The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-05-24
SPIES IN
ENGLISH RANK {
REMAIN AC TIVE
Hun Agents Steal Uniforms
OF British Dead And Work
In Trenches With Troops.

LONDON. May 3-(Correspondence
of The Associated Press) German
spies have been a continual source OF
annoyance throughout the recent
British retirements in France. Many
Of these spies have been detected in
British uniforms. presumably stolen
from bodies Of the slain A British Of
ncer in letter to the Daily Express,
tells Of an encounter with two such
spies.
~ had been ordered TO take up
position with the two guns of my sec
tiOn as our infantry were being forced
back" he says. 81 was on crest just
In front OF my guns ready and waiting
to open fire and observe the rounds.
hut the specified time had not arrived
TWO siGNALLERs
con the right of me was the road
along which few minutes before /
had managed to get my guns. 1t was
packed with infantry, transport guns.
prisoners, and stretcher bearers strug
Cling along with wounded. Something
or other called my attention to two
signallers striving to lay out a wire
from the read towards my observation
post. ! could hear gibe made to
them, some witticism which caused
laugh. Then some one else's guns to
the left opened fire. In few seconds
] picked up the target, blue.gray
shadow advancing in apparent silence
over the top OF crest two thousand
yards away.
81 gave the order to join in the Choir
us of guns. The rounds were burst
ing beautifully, and | picked up the
range quickly and we'll. but noticed
BOche shells beginning to fall on and
about the road, bursting with mar
vellous precision.
II glanced behind my guns, just as
a shell burst one hundred yards in
rear of them and another one hundred
yards In front-a beautiful bracket, ;,
positively nncanny. as the guns were
In splendid position and certainly
could not ne seen.
GUNS DISABLED
II knew what that bracket meant
and longed to give the Take cover
order to my gunners but only for one
moment. Our job was to carry on
SO we fired away as rapidly as we
could, for after all we do not often
have the luck to shoot at moving
masses of BOches.
"A few minutes later | received the
message: Both guns ont of action,
sir" gazed round with a jerk, and
there below me- sure enough, both
guns were knocked out.
'"rhe Boches had begun another de-
liberate shoot at the other guns, and
! could see at a glance he was some
how observing his rounds, and correct
ing them for line and range, and yet
there were no Hun airplanes up aloft
to do it. A marvellous mystery! |
determined to go to my guns and do
my best to get them into action again,
SO off | moved. dodging around the
ancient shell-holes of 1916, jumping
across old German trenches.
Il had hardly gone twenty yards
when heard a buzz quite close, the
buzz of field telephone buZZer
came up behind two men in khaki
with the familiar blue-and-whitc band
OF the British signalling corps on their
arms, evidently the men | had seen
before, one gazing ont towards the
batteries on the left. the other buzz
ing. Quietly approached. Then |
grasped the situation.
USES HIS FISTS
with 4 running jump leaped
plump on the instrument, yelled. and
hit out with one first under one jaw
and another on the back of square,
hard head.
"'GOtt in Himmel' came from the
hardheaded man and a cultural groan
from the other whose jaw | had hit.
who lay apparently stunned.
Then In moment | was kicked in
the back, which sent me reeling.
Il picked myself up, to find both
BOches tearing away towards the
road. They had some yards start, but
gave chase. One stumbled and fell.
| made rush. and before he could
rise kicked as | never had kicked be-
fore--a regular. proper punt That
settled him. and on went
"The other ran on when suddenly he
disappeared in cloud of smoke and
deafening roar. We had run in front
of one of our batteries Fate decreed