Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1918-10-30

bodies, and figured that reinforce
mentS had been caught at this spot
and that they had retired, taking their
casualties with them.
The Turks still had the range, and
they were sending shell into the
trench every once in while, and I
was knocked down again, though the
shell was so far away that 1t knocked
me down with force of habit more
than anything else. I felt dizzy and
shivered lot, and kept trying to think
OF Murray or anything else but myself.
So finally got to the top of the
little hill over which the gully ran,
and on the other side I felt almost
safe. Just down from the crest of the
hill was one Of our artillery positions,
with the good old '75s'' giving it to the
Turks as fast as they could. told
the artillery officers what had hap
pened, had drink Of water and
thought would take nap. But when
they telephoned the message back to
division headquarters the man at the
receiver said something to the officer
and he told me to stay there and be
ready. I thought sure he would send
me back to where I came from and
l knew l never could make it again,
but l did not say anything.
When l looked around I saw that
our real position was to the right of
where the artillery was, and that there
were three lines Of trenches with
French infantry in them. So the
trenches l had come from were more
like outposts than anything else, and
were cut off. I felt pretty sure, then,
that the boys in them would never
come back alive, because as soon as
their fire let up the Turks would ad-
vance, and to keep them back our guns
would have to wipe out our men, and
If they did not, the Turks would. At
first was glad l had come out, but
then l remembered what the artillery
officer had said and I figured would
have to go back and stay with them
or bring them back. Either way there
was not one chance in a hundred that
any of us would make it. Because
when I got through it was really just
miracle and nobody would have
thought it could happen.
Then the officer told me to go back
to the beach, where our naval guns
were, and that was detailed to them.
Maybe you do not think was glade
But there was rough work still ahead
of me, because when got behind the
third line l saw a wide open field that
was light gray from the shell smoke
hanging over it, and could see the
flashes where the big ones were doing
their work, and I had to 60 through
that field.
1 fell time and again, sometimes
when 1 thought a shell was near, and
sometimes when 1 had no reason for
it-only I was thirsty again, and was
shivering all the time, and was so
weak could not have choked a gold
fish. I do not remember hardly any
thing about going through that field,
and you might say the next thing I
knew was when was overtaken by
a dispatch runner, and got In a tin
tub at the side of a motorcycle and
was taken to the guns.
felt ready for a Rip Van Wrinkle
nap then, but the officer in command
would not let me. He said they were
short Of gunners~-the terrific Smelling
had killed off dozens Of them-and as
he knew l could point gun he had
ordered them over the telephone to
get me to the beach as fast as posi-
BILE. He spotted the two warehouses
l have spoken of for me and said it
was up to us to put them out of COM
mission. The gun was 14-inch naval,
and that looked good to me, so I
bucked up lot. The warehouses were
about 10 or II miles away, l should
judge. and about 80 or 40 yards apart.
I felt very weak, as l have said,
and shivered every once in while,
so l did not think l could do much
| cunning worth whistling at. But they
| loaded the old 14-inch and made ready,
and we got the range and all was set.
The officer told me to let her ride.
SO said to myself, "This is one for
you, Murray, old boy. Let's go from
here"
So I sent that one along and she
landed direct and the warehouse went