Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-11

BEFORE | could intervene, tho big burl,
PFuSSian had dealt the Bavariun 4
terrific punch on the jaw, that would
nave done credit TO Billy Wells This
VIII give YOU slight idea OF the Glove
that exists between them.
The majority of them mako no bones
about the fact that they are jolly glad
10 DO captured.
or course. this for them means more
and better food. while they appear &c
he thoroughly glad to get o,:t Of the
danger zone. While our officers lead
us. theirs drive them, and you will
easily recognize that such process is
hy no means an cuviable one The
Huns, according TO their own admission
are thoroughly sick OF war and in their
hearts arc longing for peace.
y pretty hungry and down-at -hcel
lot. That generally was my Impression
OF the German soldiers whom we
( fought against and captured on and
. after tina; ncvcr-to- be forgotten Easter
sunday which opened the battle of
A"ras.
landed in that section OF the
/ trenches the day before, and, althouEh
I had by this time become accustomed
/ 10 artillery. still it had all sounded
t!mo enough compared with the up
roar now going on.
I /; Was not succession OF noises,
/ but just one continuous, deep and sui
; len noise. To hear il was bad enough
| To sample its ctrcCt-wclI. I'll tell you
| what Fritz thought about it later on.
GOING COVER TIE Tor,
Al TiIE: BATTLE Of ARRAS
The Germans were replying, OF
course but very fccbly and crratica1lv.
Before the boys went over the ton -
We were not allowed TO show a hair
above the parapct. but after every one
hal cleared out on the great charge
one could have walked about the place
as safely as at home.
Why
Because our artillery had simply
swept the Boche, bag and baggage.
clean over the horizon.
THAT is literal fact.
lie ana his precious Euns-those that
had not been Knocked ou,-wcrs
trundlinS pcl!mcu for that famous
himdsrburS line in the more or lees
distant rear.
iut the first real indication apart
from tho sudden stopparc OF their ar
tillcrE, that tho Germans had left their
positions for good. was The long stream
OF prisoners which very -.on saw
coming marching back WIN -yinniur
Eritisher or two beside them
That stream told its own tale. and
the tale became dramatically amplifcd
ny the appearance OF quite number
"tio were TO Ice seen hero and there
assisting in tho dressing OF the
wounded and iu carrying them back
to the security or our lines
After we had PASSED that first batch.
the thing that struck me most was tho
comparatively good condition OF some
parts OF tho roahways
You may think it strange to COM
mcnt on that, but just picture the scene.
al around, dcsolation and death. a
great army in retreat; Il greater army
ioi!ow!nS II; tho ground pittcd with
smell holes, Uttered with timber, dotted
with ruins. and over all. through al
The vast hum of lcEions afoot. and the
mo"s;Tous howl OF the ccascless ar
tilicry.
Can YOU wonder that any little bits
OF decent roadway that We saw sur
iFised us in that wilderness? Thov
We're like oascs III tho desert.
Ent these same decent spots only
served after ali TO acccntua,c the gen
erai terror ot the scene.
Ihc Huns are wcll-namcd
Really. their aptitude fos Destruction
amounts 10 positive genius, and the!r
tricks would give points to Satan ana
all ms imps Trees were cu, dc,.r
"Ncr!whorc, barbcd wire was living IN
inc most extraordinary tanSlcs, trans
were stretched across roadways. bombs
49, attached To the most innocent
looking objects. And. on every side Of
ali TINS "c!tcr, one could get a neon
into the very inmcat rccevscs OF
wrecked duSouts. where lay in grim
and CHASTITY confusion all that remained
OF their once stout inhabitants
truly. our artillery had done its
work.
Each Of these dusouts VIC thoroughly
explored, FOR We had TO make sure tina,
8 . G 4 "a 81.
along ana IN one or them We had
quit" a ltitle surprise
II was fixed up hayoncts" as we
entered but these were speedily
grounded as We saw What was going on.
I.Ir"" Germans were there. One was
wounded and unable to move, the other
TWO We're making tea, and were ter
I r!ol% IN earnest about il.
Just fancy in the middle Of the great
retreat, with their own army passing
over their very heads, there sat those
thTce Misunderstanding tea as much
as TO say: Well the shows over now.
let = eat
The trit@ics were very hospitnblc-
naturally. We partouIi of their tea.
There was much conversation Tor
each side was eager FOR news. Ana
II was il the course Of ii tina, W..
leaFhed what our artillery had meant
10 them. They said plenty about it's
t"rrors, but wlcn they mentioned tina,
'hcy had been in that spot for three
weeks, and then Indicated with a wave
OF the hand the wrcckage and dcstruc-
ti"n about ihcm-wcll, 1t seemed un-
necessary 10 add more. Words would
nave been futile to describe artillery
which could play such havoc as that.
81 course. YOU never know your Hun.
ana SO, to max: sure that the tea
party vas not a blind" We had a
thorough search of the wrcckagc, hut
round nothing discriminating, as YOU
might say.
There we're helmets and belts galore.
ana few rcyolTcrs, but even the lat
ter were not of great intercst--excrpt
he souvenirs. When we left that spo;
We came uron a German doctor next
III our cleaning up process.
lie Was Il nice follow. and made no
bones about the obvious fact that he
wa" Siad TO bc taken.
lie told ua he had been a practitioner
in Germany for many years. and had
been taken in the army since the war
started II was To- be 3 short business
'hch-S" every body thought-hut here
was III" mira year OF 1t trailing ON
ana ms army now in retreat: 40
N"hHcr II" expressed so sincere a wish
-