The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1918-09-11
Had Empty Feeling Inside When
He Went Over the
Top.
BocHE IS cowARDLY FIGHTER
sAfraid to Take His Own Medicine"
Says Marine-Describes Work Of
Devil. Dogs in Battle at
Chateau Thierry.

name, but during the short hour we
spent together he poured out to me
his personal impressions Of the fight
ing, in which he had taken a share,
at Chateau Thierry.
He naively %apologized when he
learned l was an American, saying:
"Of course, when I've been in and out
of the trenches a few times 1 expect
It will all grow stale. and I shan't
want to talk about it."
He was just q normal boy, and
he related his experiences and i'm
pressions without pose or boastful-
ness.
"When we "took over that part of
the line we were told it was a quiet
sector" he said, "but it didn't remain
long quiet. We learned afterwards
that at first the Germans thought we
were British, our uniforms being some
what alike, but when they discovered
that we were Yanks they began to get
curious about us. They were sure
satisfied pretty quick"
Had Empty Feeling.
"What were your own personal feel
ings the first time you went over the
top7" I asked.
"Well," slowly, II suppose I was
frightened. I had a slckening, empty
feeling somewhere inside me. Just
before we were to start our captain
said: Now. boys, there's no need to
feel bad about it. These men over the
other side are feeling just as bad, in
fact a mighty sight worse I remem-
Der his words distinctly, because
they were the last he said, except to
give the command to start. We had
to advance through a field Of green
wheat, soppy with dew, 80 that we
got wet through and could hardly keep
our feet on the slippery ground. Our
captain and lieutenant were killed
right at the start, and also the first
sergeant.
I'VE had only the gunner sergeant
left, and all around the men were fall
ing, and the air was filed with the
noise from bursting shells, cries Of
dying men. the groans of the wounded,
the singing Of bullets, and the clatter
Of the machine guns.
tits a funny thing, but 1 can re-
member all the different sounds as
clearly and distinctly as If each one
had been separate instead Of all going
on at once"
He paused In his talk q moment and
I could see his frame stifen at the
e recollection. Then he added,
slowly and with emphasis:
I've never been what you'd call q
praying chap. but I prayed hard then.
and many times SINCE"
nodded in: agreement, for the war
has taught many people how to pray.
After q moment I said: Eyes, and
then7"
swell, we saw pretty soon that If
we didn't hurry up and get to the
wood there wouldn't be any Of US left
to take it-so we just liked llke-as II
well, as If it was an express train
that we just had to catch or bust.
And when we got there it didn't take
rs long to clear the Boche out. He
would 60 on firing until we were right
on top Of him with the bayonet and
then he'd yell out 'Kamerad,' and hold
up his hands. The Boche amt q
sportsman ; he's afraid to take his own
medicine.
no H. with Kamerad.'"
'Even in the midst Of the fight !
couldn't help laughing out at the man
alongside Of me. He had seen his
chum fall and came on Just wild, and
when he was going for one German the
Boche yelled: 'Kamerad. I've a wife
and ten children In Berlin and the
marine said: II you went back to
Berlin there'd be ten more children
to r. with you,' and rammed him
with his bayonet."
"What happened after you cleared
out the Hun?" !, asked.
by that time we were reduced tt
about half our company, and were or
dered to dig ourselves in. You should
have e me dig! Some Of us had los,
our picks and we dug with our hands
our cups, or anything we could max,
use Of. What in an ordinary way
should have considered q good hal,
days work I did in half an hour. The,
were not proper trenches, just shal
low bitches, deepened shell holes.
"Men were falling all around an,
two bullets went through my pacl
as I crouched as near the ground q
possible digging like b. So I tool
my pack off and put it on the parape
to the side Of me, and the German
kept on popping at it. While 1 wa
digging every time I looked up t
throw the dirt out I could see a flowe
moving to and fro in the wind Jus
in front of me, and then once 1 glance
up just in time to see that fowe
nipped off as If by an invisible han
and lie on the gound. Somehow th,
made me realize almost more than an
thing how near death was"