The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-03-14
I 0ia7 OF
lMfsls Gf rnfYl

In our rear a man tripped over n loose
signnl wire. md let out nm oath. As
usual. Pete rushed TO his help. To
reach the fallen man he had to cross
this bashed-in part. A bullet cracked
In the mir md ducked. Then moan
from the rear. Ny hcnrt stood stili.
went back and Pete was lying on the
ground. BY the aid Of my fiashIight
saw that he had his hand pressed to
his right breast. The fingers were COW
cred with blood. flashed the light
IN his face and In its glow a grayish-
blue color wns stealing over bis coun-
,cnance. Pete looked up at me and
mid: "well. Yank. they've done me in
{ can feel myself going West His
soice WIS getting fainter and had to
xneei down 20 get his words. Then he
gave me message to write home TO
,is .zssashe.= and. his sweetheart snd
ike great big boob. cried Ike baby.
wns losing my first friend of the
trenches.
Word vus passed to the rear fer
trcfcher. he died before IL arrived.
Two OF Us put the body on the
strctcher and carried 1t to the nearest
hrt-Ata Itci- tht uttAoE tttE
m official record of Pete's name. num-
Der. RINK and regiment from his iden-
dty disk. this to be used In the cas-
ialty lists and notification to his
tumily.
We left Pete there. but II broke our
hearts to do 30. The doctor informed
Us that we could bury him the next
morning. That afternoon Eve of the
boys Of our section. myself included.
went TO the little ruined village In the
resr and from the deserted gardens OF
he French chateaux gathered grass
and flowers From these we made a
9reath.
While the boys were making this
wreath sat under a shot-scnrred
apple tree and carved ont the follow
Ing verses on q little wooden shield
which we nailed on Pete's cross
rrv. to h.s ood: true IN Britain.
Doing HE duty % IN. last.
Just on~ mcrs na,ns 10 be written
On the Rbti Of Honor Of heroes passed-
Passed 20 their God. enshrlned In glory.
Entering life OF eternal rest.
One more chapter IN Enxiane.s story
OF her sons doing their best
Rest. you soldier. nate 20 true.
Never forgotten by us below:
Know that wc are thinking of you
Ere 20 our rest ve are bidden to 20
Next morning the whole section vcnt
over 20 say sood-by to Pete, and laid
him away 20 rest.
After each one Ind look nj the face
Of the dead. a corporal Of the r. A.
NJ. C. sewed up the remains in 4 bian-
ket- Then placing two heavy ropes
erinr the body into the gravel. we lift
ed Pete onto the stretcher. and rev.
crcnsiy covered him with large union
jack. the nag ne Ind died for.
The chaplain led the way. then came
the officers Of the section. followed by
two Of the men carrying n wreath. In
uediafely after came poor Pete on the
nag -drnped stretchcr. carried By four
soldiers. was one Of the four. Re
hind the stretcher. In column OF fours.
cnme the remainder Of the section
To get TO the cemetery. we had to
pass through the little sheil-destroyed
village. where troops were nurryins
TO and fro.
As the funeral procession passed
these troops came TO the intention"
ana rmartiy saiuted the dead.
Poor Pete wns reNiving the only sa-
lutte privnte Is entitscd- to "somo-
where In France"
Now and again shell from the Ger
man lines would go whistling over the
village to burst in our artillery lines
In the rear.
When We reached the cemetery we
halted In front OF an open grave. and
laid the stretcher beside t. Forming
hollow square around tho opening OF
tho grave. the chaplain read the burial
service.
German mnchine-gun bullets were
Cracking" In the air above us. but
| Pete didn't mind. and neither did we.
When the body wns lowered Into the
Rrnve the nag having bss~n removed,
we clicked our heels together and
came to the salute.
left before the grave was fllcd h.
I could not bear to see the dirt thrown
on the biaukct-covcrcd face Of my com.
Essls. On the western front there nre
! no costins. and you nrc lucky 70 ger n
binps-cs to protect you from the wet
and the worms. Several Of tho sec-
| tion stayed and decorated the grave
with white stoaes.
That night, in the light Of 4 lonely
candle In the machine gunncr's duEout
Of the front-line trench wrote two
| letters. One to Pete's mother. tho
other to MS sweetheart. While doing
this e1rscd tho Prussian war god
with all my heart. and think that st.