Newport daily independent., 1918-03-04
CLUB HIS WEAPON
 HE GETS REVENGE
British Captain Kills Five Ger mans as Toll for Manning
 His Baby.
THEN TAKES MACHINE GUN
Wounded in Fighting, the Captain Holds His Command Until Relief Comes-Another Hero During
 Offensive at Masnercs.

Offensive at Masnieres.
 With the British Armies in France The full story of the heroism of a Brit ish captain, who was so moved with hatred of the Germans for crippling his child with bomb that he attacked and killed five of them with club and withstood a German onslaught by his inspiring leadership, has just been received. The tale has made the cap- i tains name byword of bravery in the British camp. Here are the facts:
 When the Germans delivered their l tremendous assault against Masnieres and Marcoing during their offensive on November 30, those two towns and the territory about them were being held by a division of English troops. eral there was captain who may be designated as Captain Black.
 Black was a man of long service. He had been joyial companion until recently, when during a German air raid over England his baby girl was crippled for life by bomb. Black had become bitter against the Ger mans and had sworn that he would exact full penalty for the airman's deed. 4
 Gets His Revenge.
 The captain little knew when he l turned in for the night of November 29 how soon he would get his revenge. Next morning the Germans attacked Masnieres, and the brigade to the l right of the troops holding the town was forced to fall back. The brigade l in the town, however, stood firm and l fought the enemy off. Meanwhile, waves of Germans had swept by to the south of the town and were swarm ing westward.
 Captain Black came out of his head 1 quarters, south of Marcoing, to find five Germans already in possession of great dump nearby. Black had in his hand heavy walking stick which was his only weapon. Without mo- | ment's hesitation he charged the dump | alone and beat about him so fiercely that he brained all five opponents be- fore they recovered from the surprise. He had made good his VOW, but his work was not finished.
 Other Germans appeared west of Les Rues Vertes, southern suburb of Mas nieres. Black collected all the signal CTS, cooks, orderlies and other serv- ants available, and with two companies of regulars delivered an attack toward rD. Yyl~ " H~,.v En1l Ir, r,o1y and fierce hand-to-hand fighting fol- lowed. Black led his little army from house to house, and as often as the Germans made stand he drove them out, until finally the whole suburb had been cleared, with the exception of one machine gun, whose crew of eight men kept pumping bullets into the British ranks.
 Black charged this machine gun with one orderly. Four other orderlies had been shot down beside him previously. and this one also was caught as the | machine gun was reached. Black then attacked the Germans with revolver in each hand and shot down the last | man of eight This cleared Rues Vertes of the enemy and outposts were established about the place. Black had been wounded during the fighting, but he sheld on to his command until relief came next day.
 Colonel Is Hero.
 | This story is not the only one to be related of that bitter day about Mas nieres. A regiment which had the stiffest part of the fighting in the town was madsSup of troops known as ''die fards," and tffey fought all day with rifles and bayonets at close quarters and never gave step. During the ! fighting the colonel had been wound ed in one eve, and so serious was his injury that his other eye became use less. His troops continued. to be So hard pressed that it seemed probable they would give way.
 The colonel. knew they needed all the enceuragement possible. He called, for an oGderly. and, led by his servant, he started making a round of the front line to speak words of encouragement to his troops. For hours this blind man. wtsh kaadaged eyes, kept ID his tramp! among his men with his hand in that of has orderly guide. This heroic exarnnle was the final word for the pommies. They loved their colonel, and they stood and died for him and I held their line.