Connecticut western news., 1918-09-05

into line WIN MS company Wnen Lle
ball opened. The barrage got him, but
didn't put him out. A little later,
when the Germans came over to see
about it, Baker was still on the job,
working his gun for all he was worth.
When the Americans had to go back
Baker was so exhausted he couldn't
retire. His comrades picked him up
and carried him.
They Didn't Last Long.
"Heinie'' tried out one Of HIS favor
ite stunts of dressing up some of his
soldiers in French and American uni
forms, according to Anton Zolnowski
of 2848 South Turner avenue, Chicago.
"We saw ten men on the edge of a
little wood a little distance away,
eight of them were in French uni
form and two in American. We yelled
to them to come over and join us.
They advanced a few PAGES and then
opened fire on u.s."
Zolnowski smiled rather unpleas-
antly as he patted a right arm that
bears a machine-gun bullet.
''They didn't last long. We made
one dash for them. Not one of 'em
got away. They were Germans all
right. There was another group COM
ing up. I got private and then the
officer in charge sailed into me.
tried to shoot him with my rifle, but
it was broken. I got him all right,
though"
The Chicagoan seemed inclined to
end the conversation there.
"How'd you get him?" asked, after
little pause.
"Just turned the butt end of my gun
around and dubbed him over the head
with it," replied Zolnowski In the
most matter-of-f tone.
When the Americans came back at
them it didn't take long to clean every
German out of their territory, de-
clared Elmer Sturtz of Wellsburg,
Pa. Before he got Mauser ball in
his right shoulder Sturtz had the ex-
/ IRENE good fortune to see two pom
toon bridges the enemy had thrown
across the river destroyed by the &C
curate fire of the American artillery.
Content to Be Going.
They were filed with Germans, too.
Some of them were coming, but there
were others who seemed very content
to be going. Two shells from Ameri-
can six-inchers lit squarely over the
bridges. There was a terrific report
followed by an inferno. Both bridges
crumbled in the middle. Both were
crowded beyond their limits. Bits of
Germans came raining down for al
! most three minutes, according to the
| spectator, while from the rivers the
wild cries of the injured and drown
ing made a picture Sturtz will always
carry with him.
For a few minutes the river was
literally choked with bodies. The
Germans were at last moving on
Paris, but in a way they had hardly
reckoned.
Between puffs of a cigarette, the
first he'd had in a day, Frank Hogan
of Galveston, Tex, confirmed Sturtz' IS
story of the wholesale drowning of
the enemy. The Texan was working
Stokes gun hundred feet from the
southern bank of the river when the
first waves of field-green began to
cross.
"You can't say enough for those
artillery guys" he said, as he tried
to twist into as comfortable a posi-
ton as a wounded thigh permits.
"Ten minutes after the orders had
been telephOned to the batteries they
had a perfect range on that river
While we were pouring bullets into
the Heinies the guns got their num-
bers with both small and large
shells. At the spot where we were
stationed I reckon there must have
been about 5000 of the Fritzies
got across the river. They didn't all
go back. In fact, don't think there
were hardly any of that bunch that'll
go back to Germany. We captured
over 1900 ourselves and killed easily
500. The rest were trying to beat IL
back to the other side when our shells
hit their bridges"
Some Sharpshooter.
A Pittsburgher, N. G. Rameno, who
was injured in the arm by a piece OF
shrapnel, says there's one American
sharpshooter that made a record any
one might be proud of during the
first of the mixup. While the German
engineers were trying to throw theil
first pontoon bridges over he picked
off twenty-eight of them with his
rifle. I couldn't get his name, but he
already wears sharpshooter's medal
He deserves another.
Lots of soldiers believe ii
Punches"
James L. Paul of No. 80 Spruce
street, Philadelphia, does, and it's {
fortunate thing for him that h
played his. With comrade Paul wa!
in a dugOut during a barrage. Shell!
were landing all around. Finally Ont
blew in the entrance, so Paul decided
their dugOut was becoming little too
! warm. He waited for a short lull il