The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1918-04-05
AMERICANS KILL
MANY GERMANS
PerSting's Troops InfIict Severe
Losses on Foe North
of TouI.
YANKEE CAPTAIN LOSES LIFE
Ground in Front of Position Held by
U. S. Men Strewn With Teuton
Dead-Many American Cas-
uaIties Reported.

With the American Army in France,
March 4.-American troops repulsed
a strong German attack in the salient
north of Toul on Friday morning.
There were many American casualties,
one of the killed being a captain who
was graduated from West Point in
1917.
The raid was q complete failure,
three German prisoners remaining in
American hands.
The ground in front of the Ameri-
can trenches was strewn with Ger
man dead.
A driving wet snow was falling
when the Germans opened fire on the
American salient with every weapon
at their command. Seventy-sevens,
heavy shells and gas shells fell in a
perfect whirlwind on the American
trenches for half an hour.
At the same time other enemy shells
in great numbers were dropping on
the American battery positions.
The Germans evidently thinking
that the Americans in this section,
having had one taste of gas few
days ago. would fear it now, let loose
great quantities of poisonous gas, but
the men put on their masks and only
few were affected by it. So intense
was the fire that the woods back of
the salient were shot TO pieces.
At six o'clock the barrage fire lift
ad obnc 70 no rio of
salient and Germans numbering 240
came sweeping forward.
They came forward apparently in
tending 10 make big haul and
jumped into what was left of the
trenches, but there, instead of the
easy time anticipated, found the Amer
leans all ready for battle. Fierce
hand-to-hand fighting began.
One American captain rallied men
with rifles and machine guns and went
through the American wire entangle-
ments into No Mans Land and there
waited for the enemy, whom he ex-
pected to be driven out by his COM
rades in the trenches.
He was right, for soon groups Of
the enemy started back through the
wire entanglements. The Americans
poured in q deadly fire, but unfOrtun-
ately the captain was killed during the
fight. He is the first member of the
1917 class at West Point to be killed.
While the Americans were in front
of the wire entanglements and in shell
holes. still fighting desperately, the
American barrage fire began sweep
ing No Mans Land. catching many
running Prussians, who had enough of
American methods. The barrage swept
back and forth, making sure OF doing
all possible damage TO the foe.
When the enemy had been driven
back out of the positions the bodies
of ten German soldiers were found in
the American trenches. Two German
officers were entangled in the wire and
many bodies were in sight. Eight
were visible through the snowstorm at
one point.
If the Germans captured any pris-
oners, which is doubtful, there were
not more than two or three, possibly
| from q listening post.
Two German prisoners were wound
ed and the other taken was unhurt.
| One prisoner said:
Il did not have n chance TO do any
thing before an American jumped onto
me and grabbed me by the throat
The Americans displayed the great
est personal courage, bravery and en-
ergy throughout the engagement and
outfought the surprised enemy from
the instant contact was established.
Berlin, March 4.-Ten Americans
have been captured by the Germans
near Chavignon, on the French front,
army headquarters announced. A few
/ French prisoners also were taken from
the hostile trenches by the German
storming troops that made the raid.