Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-08-30

how severe was the barrage, they
never once hesitated." says the Off
cial report. The list Of those who
distinguished themselves is too long
to be repeated here. but the story OF
Private Roy c. Lascher may be cited
as typical Of all:
He repeatedly carried messages
through a barrage on June TO-" says
the report, when it seemed almost
certain death to do so. On the morn
ing of June II. during violent bar
rage. he voluntarily got out of his
dugout and walked to my trench.
where one FOUNDER shells were con-
tinually breaking in addition to the
other shells of the bombardment. and
asked If l had any message TO send.
He knew that my barTage signals
were exhausted and thought would
want runner to go to battalion
headquarters to ask for a counter bar
rage"
II Is by such glimpses as this that
one must see the fight in Belleau
wood. An observer in front trench
was noted by his comrades in the
trench behind. His head was visible
over the trench parapet, because only
by so exposing himself could he watch
the enemy. Every second of such ex
,l.,t ln oh %
on death. of course.
a shell came along" said an eye
witness. "and cut down n tree near
by. 1t fell right across him, we
thought, but after moment we saw
his head In the same place. with the
tree trunk a foot above ii. The tree
had lodged on a rock. He stayed
there for an hour and kept us cor
rcctly informed. When the fight
slackened he sent back a runner:
Pass the word to Lieutenant
Lennhan.' said the runner. that the
forward observer asks to be relieved
for few minutes to get breath of
air."
Heroism? There is no end Of hero
ism!
Sergeant Conrad had his leg broken
so that the ends grated. according to
the surgeon who dressed 1t. You
could feel the ends grind" said he
But he managed to crawl along the
ground and pull in Lieutenant Gill
fillan with him. How he did it only
the god Of courage knows. When he
got TO the hospital he tainted.
I'VE forced hot coffee between his
lips" said the surgeon, land when he
came to his first words were: How Is
Gilfllan?"
Holding Their Nerves.
The worst came after a week or So
when the men in the wood began to
feel that they would never get out
The German attacks were constant
and there was no relief in sight. The
Boche airplunes sailed overhead con-
tinually, and there were no Allied
planes to keep them off. They ma
chine -gunned the troops and dropped
bombs on them.
I'VE felt that we had to have
sleep" said one man. in describing
the air activities Of the German. so
that one night we ,crawled out Into
the wheat Ma and si9pe Tfe neld
had never been bombarded. and there
was no spot anywhere else that was
not being continually hammered by
the shells. But the next day the Boche
fiiers photograph the field and found
the places where the growing wheat
had been pressed down. The next
night the field was sprinkled with
bombs"
BY and by the continual pressure Of
sitting still under the bombardment
got on the nerves of many. 81 had to
bite my lips to keep them from
trembling" said several. The moment
action became possible that nervous
feeling passed away, for these were
brave men. They took the advice of
Regimental Surgeon DesseZe.
".Sit down and get your back against
the wall" he told them, land then
smoke one cigarette after another un-
til your nerves quit fidgeting."
At last came the end. when another
unit relieved them, and what was left
of what had been famous corps
moved out. For few days they were
pretty pale and shaky, for their ply
steal us well as their mental suffer-
ings had been great, and they had
eaten little. But they were as game
as ever.
Just give us a rest and we will so
back" the men said. Not that were
anxious to-but we'll go"
That is the spirit Of the whole army.