The courier-index. (Marianna, Ark.) 1917-current, 1919-11-28

Lad her name PoAAie
She nau aus on the steel shield
Fbite l lew lcapable-looking muzzle-
dove mel eho SHIPPER" She was ia
'Betsy 'n nv GUN with the American
nous a. md SI' the particular pride Of
any Az For time she was con-
battery a.. a. "show-piece" OF the en-
idsrea ' sm1 artillery front, for
Lire Alne 155 that kept nearer the
BE was .san most of the 75s, and
front .naI as a sniping-piece, even
vas ase artillery sniping, or sharp.
bougn { not usually expected OF
bOOtlnss,, roer than the rs. Begin
pieces with It'll those days when few
4 ring WIZ" had the temerity to visit
sgn'se pon though she was the prize
be-, es. a the front, the Providence
Ghlol' = sketches the career of this
l'uIT1ls mat Franco-American, whose
ecell1I"; in her adopted country is
mv slr anticipated by the men who
ioaen' won her fame in the Toul
sne Nv being the forward gun of
scJ 1ns % Not merely was she far
gu north. but she scorned the
nesss l. brand of firing that most of
aesu r,ns of her class INDUCED in.
lne wont in for emergency sharp
~ ssot; mo" It was thus that she won
T , W sobriquet of "sniper."
8. far as our army knows, snip
~ sad been an occupation of few
ng .. HI larger than the French 70.
sa.S Is 155, which corresponds
D ssss,,ssvimately to six inches. 1t was
s W work in part that led General
Tq u to remark once that if he
l."Id nut bayonets on the big guns
y ss believed he could send his field
+;lIsrv over the top with the dough
..+s The men of the 103d were
INSTANTLY showing their 155s ahead
/ . Inc divisions 75s, and kept them
rrnug up to the front line clear
,s,0neb to the armistice. But Of all
no guns, Betsy held the highest
.lsm to esteem and affection.
Retsv didn't start her career with
no 1OSd. She was originally in
,bsrge of D Battery of the Fifth
ssn artillery, with the First di-
vision, Her position was on the
paumont road, not far from Seich-
smey. about 500 road meters back
| i the trenches. The road at that
uint is considerably higher than the
adjoining meadows, and looks down
| N what was the trench line not fan
as Of Mont Sec, the powerful Ger
man artillery position that caused
our men plenty of trouble.
| When the First division was called
cut Of the Toul sector to go up to
| he aid Of the British the 26th took
over the positions. The rule is that
| each unit carries it's own guns with
In b.. at this time the mud was
very deep. Pulling a 155 through
| / was not a quick and easy task.
Moreover, the Germans were in
| asasng their artillery fire on our
un positions until it was an excep-
| tanally risky matter to attempt the
exchange Of weapons. Therefore,
ibis one was turned over to Bat
| terry A Of the 103d which gave to
he regulars in return for it one of
Il own guns.
Major Barker, then captain of
Battery A, took over this position
which in the code of the 26th divis-
ION was known as Jones 1. From
that time on Betsy, as she was soon
ehrstened, began to acquire a repu-
htiOn for herself.
Instead of being used exclusively
for regular scheduled firing, or for
the 'harassing fire" that used to
make gunners so weary of their
task Betsy was free to use her
commanding position to blaze away
At any special activity that might be
noted behind the enemy lines. She
hd IL observation posts reporting
70 her, and an 18-drop switchboard
was needed to care for her commu-
reations.
One of her achievements was the
gettlng' of disabled German air.
pane which had gone down some
I'VE nlometers away. On the fifth
mot she scored a direct hit, scatter
nsa German party that was trying
70 rescue the plane.
IN another occasion she caught a