Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-02
THE KAISER!"
SAYS CAPTIVE GERMAN
Officer Makes Hit With Wounded Americans-Dough.
boys Sweep on Beyond J~uvigny, Captured
After Hard Fight
By EDWARD L. JAMES
Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger
Copnri0ht. 1913, b. Nelc York Times Co.
with the American Army, Sept. 2.

Special Cable to Evening Public Ledger
cSpH.ioht. 1873, b. Ne'c York Times Co.
with the American Army, Sept. 2.
North of Scissors the Americans
have pushed on beyond Juvigny.
through the Bots d'Alsace, and are
nearing the Soissons-St. Quentin high
way. During the night. with the
French on the right. we gained pos
session of the hills controlling the vii
lage of Leury, which is now in pos.
session of our Allies.
Before the Americans are Terny
n Seray on the S~oissons-St. Quentin
road, important positions controlling
the western end of the long plateau,
running along north OF the Aisne and
constituting the strength of the Ger
mans Chemin- Danes position. To
hold his plateau the Germans have
made all their violent counter.attacks
Of the last Ave days.
Following the capture of Juvigny
the Germans massed a strong force.
The Americans pushed uphill by the
village and gained a footing on the
plateau. from which repeated n
attacks by n division of young Ger.
mans were launched.
The Americans took J~uvigny by
storm. After being held up for three
days. gaining foot by foot and then
being driven back foot by foot, our
troops. after getting a good flank foot
ing and following strong artillery &C.
ton, rushed the village. When our
troops went through, right after our
artillery work., the Germans not killed
were hiding in the cellars and numer-
u Of the place. In hopping
up the village our men took some $50
prisoners belonging to the 223d Divi.
sion. In the meanwhile the French
on both sides had pushed forward.
Americans Get Second Wind
Spires Of the churches OF Laon are
visible from our front line where it
climbs to the top of the plateau.
After they captured the stubbornly
defended village the Americans took a
breathing spell and then again at.
tackled in force way up the hill beyond
Juvigny onto the plateau.
Just before starting one of our Off.
GERS killed a German officer and on the
body found a map showing an elab-
crate n extensive machine gun trap
which had been set for the Americans
In the woods lying on the slope. We
delayed our attack long enough to
have the TBS wips out those machine
gun nests and then went ahead.
With the German established posi-
tions out OF commission, the fight be.
comes one Of stalking, scouting and
hand-to-hand combats, at which our
men e ne Germans. After six hours
Of bloody fighting we gained a posi-.
ton on the plateau. and we not only
hold 1t. but have pushed ahead toward
the highway in front of us.
1t is believed that much further
movement of the Allied forces east
ward on the plateau will cause the
" r,tnI.z. A. ~,
to the Aisne or eve further back to
the Chemin-des Danes position. There
have been as yet no indications along
the Vesle front that the enemy has
begun a general withdra wal in that
sector, where American troops are
facing him. with French on either side.
Shell Kills Prisoners
American headquarters north of
scissors were h scene of a dramatic
war incident. In the mouth of a large
cave some 200 German prisoners were
lying about when a six-inch boche
shell landed in the midst of them,
killing eight and %wounding thirty.
Another party of prisoners began TO
run in another direction when a sur
prised American sergeant opened upon
them with an automatic. In the ex-
citement some one gave the gas
alarm. and in the scufie for masks
three Americans couldn't find theirs.
| When the excitement died down three
| Germans were found to be wearing
American gas masks.
One of the Germans killed. a mere
boy of seventeen, had just before
shown an American officer a letter
from his mother, telling him as soon
as he got a chance to surrender to
the Americans, h would send him
to the United States The first ques'
ton he asked was: When will YOU
send me to New York? I have always
wanted to see that city" He was
much c~restfallen when told he would
not be sent to New York.
Zone German oficer, who was wound
ed by a shell, could talk English, and
insisted on telling the Americans that
the German gunners had shot them
on purpose because they had surren-
dered. Damn the Kaiser!" he said.
This seemed to nave made a hit with
the Americans. for six hours later saw
this German In a hospital surrounded
and he was still saying over n over,
Damn the Kaiser! Damn the
Kaiser!"
Young and Undersized
These prisoners are almost all very
young. All insisted they were nine
teen, but many appeared no more
than sixteen. and many were under
sized. presenting an almost pathetic
appearance In the Die uniforms which
had been supplied them from salvage.
meaning that they had been taken
from dead Germans.
Americans. who captured Juvisny.
north Of Scissors. have established
themselves on the eastern ridge Of The
plateau lying east OF a line throu1h
lnvjony Ard ChaytGny, whfGH -