The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-29
Captured At The Second
Battle Of Ypres And
Long in Teuton Hands
ONE OF
WORST FEATURES
Defines Brutal Treatment
At Hands Of Hun
Ruse Wins Freedom

McLarty, for some time previous to
the outbreak Of the European war
resident of Casselton, has recently
| escaped from Germany, where he
was for a long time held prisoner.
early in the war.
In letter he has written to a
friend in Casselton, McLarty gives
an interesting story Of his expert
ences. 1t follows:
| First I want to thank you for
the Reporters, . it sure made me
homesick Your letter came last
night and the papers this afternoon,
and l note due reference is made
to my mustache. I was sure proud
Of that same article and my ambi-
ton was to have one as fine as Jim
McKinnon's.
I'VE have been SO far or rather
so long without late news that will
| start from where left you last, on
the far away day, June /, 1916. when
/ started on my Cooke tour Of the
continent.
I'VE went into the front line on
the night of the last day in May.
The first of June was a beautiful
day, warm and very quiet We
were shelIed a little on our left
the End is a mark on my calendar
of time. had taken my mess tin.
and my bunkies, and made some
porridge and some cocoa, this was
early, about six o'clock. There was
g. lot of shells Of small size coming
over, mostly what We call whizz-
bangs. 1t gradually increased tilF
about eight. The square-heads were
boosting over everything that could
kill, scare or tickle you to death.
At $3.50 one came down through the
roof Of our dugout and passed on to
the next one. bowed to it as it
went by, for you know there are
times it pays to be polite. It went
on into the officers dugout and ex-
ploded. but was so large our dugout
was blown in and we had a merry
time getting ourselves out Of the
mess
81 reported to the captain, and
you should have seen me stretch
ing my legs going down that trench
as l was sure everyone that came
over was going to land on my head.
think I ran about the fastest I ever
did. Fred Port trying to make n
home run down on the old ball
ground never ran as fast as [ did
that day. AS everything was get
ting shelled We went to the front line
and say talk about hell, If is anything
worse than Sontaary Woods was that
day, I am not going there. The
Germans handed us small Shells
large ones. minenwerfers, aerial tor
pedoes and believe they fired
houses and lots, motor transports
and everything they could.
Terrific Smelling.
"T'hey made an attack after she'll
ing us all morning to about 1880,
after dinner time-but we never had
the dinneF-and we were waiting,
and the way we moved them down
would have done your heart good.
We held the beggars off till about
o'clock. They got around us when
they blew up a mine on each side
and kept closing in and when they
got in bombing range we got ours.
We had started our scrap with about
16 men in the two bays Of the trench
where we were located and there
wo were located and there were four
OF US left alive when they got to
US. I had a bullet through the head.
Went in in front Of my right ear
and came out Of my left cheek, talk
ing the bridge Of my nose as it
passed, I mean the bone, and now
1t has a lovely flattened appearance.
off at the knee with q bomb and the
sergeant who was wounded was try
ing to fix him up when the Dutch
came over. was all in and couldn't
stand as had bled like pig so the
Germans stuck g. bayonet through
him as he was on his knees fixing
the poor fellows leg. They thought
/ was dead and l was not molested.
When the first wave went Iby
h
I was sure our fellows would make
a counter attack and If could cover
myself up I would be able to get
away when the boys had chased the
Fritzes out, but another wave caught
me and / was boosted to my feet
and two Germans started me on my
way to HunIand.
'T thought / had been Idclded
once or twice in my life but the
way those fellows used their No.
9's was a revelation TO me- But
am quite sure they were anxious
to get away out Of danger, and hay-
ing prisoner was the surest pos
sibIe way for them to get out OF the
shell zone.
Germans Stuck TO Him.
Il was marched through their COM
munication trenches to the rear and
aTLer we got onto Ele------T0aA i CROP
ped and could no go any fartherg and
was put on the side to wait for an
ambulance. 1t makes me laugh now
to think Of those two big Germans.
they stuck closer to me than
brothers to be sure OF themselves
as they did not want to go back im-
to our artillery fire. When I was
put. in the ambulance was taken TO
q field dressing station few miles
down the road and was there over
night. The next morning was take
en- out on a stretcler and carried
down the street to thestation 20
be put on b hospital train Tor Cour=
trail. Just before reaching the sta
ton two of our aeroplanes came
over on a visit and their two first
bombs dropped on a large store
house ut some German billets. was
dropped on the ground and Il you
could have seen all the Fritzea tear
ing down the street, around the core
ner and down the side street.
II lay there and watched the
planes and when I heard the rush
OF The next bombs coming down
was ready Cd swear they were both
(CCntfnued On pace 1s1