Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-09-24
GASSED. BUT NOT LICKED.


GASSED. BUT NOT LICKED.
Half frozen, half starved. burned by
a high explosive SHE'LL hit by spent
machine bullet. and badly gassed; but
again getting in good shape, and hop
ing to be with the American army at
the taking Of Berlin.
That is the past experience ana
present status Of stark NJ. Slaughter.
the a2-year-o -old-son Of Prof. w. T.
Slaughter Of Hickory Grove, who was
in Yorkville yesterday.
Young Slaughter went to France in
October Of l. ear with the famous
Rainbow D. sion. in the same regi-
ment with Wallace Marshall Of York
vile: but in dicerent company.
slaughter was in Company 4 of the
ll9th Engineers. and Wallace is in
Company B. Slaughter was gassed
last April. and after lying in a French
hospital at the point of death for sew
eral months. he was brought to Amer
ica in August, and he is now GONZALES
cling under the care Of the experts In
charge oil the military hospital at Fort
Mcpherson. At present he is spending
thirty days leave with his parents and
having good time with his friends.
Die" he said: mo l am not going
to die. The doctors thought 50 some
months ago. and l did not know for
certain myself; but l have given out
the notion now. / was down to a lit
tie over hundred pounds in weight
for time; but now l am up to 16O.
and / am figuring ON being back with
my regiment to 90 to Berlin. Sure.
Slaughter is Il big, strapping felloW'
bright and intelligent in his converse
ton. well informed on things military.
and absolutely certain not onl:' mat
the American soldier is the greatest
soldier on earth; but that America. II
necessary, can handle whole woriu
Ut arms.
The young man has been through
terrible time. however. he. WIN
about sixty other members OF MS com,
pany, was overcome with gas on April
~, He was sent to a base hospital
shortly ;lfte rward, and underwent the
tortures of the damned for weeks anu
weeks. The only possible rellef was
by means of Il surgical operation; put
he could not take an anaesthetlc, pe-
cause to have done so would nave
meant death. 1t was not until atter
he reached America that he was ope-
rated upon. The operation was u
chance then. The doctors said II might
kill him and that he would certainly
die without it. He took the chance.
and is now getting along nicely IN
spite of a great red scar across the
front Of his throat.
Young Slaughter Is not ut all dis
posed to brag about his experiences.
or to talk ut all except in response 10
questions; but he does not hesitate 10
tell anything anyone wants to know,
if they will just ask him about 1t. That
is how he happened to tell this story
in answer to questions. .,
On getting across to the other side
the Engineer regiment to which young
Slaughter belonged was given a prlel
period Of intensive training, and then
il went over into the country near the
st. Mihiel sector, where General Per
shng Is now operating, to help dlg
trenches and dugouts and string DarDen
wire entanglements. Later 1t was put
into regular infantry work and II en-
gagged In frequent raids into Norman s
land and against the enemy trenches.
One day Slaughter's company was
caught In q double barrage. The Ger
mans were shclling the ground ron
different directions. and the company
found itself right in between. Thc
shell fire included high explosive shells,
shrapnel and gas shells: but nobody
was thinking of gas at the time. All
thought 1t was altogether matter Oh
high explosives and shrapnel, so they
did not put on their gas masks. Oh
course everybody was lying down dur
ing the Shclling. That is the only way
to escape being struck by flying frag-
ments. Shortly after the shelllng was
over, the men realized from the terri
BILE sensation in their lungs that they
had been gassed. and it was long
time before they knew much more
Some Of the men died.
Some time previous to this young
Slaughter was badly scorched by a
high explosive shell. They will burn
YOU il they. explode within forty feet
Of YOU" he said, "and II they burst
within ten or twenty feet they are
pretty apt to get you"
At another time he was struck by
ricochcting machine gun bullet: hut
was not very badly hurt on that occa-
sion. He did not go to the hospital
either on account of the bullet or the
shell burn.
when the Americans first began ar
irving in France" young Slaughter
said. neither the British nor French
seemed to care much about them. The
British were arrogant and the French
were thoroughly discouraged. But
very soon after the Americans began
10 make good the attitude Of both the
British and French began to change.
You could see increasing respect and
consideration on the part of the Brit
ish and as to the French. when they
got on the subject Of the Americans,
they might start out with reasonable
amount Of calm: but before they got
very far, they seemed to drift into Il
kind of worship"
Asked as to what he thought Of the
situation generally. young Slaughter
said that the common conviction
among the French people is that the
war will certainly come to an end by
next summer. His first experience with
German prisoners to whom he talked.
was that they were proud and arro-
CANT certain that they would lick ev-
erybody: but before he was wounded.
even, he could see how all that was
changing, and how the Germans did
not hesitate to confess that they were
glad to be captured. The Americans.
he said. had raised the morale of the
British and French and had knocked
the morale of the Germans all to
pieces.
Asked as to what he thought Of the
probable capture of Metz, young
Slaughter said the town would be In
American hands within two weeks.
While there seems to be common
idea to the contrary. the heavy guns
Of the Americans are superior to any
thing Of the kind In Europe. and
enough Of these heavy guns are being
brought TO bear on Metz to do
the business. He thought that the
taking Of Metz would not give so much
trouble as the taking Of Strass,nnrg.
about thirty miles from the American
lines: but he feels sure that what Is
left Of the German morale will be
shattered to Dieces at these two places
and that the end will come before this
time next year.