The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-04-09


when II came to putting it over the
Boches, but confessed that / had a
weakening Of the spine. even at the
mention of Old Peppers name.
''He came back with, It's SO absurd.
ly easy and simple that there is no
chance Of the old heathen rumbliug 1T.
Anyway, If we're caught, I'll take the
blame
"Under these condition / told him to
spit out his scheme. 1t was so daring
and simple that 1t took my breath
away. This is what he proposed:
"If the Boches should use that road
again, to send by the tap system the
target and range. 1 had previously
told him about our captain talking out
loud as If he were sending through
orders. Well, If this happened, j was
to send the dope to Cassell and he
would transmit 1t to the battery com
mander as officially coming through
the observation post. Then the bat
terry would open up. Afterwards. dur
Ing the investigation, Cassell would
swear he received 1t direct They
would have to relieve him, because 1t
was impossible from his post in the
battery dugout to know that the road
was being used at that time by the
Germans. And also 1t was impossible
Tor him 10 give the target range and
degrees. You know a battery chart is
not passed around among the men like
a newspaper from Blighty. From him
the investigation would 20 to the OBJ
serration post, and the observing Off
Ger could truthfully swear that / had
not sent the message by phone. and
that no orders TO fire had been issued
ny him. The Investigators would then
be up In the air, we would be safe. the
Boches would receive good bashing,
and we would get our own back on Old
Pepper. 1t was too good TO be true.
l glcefully fell in with the scheme,
and told Cassell was his meat.
"Then / waited with beating heart
and watched the captain like n hawk.
'He was beginning to fidget again
and was drumming on the sandbags
with his feet. AT last, turning to me,
he said:
Wilson, this army is q hlankety
blank washout. What's the use of hav-
ing artillery if ii is not allowed to fire2
The government at home ought to be
hanged with some of their red tape.
It's through them that we have no
shells
81 answered. Yes, sir and started
sending this opinion over the wire to
Cassell, but the captain interrupted
me with:
keep those Internal fingers still.
What's the matter, getting the nervesf
When I'm talking 10 you, pay atten-
tion.'
my heart sank. Supposmg he had
rumbled that tapping, then all would
be up with our plan. l stopped drum
ming with my fingers and said:
"'Beg your pardon, sir just a habit
with me-
land ID silly one, too he an
swered, turning TO his glasses again,
tumbled TO the meaning of that tap
ping.
"All at once, without turning round,
he exclaimed:
"Well, of all the nerve I've ever run
across, this takes the cake. Those
- - Boches are using that road
again. Blind my eyes, this time II is a
whole brigade of them, transports and
all. What pretty target for our
'4.5's.' The beggars know that we
won't fire. A ID shame. ! call It
Oh, just for a chance to turn II 23S
loose on them
II was trembling with excitement
From rep ated stolen Slances at the
captains range chart, that road with
Its range was burned into my mind.
"Over the wire / tapped. u 23S bat.
terry, Target II, Range 60O0, 3 degrees
80 minutes, left, salvO. fire. Casser
81. k.'d my message. and with the re
ceiver pressed against my ear, wait.
ed and listened. In couple of min
utes very family over the wire came
the voice of our battery commander
Issuing the order: ID 23S battery
Snlvo! Firer
"Then n roar through the receiver
as the four guns belched forth, g
screaming and whistling overhead. anc
the shells were on their way.
'The captain jumped as If he wert
shot and lei out a great big expressive
o--n, and eagerly turned his giasse.
in the direction of the German road.
i also strained my eyes watching that
target. Four black clouds of dust rose
up right in the middle of the German
column: column Co., -Four E n.o direct f''s-another
"The shells kept on whistling over
head, and / had counted twenty-four
OF them when the firing suddenly
ceased. When the smoke and dust
clouds lifted the destruction on that
road was awful. Overturned limbers
and pnnS Wapnns snaSh Nm trnnno