Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-01
FOES MADE MAD
BY SUPER rum
Gcrmans Drink New Liquor
to Gain ''Dutch Cour-
age" in Battle
DE vARILA TALKS OF WAR
'Rcd-headed Irishman,'' Who
Fired First American Shot,
Describes Cruelties

The German soldiers are made drunk
With new liquor stronger than whisky
70 make them fight more ferociously.
This was the declaration of Corporal
Osborne w. de Varila. nineteen-year-
old San Francisco high school boy, who
Aired the first American shot at the Ger
mans That was October 20. 1917. at
$40 a. m. in that part of the Lorraine
line taken over by the United states
troops
Dozens of cases Of American bravery
and German atrocity and deceit are re-
lated by ''the red-headed 1rishman,' as
the corporal was described In the press
dispatches telling Of that vrst battle.
He Ia red headed, but is of French
Hueuenot descent.
On his first trip to the front firing
positions. Corporal de Varila stayed two
weeks. He was then given a rest until
january. when he went out once more
y FOR stay of two months
On March 1 the troops of which the
corporal was member repulsed an at
tack by the Prussian Guard. 1t was in
describing this battle that he told OF the
new German liquor.
"That was one Of the hardest battles
have seen" de Varila said. we were
outnumbered ten to one easily and
they came across NO Mans Land In
We caught them in a box barrage
and annihlated the whole bunch Of
them. They were strewn all over NO
Mans Land They were strung on the
harbed wire, lying in shell craters and
heaped up one on the other. The ma
iority Of them were dead.
"Our box barrage did the work That
IL done by throwing up a barrage in
front of the advancing troops so that
they cannot get through and behind
them so that they cannot retreat We
then threw a barrage on either side,
forming a square. Then we closed in
gradually till they were all gone.
That didn't relieve our infantrvmen,
though. They had desperate hand
tc-hand battle with some OF the men
who got through.
All Drunk on LethaI Liquor
'"rhe Germans were all drunk when
they came over. We knew that because
we found their canteens full Of liquor.
II is new kind and is much stronger
than whisky We could smell il on the
wounded, too.
They take this stun to make them
forget everything and to fight more
ferociously They forget everything
when they get that stuff into them and
they are like beasts
why. our infantrymen told us that
they saw Huns out there in NO Mans
Land were hugginG each other and
dancing around in their drunken fash
lon while the barrage was pouring forth
around them and some of them were
killed as they danced in their drunken
debauch
Along our sector the Germans seemed
20 hight willingly enough. but they were
always impelled more by their drunk
enness than anything else. The English
report that the men in their sector come
Across more as if they were driven"
Describes German Atrocities
The corporal was asked as to the truth
OF reports OF German atrocities that
have come from the other side
We'll, 1 have seen some of them" he
remarked, with a CLEAN in his eye that
told more than the words
There was one OCCASION" he con-
tinued. when one OF our men was found
out In No Mans Land with his throat
cut from ear to ear. on his wrists were
marks that showed that one German
had held the poor fellows hards behind
his back while another cut his throat.
That could never have come in a real
hand-to-hand fight. 1t was nothing but
an act of barbarity.
The Germans have made the boast
that they will not take any American
prisoners-meaning that they would kill
them all first. Well we won't take any
4 either unless We are ordered to. II
some prisoners are needed for informa-
tion we might take couple that look as
II they might be easily pumped, but we
aren't going to bother about the others
They'll die just as the Germans say we
are going TO die.
There are other atrocities, too.
have seen several little French girls
with both hands cut on The Germans
did H. These little innocents are what
we are over there to protect and TO see
that the Germans don't get over here "a
attack our women and children.
That Is why we want everybody tC
buy Liberty Bonds. so that we can have
All the supplies needed
The United States will win this war
as soon as we get enough troops over
there, but troops cannot be got over
Without the money"
Adventures In "No Mans Land"
Corporal de Varila then launched into
. series OF tales OF adventure Of Ameri.
cans In their excursion into mo Mans
Land"
corporal whited is with our party
here" the corporal said. He wears the
croix de Guerre because Of a little Incl,
dent Whited weighs about 1856 pounds
He and a sergeant were out in No Mans
Land one night when they encountered
eleven Germans They killed nine OF
them and captured two others.
'Whlted came I'm with a 2lO-pound
German swung over his shoulder. out
there IN the dark he saw the huge hulk
Nuging At him. Whited shot him twice
but then the German got into a position
Where Whited was in danger Of hitting
ne sergeant II he fired at the German
The little corporal closed in on the
German, grabbed him around the necL
and beat him on the head with his auto,
matte until the German was senseless
Ne then dragged him back into the
American trench. The sergeant brought
y tho other fellow.
Another time there was a sergeant
standing IN trench. A German captain
tn1 four men came and stood on th'
we are Americans. said the cap
tain. can We come in here?
The sergeant was about to give hin
~ answer when the German threw
|Fenede that hit the sergeant on tn
N|.M<t BY miracle the grenade di'
NoI explode.
te|nE hii made the sergeant lttl
|0If % be climbed up over the edge O
''& french and cleaned out the hve o
||tM with his automatic.
Teutonie Deceit
Anolher time. two Germans came u
otr trenches yelling 'Kamerad
&Hffodf They had their HANDS u