Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1918-06-06

Inches - cut between the stake and
,our hand . wire improperly. a
10 will ring out on the night
Iouu NV the swapping of banjo
/ cir NV perhaps this noise can be
srIns' .nlv for fifty or seventy-fve
hea ss hut in Tommy's mind 1t makes
yS ,ond noise in Berlin.
lUu' nod cut lane about halfway
We - the wire when, down the CEN
ter :, r,v ont wire. we crouched down,
,no under our breath, trembling all
GUS, .r our knees lacerated from the
o's ands of the cut barbed wire on the
suau Dd waiting for a challenge and
slOr Inevitable volley of rifle fire. Moth
lno honnened. 1 suppose the fellow
lu ms cnt the barbed wire improperly
"nS tbe one who had sneezed about
We SIs an hour previously. What we
pa ,ahod him would never make his new
year happy one.
rno officer. in my opinion, at the
.,ao Of the wire should have given the
sOnr.tap signal, which meant, ION your
ann get back to your trenches as
s',oLlv rs possible" but again he must
70 rolled on the spiel that Old Pep
-, had given us in the dugout, per
rfonolIv believe that that part of the
German trench is unoccupied." Any
nov we got careless, but not so care
loss that we sang patriotic songs or
made any unnecessary noise.
During the intervals of falling star
sbells we carried on with our wire cut
ling until at last we succeeded in get
tng through the German barbed wire.
At this point we were only ten feet
from the German trenches. If we were
discovered. we were like rats in a trap.
Our way was cut off unless we ran
along the wire to the narrow lane we
had cut through. With our hearts in
mr. mouths we waited for the three
tan signal to rush the German trench.
Three taps had gotten about halfway
down the line when suddenly about ten
TO twenty German star shells were
fred all along the trench and landed
IN the barbed wire in rear of us, turn
ing night into day and silhouetting us
against the wall of light made by the
fares. In the glaring light we were
confronted by the following unpleasant
scene.
All along the German trench. at
about three-foot intervals, stood big
Prussian guardsman with his rifle at
the aim, and then we found out why
we had not been challenged when the
man sneezed and the barbed wire had
been improperly cut. About three feet
in front of the trench they had con-
single fence of barbed wire
and we knew our chances were one
to one of returning alive.
We could not rush their trench on &C
count Of this second defense. Then
in front of me the challenge, Halt"
given in English rang out, and one Of
the finest things l have ever heard on
the western front took place.
From the middle of our line some
Tommy answered the challenge with,
Jaw, go to HI" 1t must have been
the man who had sneezed or who had
cut the barbed wire; he
wanted to show Fritz that he could
die game. Then came the volley. Ma
chine guns were turned loose and sew
eral bombs were thrown in our rear.
The BOche in front of me was looking
down his sight. This fellow might
have, under ordinary circumstances,
been handsome, but when 1 viewed him
rom the front of his rifle he had the
COLLINS of childhood imagination rele-
rated to the shade.
Then came a flash in front of me, the
iare of his rifie-and my head seemed
o burst. A bullet had hit me on the
eft side of my face about half an
nch from my eye, smashing the cheek
zones. put my hand to nay face and
ell forward, biting the ground and
licking my feet. 1 thought l was dy-
ng, but, do you know, my past life did
lot unfold before me the way it does
q novels.
The blood was streaming down my
unic, and the pain was awful. When
came to 1 said to myself, Emp, old
10y you belong in Jersey City, and
oud better get back there as quickly
S possible"
The bullets were cracking overhead.
crawled few feet back to the Ger
nan barbed wire, and in STOPPING po-
iuon, guiding myself by the wire, l
vent down the line looking for the
ane we had cut through. Before
eaching this lane l came to a limp
Orm which seemed like a bag of oats
ahglng over the wire. In the dim
ght | could see that its hands were
lackened, and knew it was the body
! one of my mates. l put my hand
D his head, the top of which had been
Town Off by bomb. NV fingers sank
MO the hole. l pulled my hand back
nii of blood and brains, then l went
razy with fear and horror and rushed
long the wire until l came to our
ine. had just turned down this lane
men something inside Of mo seemed