Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-09-18

then went to bed. We had big room
on the third floor front. We had Just
turned in, and were all set for good
nights rest, when there was an explo-
sion Of a different kind from any I
had heard before. and we and the bed
rocked about, like q canoe In tho wake
of stern-wheeler.
There were seven more explosions,
and then they stopped, though we
could hear the rattle Of a machine gun
at some distance away. Bartel said it
must be the forts, and after some argu-
ment I agreed with him. He said that
the Germans must have tried an adj
vance under cover Of a bombardment,
and that as soon as the forts got into
action the Germans breezed. We were
not worried much. SO we did not get
out Of bed.
A few minutes later we heard foot
steps on the roof, and then q woman
In window across the street, asking
a gendarme whether it was safe to go
back to bed. Then I got up and took
look into the street. There were lot
OF people standing around talking, but
1t was not interesting enough to keep
a tired man up, so into the hay.
1t seemed about the middle Of the
night when Bartel called me, but he
said 1t was time to get out and get to
work. We found he had made q poor
guess, for when we were half dressed
he looked at his watch and it was only
a quarter past seven, but we decided
to stay up, since we were that far
along, and then go down and cruise for
a breakfast.
When we got downstairs and found
some of the hotel people it took them
a long time to get 1t through our heads
that there had been some real excite
ment during the night. The explosions
were those Of bombs dropped by q
Zeppelin, which had sailed over the
city.
The first bomb had fallen less than
two hundred yards from where we
slept. No wonder the bed rockedi It
had struck a narrow three-story house
around the corner from the hotel, and
had blown it to bits. Ten people had
been killed outright, and a number
died later. The bomb tore fine hole
and hurled pieces Of itself several hun
dred yards. The street itself was
filed with rocks, and a number of
houses were down, and others wreck
ed. When we got out into the street
and talked with some army men we
found that even they were surprised
by the force Of the explosion.
We learned that the Zepp had sailed
not more than five hundred feet above
the town. Its motor had been stopped
just before the first bomb was let go,
and it. had slid along perfectly silent
and with all lights out. The purr that
we had thought was machine guns,
after the eighth explosion, was the
starting of the motor, as the Zepp got
out Of range Of the guns that were be-
ing set for the attack.
The last bomb had struck in q large
square. It tore hole In the coble-
stone pavement about thirty feet
square and five feet deep. Every win
dow on the square was smashed. The
fronts Of the houses were riddled with
various sized holes. ALI the crockery
and china and mirrors In the house
were in fragments.
Not much more than an hour before
the Zepp came, we had been sitting in
room at the house Of the local mill
tary commandant, right under q big
glass-dome skylight. This house was
now very pretty ruin, and it was just
as well that we left when we did. You
could not even find splinter Of the
big round table. The next time I sit
under glass skylight in Dixmude, I
want lad with live eye for Zeppe-
Inns on guard outside.
Something about the branch head
quarters ruins made US think of break
fast, which we had forgotten, so back
to the hotel. Then we started back to
our lines. We were ordered to keep
to the main road all the way back, OK
we would be shot on sight, and to re-
port to headquarters Immediately on
our return. thought If the sight of
me was so distasteful to anybody, I
would not take the chance of offend
Ing, being anxious to be polite in such
cases. So we stuck to the main road.
Fritz did not give US any trouble and
we were back by five, with all hands
out to greet us when we hove in sight,
and regular prodigal son welcome on
tap, for we were later than they had
expected US, and they had made up
their minds that some accident had
happened.
While was around Dixmude, saw
many living men and women and chill
dren who had been mutilated by the
Germans, but most of them were wom-
en- and children. Almost every one
Of the mutilated men was too old for
military service. The others had been
killed, I guess.
But the Belgians were not the only
ones who had suffered from German
kultur. Many French wounded were
tortured by the Huns, and we were
constantly finding the mutilated bodies
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