The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1918-02-27

Atwell was good companion and
very entertaining. He had an utter
contempt for danger, but was not f
hardy. At swearing he was n won
A cavalry regiment woul I've been
proud Of him. Though born in .ng-
land, he had spent several years in
New York. He was about six feet one,
and as strong aS an OK.
We took up our quarters in n largo
dugout of the royal engineers, and
mapped out our future actions. This
dugout was on The edge Of a large
cemetery, and several times at night
in returning to it, we got many a fan
stumbling over the graves of English,
French and Germans. Atwell on these
occasions never INDUCED in swearing,
though at any Sher time, at the least
stumble, he would turn the air blue.
A certain section of our trenches
was held BY the Royal Irish rifles. For
several days very strong rum0r went
the rounds that Il German spy was in
our midst This SPY was supposed to
be dressed in the uniform of British
staff officer. Several stories had been
told about an officer wearing a red
band around his cap, who patrolled the
front-linc ana communication trenches
asking suspicious questions as to leca-
ton Of batteries, machine gun emplacc-
mentS, and trench mortars. If a shell
dropped in a battery, on machine gun
or even near dugout, this spy was
blamed
The rumor gained such strength that
an order was issued for all troops TO
Immediately place under arrest anyone
answering to the description of the
Spy.
Atwell and ] were on the qu vivc.
We constantly pauoled the trenches
at night. and even in the day. but the
SPY always cludcd rs.
one day while IN a communication
trench we were Mortified to sec our
brigadier general, old Pepper being
brought down it by Il big private of the
Royal Irish rifles. The general was
walking in front and The private with
fixed bayonet was following in the
rear.
We Saluted MS the general passed us.
The lrishman had a broad grin on his
face and we could scarcely believe our
eycs-the general was under arrest.
After passing few feet beyond us, the |
general turned, and said in wrathful |
voice to AtWell:
Tell this d-n fool who am. Hes
arrested me as a spy"
Atwell was speechlesS The sentry
butted in with:
None o. that gassln' out o. you.
Back to headquarters YOU goes, Mr..
Fritz. Open that face o yours again,
m I'll dent in your napper with the
butt O. me rifle"
The generals face was a sight to be-
hold. He was fairly boiling over with
rage, but he shut up.
AtWell tried TO get in front of tho
sentry to explain to him that it really
was the general he had under arrest,
but the sentry threatened to run his
bayonet through him, and would have
donc it, too. So Atwell stepped aside,
md remained silent. | was nearly
bursting with suppressed laughter. ono
word, and | would have exploded. 1t
Is not exactly diplomatic TO laugh at
your general in such predicament.
The sentry and his prisoner arrived
at brigade headquarters with disas-
trous results to the sentry.
The joke was that the general had
personally issued the order for the
SpyS arrest It was a habit of the gen
eral to walk through the trenches on
rounds of inspection, unattended by
any Of his staff. The Irishman, being
new in the regiment, had never seen
the general before, SO when he came
across him alone in communication
trench, he promptly put him under ar
rest. Brigader generals wear a red
band around their caps.
Next day we passed the Irishman
tied to the wheel of a imber the be-
ginning of his sentence Of twenty-onc
DAYS field punishment No I. Never
before have | seen such Woebegone
expression on mans face.
For several days, AtWcll and | made
scarce around brigade head
quarters. We did not want to meet
the general.
The spy was never caught.
CONTINUED TOMORROW