my
company mates.
The gun we used was the vlckers,
Light 800. water cooled.
wns still member OF the Suicide
club. having jumped from the frying
pan into the fire. I was assigned 20
section I, gun No. 2. and the FIRST time
'in" took position In the front-llne
trench.
During the day our gun would be
dlsmounted on the FIRE step ready for
instant use. We shared n dugout with
the Lewis gunners. AT "stand TO" we
would mount our gun on the parnpet
and 20 on watch beside Il until "stand
down" in the morning. Then the gun
would be dlsmounted and again placed
In readiness on the FIRE step.
We did eight days In the front-llne
trench without anything unusual hap
penlng outside Of the ordinary trench
routine. On the night that we were 70
'cnrry out" a bombing raid against the
German lines was pulled on. This raid
ing party consisted Of sixty company
men. sixteen bombers. and four Lewis
mnchinc guns with their crews.
The raid took the Boches by surprise
and WIS complete success. the party
bringing back twenty-one prisoners.
The Germans must have beea awful.
~ sore, because they turned loose a
barrnge Of shrapnel. with a few "Mln-
nies" and "whlzz bangs" intermlxed.
The shells were dropping Into our front
line like hailstones.
To get even, we could have left the
prisoners In the fire trench. In charge
NJ the men on guard and let them click
Fritz's strafeing but Tommy does not
treat prisoners that why.
Five Of them were brought Into my
dugout and turned over TO me so that
they would be safe from the German
fire.
In the candlelight. they looked very
much shaken. nerves gone and chalky
faces. with the exception Of one.
great big fellow. lie looked very much
at ease. liked him from the start.
] got out the rum Jar and gave each
n nip and passed around some flags,
the old reliable Woodblnes. The other
prisoners looked their gratitude. but
the big fellow said In English. Thank
you, sir. the rum Is excellent and ap-
precinte II, also your Kindness"
lie told me his name was Carl
Schmidt, Of the Sixty-slxth Bavarian
Light infantry; that he had lived six
years In New York (knew the city bet
ter than ! dldD. haG been 10 Coney
island and many Of our ball games. lie
was n regular fan. I 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 walter IN
The Hotel Russell. Just before the war
he went home 20 Germany 10 see his
parents, the war came and he WIS con
scripted.
He told me he was very sorry 10
hear that London was In ruins from
the Zeppelin rnids. | could not con-
vince him otherwise. for hadn't he seen
pictures In one Of the German
cities Of ST. Paul's cathedral IN ruins.
I changed the subject because he
was 80 stubborn IN his belief. II was
my intention 10 try and pump him for
Information as To the methods OF tho
herman Shippers, who had been caus-
ing US trouble In the Inst few days.
preached the subject and he shut
up like a clan. After a few minutes
he very innOcently said:
German snipers get paid rewards
for killing the English"
eagesly asked. ~what are tbeyY"
He answered:
"for killing or woundlng an English
private, the sniper gets one mark. For
Iilllng or wounding an English officer
le gets 1--WE marks. but II he kills a Red
ZAP or English general. tho sniper gets
wenty-one days tied 10 the wheel OF a
mbcr as punishment for his careless
ess."
Then he paused. waiting for me 20
tie, | suppose.
BIZ all right ana asked him why the |
nlper WIS punished for killing an
'nglish general. With a smile he re-
He'd:
swell. YOU see, n all the English gen
rals were killed. there would be no
ne left 10 make costly mistakes."
i shut him nm he was srofflnu 100