The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-07-25

Further progress was impossible.
We must retrace our steps, pass
through N Mans Land and enter the
tunnel from the other end, which,
with the aid of a poilu, we finally
The entrance to this tunnel was
extremely difficult. We soon had to
walk on all fours. Soon the pale light
of the orifice through which we had
entered was lost and we had to light
our candles and electric lights. Ar
rived at the foot of a staircase Of
seventy steps, we found ourselves in
a series of little rooms, about which
were scattered innumerable bottles
1t had been the German beer shop.
There were also all the appliances
for boiling and sterilizing water. One
of the rooms had evidently been a
dormitory, the mattresses being still
there, but this was not what we had
come to seek-not a corpse was to
be found. Had they, then, invented
this gruesome tale?
Suddenly in the last compartment
by the light of my smoky candle I
seemed to see in the partition wall Of
the mine a closed door. I pulled it
towards myself and it opened, re-
leasing an odor of mushrooms and
mould and a swarm of mosquitoes.
A Scene Of Horror.
The pale and smoky candle reveal
ed a horrible sight. Before me lay
the bodies of soldiers in every imag-
Unable pose in which death had over
taken them with such suddenness
1917. some Leaning against each 9TH
er, some on the back, some on the
face, some seated, others leaning on
their guns, many lying side by side
seemed asleep.It would seem as if the
humidity and lack of light and air
had preserved the bodies--the flesh
was still on the hands except in GER
tain places, where it had fallen off
and the bones were exposed.
The heads were still covered with
hair under the helmets, while the
eyes, wide open, were like great
empty Glack holes, which seemed to
shrink with terror from the light.
The spectacle was internal and one
had to summon all the force of his
soul to preserve hls >eQuanimity and
see what he wished to see How had
they died? What must lie done to pre-
vent our own men from similar
fate? These thoughts were strong
enough to conquer the horrible re-
pulsion 1 experienced against coltin-
uing the exploration.
THE corpse of an enemy always
smells good" says an old provert of
the sayages, but at the same tina
realized that a soldier who has d ed
for his country is always worthy of
respect, even when it is the case cf a
country like Germany, which has
treated us with the most abominable
cruelty. wished to pass among the
dead. with reverence and to accom-
plish this 1 prayed to the god of bat
ties that he would accord to these
warriors the parden of their faults
towards us, and that their souls in
respose might show their compa-
triots. still living, the folly of the
"ar and of their own misdeeds.
Trying Moments.
A muddy and blackish water stood
over the surface of the soil in the
middle of which one found groups of
corpses forming little islands. You
can imagine the pain and horror with
which l passed from one of these lit
tie islands to another assisting my
self with ends of old rails and mouldy
planks. To cross here it was neces-
Isary to step across a head, or an arm,
or cross formed by leg and an
|arm-at one point l thought l had
sacks of earth. 1t proved to be backs
or loins. Perspiration poured down
my face, my hands were covered with
the mould and filth of the walls, my
clothes had touched everywhere the
horrors which surrounded me. In
spite of all my precaution my feet
had sunk in the mud and water
sition of these corpses had been in
progress.
Victims OF Their Own Device.
At last | arrived at the end of the
tunnel, only to find it a cul-de-sac. 1t
had been completely closed by the
explosion of one of our largest pro-
.jectiles. This projectile had penetrat-
ed the earth to a great depth, burst
the tunnel and spread on all sides a
mass of oyxde of carbon. which had
in the most terrific man
ner all those who had taken shelter
in the tunnel. Those who had been
at the end through which l had
made my entrance were entirely cut
off from the outer air by the little
door, carefully closed, of which /