The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1919-01-06
U. S. Soldiers Are Hacked to
Death by Axes of
the Reds.
ARMS AND LEGS ARE BROKEN
Seven Hundred BoIshevists Capture
American Patrol of Sixty-Rus-
SLAMS Fighting Savagely and
Attack the Allies With
Heavy Artillery.

With the Allied Army of the Dvina,
Jan. 6.-Evidence that the bolshevists
are mutilating allied wounded and
dead came to headquarters in re-
port from Lieutenant Colonel Gerber
ly, who was in command of American
forces in the vicinity of Shenkursk
on November %.
A patrol Of 60 American soldiers
and two officers were surprised early
on September 20 by force Of about
700 bolshevists.
Seven Americans Killed.
Seven Americans were killed and
seven others were missing, after the
fight.
Following is the report of Lieuten-
ant Colonel Corberly as to the condi-
tion of the bodies found after the en-
gagement, the names of the men be-
ing omitted:
"No. 1-Lieutenant, head smashed
with az.
mo. 2-Corporal, head so smashed
with ak that only parts of the face
remained.
No. 3-Corporal, head smashed
with ak and arms and legs broken by
blows, apparently from blunt side
of ak.
No. 5-Private, head smashed and
throat cut open, apparently with AK"
wisconsin and Michigan troops are
known to be among the American
force at Archangel.l
Try to Trap Yanks.
In the meantime the bolshevists are
carrying on propaganda endeavoring
to prove they treat prisoners kindly.
Late last week an enemy patrol in the
vicinity of Kadish shouted across No
Mans Land that they had prisoners
to exchange.
American officers went forward to
investigate and at a safe distance
from the American troops the bolshev-
lists produced two men, one an Amer
ican and the other Scotchman.
Instead Of Offering them for ex-
change they said they would "fatten
and treat kindly" any other Americans
or ScOtchmen who Joined them. Then
they whisked the two prisoners back
into the woods
The fighting about Kadish apparent
ly has ceased except for spasmodic
artillery action, The headquarters re-
port said: 'The situation is un-
changed in all sectors"
Yanks Fighting in Snow.
In the last week the American
troops. fighting desperately, have
driven back bolsheviki troops which
made an advance near Kadish.
The bolsheviSts also launched at
tacks on the Omega sector and bonn
barded the allied front The Ameri-
cans came into battle along the Pet
rograd road and in the frozen swamps
that border it. The battle was fought
in snow from two to four feet in
depth
American forces captured Kadish
after display of gallantry that
evoked the admiration of the allied
commanders. Special care has been
taken of the American wounded and
the body of an American officer was
taken back 100 miles by sledge and
q IL.
There were some casualties on Mon
day, but they were small in compari-
son to those inflicted upon the enemy.
Terrific Red Attack Fails.
On Tuesday, the bolshevists opened
q terrific fire from three and six-inch
guns and launched a counter-attack
against the buildings held by Ameri-
cans in Kadish.
SO hot was the artillery fire that
the Americans were withdrawn tenn
porarily from the village. The line,
however, was not taken back very
far and the new positions were firmly
held.
The enemy did not occupy Kadish
because the barrage fire from the
American guns made the place un-
tenable. Shells falling on the frozen
ground spread their zones of destruc-
tion twice as far as they would under
normal conditions.
Later, under the protection of ar
tillery fire, American detachments
again swept forward and re-occupied
the town. The men engaged in the
advance were from infantry and
trench mortar units.
Yanks in Hardest Fighting.
This morning word came from head
quarters that the American positions
are now 400 meters south of the vii
Iage, which is the line marking the
farthest advance made by the Ameri-
cans late In October before they re-
tired to the north Of Kadish.