The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1919-02-07

" et~@A @AtRAis WV vi h<tANAAhA
der boys. arrived in Salmon n.st
Saturday. While he begs TO be peysTit-
ted 10 forget his terrible experiences
OF soldier life be modestly related
many incidents in response to aues-
tions by the reporter who had been
informed OF the history of his ctss Il
In less than a year after enlist
ment this boy was in the front Inc
trenches in France. At call for
volunteers to go in advance sixt1sn
men from each company OF An4sr-
! put this boy of less than 10 unner
| fire without an hours warning. lie
was put in the ranks of a veteran
company and he fought side by side
with old soldiers These veterans had
the contempt common to their class
for young recruit. They made hfe
a burden for the boy. The command
ing officer condoned the meanest
lhazing practices of the old soldiers
to harrass the kid. The firing sslse
had not as many terrors for the high
spirited boy as abuses of camp. He
was the only kid in the company of
old soldiers. His first lieutenant had
given cause for hatred on the part
lof Wilbur, who would have fought
him TO finish in minute IL he had
not been restrained by the discipline
that protects many a tyrant In the
regular army.
This company of regulars went
over the top in the course OF events
The offending lieutenant led his
men against terrible artillery, ma
chine gun and rifle fire Young
Stroud was near his lieutenant wIhn
he fell with both legs shot of Wh-
bur was the only soldier near the q
, ficer who was not killed or disabl
, The boy hesitated an instant as ~
, officer who had abused and hum&
ated him, turned speechless an p
, lpealing face to him. In rain of Qsi
lets he carried the officer to safety
The lieutenant forgot his wounds IN
= saved his life. He begged for forgive
il ness. This was at the battle 10
e Champagne. and the officer r.
r Lieutenant .-....--..-, Co. NJ 1G9 II
fantry Captain Morris of that cen
pany was called to hear this stor
of Stroud's brave rescue OF this con
handing officer, but the capital
could not forget his contempt for
kid recruit, so this brave deed wa
= not even commended.
J This soldier boy shudders when h
thinks of the slaughter OF war. III
has seen dead and dying men by tn
:. hundred but slaughter has lost non
). of its terrors for him. He says tn
young soldiers may fight like demon
> in battle but they never want I
RI think of the men they may have xii
a ed. When asked to relate an expei
fence of the resistance of bayont
70 charge he had he turned pale in a
is effort TO control his emotions. II
lie stood before an advancing solid mas
r of Germans. The advancing soldier
: were moved down by the hundred
but they came on like a tidal wav
n Not an American soldier wayered a
a. the Germans came with fixed bay'
10 nets. The soldier of the Germa
mass which confronted Stroud spa
~ red an instant with his gun aboy
his shoulder and lunged at his be
5. opponent The boy ducked and mad
% counter stab according to b
- training instructions. The agony {
y that victims face haunts this youn
soldier The thought of drawing II
i. bayonet from the fallen mans brea
is a terrible night and day drear
lg from which the Roy would fain c
ne cape.
On one occasion Wilbur was Cal
~ ed upon as sharp-shooter TO silen'
machine gun which was beng ope
ated from a tree. When the maehir
n, gun operator was killed il was four
that he had been chained 10 the n
lis Wilbur knew personally OF two W
Us men machine-gun operators beir
n killed who were chained 10 the
guns so they could not retreat
~ On one occasion 50 men FRO
~ stroud's company working as
N, scouting party came to n Germs
70. dugout in which 90 officers We
go sheltered from shell fire. The scot
III ing party halted some distance fro
ar the dugout and the lieutenant
RS command. the same lieutenant VI
W d. iiOIl Ai4t LfAA ~ 80 -
-. ordered this hero to 20 forwa
oH alone and locate the German hidil
place. Stroud crawled up 10 an op'
yentilator and heard voices from
low Instead OF returning 10 his p
Re- ~ as expected he hurled a ben
ell down the elevator. Not sine
q German escaped from the trap.
ese Stroud fully believes his life "
-, saved twice By a mysterious ST
- small voice. on one occasion a {
m tachment OF which he was a memh
ere was exposed TO a terrible biz z
fol- FIRE. 4 run WAS made for a biz sh
INA. hols- N, some "hunch" called strv
'on behind as his eompanio
into the hole for -sheli
.ud hesitaied a sheE ~
n