The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-12-06

minutes before was mo Man.
Land" and smiled sweetly.
He then offered his cane, his ga
mask, his ring, or. his belt for choc0
late or sweets that the American
always seems to have slowed ava,
somewhere in his pack.
He talked about any subject on,
cared to mention, and those wht
could not speak English made them
selves understood by signs or drew
pictures. He capered about and want
ed to be friendly, but in most cases
the Yanks looked him over with 8
cold stare. They couldn't quite fig
ure out the rapid change.
Here were men who a few min
utes ago were dealing out death
with every ounce of their power
Now they wanted to deal out souve
Mrs in friendly exchange. The rum
BILE of the ambulances as they carried
the wounded and dead from the field
still Rang in the ears of the Yanks
and, In many cases, these vehicles
carried the torn and bleeding forms
Of their bunkies.
1t seemed needless slaughter to the
American. However, Fritz insisted
upon killing up to the last moment
and the Yanks were moving forward
to ,retaliate when the order came tc
cease fire and halt. A few minutes
more and the Germans, in the
trenches beyond the wire, would
have been facing cold steel, backed
up by hard, sturdy American arms
The whistle saved them.
! 1t was my desire to be with troops
from Utah when the last shot was
fired. However, due to various rea-
sons, this was impossible. The Min
ety-first division, containing hun
dreds Of Utah men who fought sc
well in the Argonne forest, winning
decorations there for their bravery
we're in Belgium, fighting with the
French army and making it impos-
sible for American correspondents to
be with them at the time. 80
The Utah field artillery (the
145th) was still in an artillery train
ing camp a few miles from Bordeaux
and finishing their course ITO be sent
to the front. They missed their
chance of getting into the fighting
by few days, due to the dength of
| their course in finishing off,
Sees Last Shot From Hottest Spot.
| Unable to be with Utah men at
the grand finale went to press head
quarters at Barbecue and from
there made arrangements with other
corr espondelts to witness the finish
of the war from the hottest sector
and the best possible point of van
tage. We were lucky in both cases.
Heading north in the night, our
car slid along the white straight road
in the darkness, no lights being al
lowed on vehicles in the war zone.
A cold, heavy fog had settled and
the night was extremely damp and
miserable. Two hours later we pas
sed through famous Verdun, which
has withstood the assaults of the
Germans for many months, but which
never fell to the enemy AS we PAS
sed through, the Germans were me-
thodically dropping shells into the
center of the town and the streets
were Uttered with debris in places.
AS we passed from the city and
turned east toward the front the roar
of cannon came to our ears above
the hum of the engine, and at times
flashes of light could be seen shoot
ing into the sky. A few kilometers
farther on we were compelled to
leave the car, the road having been
under heavy fire, and great holes ap-
peared every few feet. The engin-
GERS were already at work patching
it in places and laboring furiously
to keep it open. They were having
some tough job.
Hospitality Shown i'm Midst of Battle
Right about this time was where
we learned that southern hospitality
was the real and proper kind. An
officer shared with us the only re-
naming dugout in the town that
had not been caved in by the heavy
Smelling of the night.
We breathed thanks to the men
who had dug it so deep, even though
they were Germans, for a certain
gun hidden somewhere back of the
'boche front line was dropping shells
upon it at the rate Of about four to
the minute. 1t held, however, al
though its walls trembled and shook
with the detonatiOns.
Fritz was also including gass shells
in the arrivals, and it was necessary
to wear gas masks. Conversation,
therefore, took a decided slump.
An hour later the Smelling let up,
with the exception of an occasional
arrival on the principal cross streets
of the village, and we moved. out to
place Of better vantage. Orders
at the time vera to the effect that
no move forward from the town
would be made by the doughboys.
They would simply wait in the cover
of ruined buildings until II O'Clock
came and peace reigned.
Heavy mist had settled, making it
impossible topper through into the
broad field east Of the village which
separated the American lines from
the boche trenches, a distance of
800 yards. It appeared at the time
as though we would see but little of
the end fthe war. Here we were
in a town filled with mist so that
sight was impossible for a distance
more than a few yards, and the time
flying.
It is in these forward positions,
where the stencil and filth from the
battlefields reaches ones nostrils,
that a person finds that war is at
its best but bloody, grimy, dirty
taak with misery and suffering ar