Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-03-19
"Over the Top
By An American Soldier
Who Went
ARTHUR GUY EMPEY
Machine Gunner Sereing in France
Maehins Gunner Serving IN France
CONTINUED from yesterday

~ CaSSell, a bombardier in y 23S bat
terry. or lance corporal, as You call II
In the infantry, used to relieve the
telephonlsis. We would do two hours
on and four of. would be on duty
IN the advanced observation post.
while he would he at the other end OF
the wire in the battery dugout signal
ing station. We We're supposed TO send
through orders for the battery 70 fire
when ordered To do SO by the observa-
tIon officer in the advanced post. But
very few messages were sent. II was
only in ease OF an actual attack that
we would get chance TO earn our
two and six a day. You see, Old Pep
per had issued orders not TO fire ex
cept when the orders came from him,
And with Old Pepper orders is orders.
and made to obey.
1.-THE Germans must have known
about these orders, for even in the day
their Transports and troops used to
expose themselves as lf they were on
parade This sure got up our nose
sitting there day after day, With fine
targets in front of us but unable tc
send over a she'll We heartily cussed
Old Pepper his orders, the govern
ment, the people at home, and every
thing in general. But the Boches
didn't mind cussing. aud got very care
less. Bime me, they We're bally in
suiting Used TO. when using certain
rond, throw their caps into the air as
a taunt MT our helplessness.
"Cassell had been telegrapher In
civil life and Joined up when war was
declared. AS for me, ! knew Morse
learned It at the signalers' school back
in 1910. With an officer in the obser
walton post, we could not carry on the
kind of conversation that's usual be.
tween two mates, so we used the
Morse code TO send, one OF us would
tap the transmitter with his finger
nails and the one on the other end
would get II through the receiver
Many an hour was whled away In this
manner passing compliments back and
forth.
III lHt OUSttNdiiVlt posl Tie bliCtl
used TO sit for hours with powerful
pair OF field glasses TO his eyes.
Through a cleverly concealed looph0e
he would sean the ground behind the
German trenches, looking for targets
and finding many. This officer Cap
tain A. by name, Ind habit OF
talking ont loud to himself. Some
times he would vent his opinion, same
as a common private does when he's
wrought up. Once upon time the
captain had been on Old Peppers staff.
so he could cuss and blind in the most
approved style. Got to be sort OF a
habit with him.
about six thousand yards from us
behind the German lines, was road
in plain view Of our post. For the last
three days Fritz had brought compa.
MES of troops down this roud in broad
daylight. They We're never shelled
Whenever this happened the captain
would froth at the mouth and let out
a volume of Old Peppers religion
which used to make me love him.
which distinctive landmarks are noted,
with the range for each. These land
marks are called targets, and are num-
bered. On our battery's chart that
road was called Target II, Range
5000, 3 degrees 80 minutes left. ID 23S
battery consisted of four Az howit-
GERS, and fred 35-pound II. II. shell
AS you know, H. K. means high ex-
plosive.' | don't like cumming up my
own battery, but we had record in
the division for direct hits, and our
boys were just pining away for a
chance TO exhibit their skill In the
eyes OF Fritz,
'On the afternoon OF the fourth day
Of Fritz contemptuous use Of the road
mentioned the captain and / were Mt
our posts as usual. Fritz was strafe-
Ing us pretty rough, just like he's doing
now. The shells were playing leap
frog all through that orchard.
II was carrying on a conversation
In our tap code with Cassell at the
other end. II ran something like this:
"'Say, Cassell, how would you like
to be in the saloon bar Of the Kings
Arms down Rye lane with bottle OF
Bass in front of xsu, and that btcha@
barmaid waiting to fill 'em up againT
"Cassell had a fancy for that par
ticular blonde. The answer came back
in the shape OF yolley OF cusses. ]
changed the subject.
after a while our talk veered
round to the way the Boches had been
exposing themselves on the road down
on the chart as Target IL. What be
said about those Boches would never
have passed the relchstag, though I
believe it would have gone through
our censor easily enough.
"The bursting shells were making
such "a din that ! packed up talking
and took to watching the captain. He
was fldgeting around on an old sand
bag with the sglass to his eye. Occa-
sionally he would let out grunt, and
make some remark couldn't hear on
account Of the noise, but guessed
what 1t was all right. Fritz was get
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