The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-07-05
"Over the Top
By An American Soldier
Who Went
ARTHUR GUY EHPEY
Machine Canns, Sersins ia France


scene
An along the German trench. a
about three-foot intervals, stood a bIl
Prussian guardsman with his rifle a
the aim. and then we found out VIII,
we had not been challenged when th'
man sneezed and the barbed wire haC
been improperly cut About three fee
In front Of the trench they had con
structed a single feLce of barbed wire
and we knew our chances were oEs
thousand to one OF returning alive
We could not rush their trench on ac
count Of this second defense Then
IN front Of me the challenge, Halt.
given In English rang out. and one OF
the finest things have ever heard on
the western frcnt took place.
From the middle Of our line some
Tommy answered the challenge with.
~Aw. go to HI" II must have been
the man who bad sneezed or who had
Improperly cut the barbed wire; he
wanted TO show Fritz that he could
die game. Then came the yolley. Ma
chine guns were turned loose and sew
eral bombs were thrown In our rear.
The Boche In 'front.' Of me was looking
down his sight This fellow might
have. under ordinary circumstances.
been handsome. but when viewed him
from the front Of his rifle he had the
gobiIns Of childhood imagination rele-
gated to the shade
Then came fash in front of me, the
flare of his rifie-and my head seemed
to burst A bullet had hit me on the
left side Of my face about half an
inch from my eye, smashing the cheek
bones. ] pun my hand TO my face and
fell forward. biting the ground and
kicking my feet thought was dy-
Ing. but. do you know. my past life did
not unfold before me the way IT does
In novels.
The blood was streaming down my
tuuic, and the pain was awful. When
! came to said to myself. Emp. old
boy. you belong In Jersey City. and
you'd better get back there as quickly
rs possible"
NE bullets were cracking overhead
I crawled q few feet back to the Ger
man barbed wire, and In a stooping po-
sItion. guiding myself by the wire.
went down the line looking for the
tame We had cut through Before
reaching this lane came to a limp
form which seemed like a bag Of oats
hanging over the wire. In the dim
light I could see that its hands were
blaekened, and knew 1t was the body
Of one Of my mates. put my hand
on bis head, the, top Of which had been
blown on by bomb. Ny fingers sank
Into the hole. pulled my hand back
full Of blood and brains. then went
-erazy with fear and horror and rushed
along the wire until / came to our
lane. had just turned down this lane
when something inside Of me seemed
TO say, Look around" did 80: bull
let caught me on the left shoulder. II
did not hurt much. just felt as II some
one had punched me in the back. and
then my left side went numb. My arm
was dangling like a rag. fell forward
in q sitting position. But all the fear
had left me and / was consumed with
rage and cursed the German trenches.
With my right hand felt in my tunic
for my first-aid or shell dressing. In
feeling over my tunic my hand came
in contact with one Of the bombs which
carried Gripping IT. I pulled the pin
out with my teeth and bIlndly threw II
towards Che German trench / must
have been out Of my head. because
was only ten feet from the trench and
took q chance Of being mangied- II
the bomb had failed to go into the
trench would have been blown to |
bits BY the explosion Of my own bomb.
By the flare of the explosion Of the
bomb. which luckily landed In their
trench. saw one big Boche throw up
his arms and fall backwards. while his |
rifle new into the air. Another one
wilted and fell forward across the
handbags blachness.
. Realizing what foolhardy and risky |
thing I had done. I was again seized
with a horrible fear. / dragged myself |
TO my feet and ran madIy down the
lane through the barbed wire, STUN
bling over cut wires. tearing my uni
form. and decorating my hands and |
1egs. lust as was about to reach !
Ne Mans Land again. that same voice
seemed to say. Turn around" did
50. when. Crack another bullet
caught me. this time in the left shoul-
der about one-haIf inch away from the
other wound. Then II was taps for me.
The lights went out.
When came to / was crouching in
q hole In No Mans Land. This shell
hole was about three feet deep, so that
It brought my head few inches below
the level OF the ground. How reached
this hole win never know. German
~typewriters" were traversing back
and forth in No Mans Land. the bull
lets biting the edge Of my shell hole
and throwing dirt all over me.
Overhead shrapnel was bursting.
could hear the fragments slap the !,
ground Then 1 went out once more.
When came to everything was silence
and darkness In No Mans Land. l
was soaked with blood and a big flap
from the wound In my cheek was hang
ing over my mouth. The blood rum