Omaha daily bee., 1919-05-18

this day can smell the slnoke, Of
that steel. 49, 80 IN .
We were passing the worst of the
barrage. IS
Just as we reached the first barbed
wire ENHANCEMENT, few minutes
after the word had been passed to
unload" and prepare for action"
l was hit. The line was coming
down level plain, the slope facing
the enemy. Machine gun fire was
particularly intense. A tank, dis
abled, stuck in a hole with the pilot
outside airing his feelings, lent a bit
OF the graphic to the place.
! felt terrific whang, very like an
electric shock, near my side. I did
not realize it at once and remarked
to the man in front that that must
have been close one" Then /
felt sudden holiness in the region
of my side and the blood began to
rush to my head. Instantly i knew
I had been hit. began to stumble
and weaken perceptibly.
For the moment I didn't know
what to do. ]. thoughtthe wound was
mortal. I raised my rife in the air
and cried out; "I'm hit! I'm hitl I'm
hitp Word was passed to the pla-
toon commander, and he turned, mo-
tioning me to fall out. I fell to the
ground.
A few yardslfurther on the platoon
halted. A medical sergeant and an
apprentice came back. The former
demanded gruffly my trouble
"Guess I'm HIT said. Cali right,
let's see it," he demanded. The very
gruffness of his tone awakened me
and I proceeded to investigate my
wound. 1t was there, all right. The
clothes were pretty we'll soaked with
blood.
The apprentice dressed the wound.
Couldn't Fire at Huns.
For a few minutes I cried like
baby. I don't think it too much to
say that I cried because I couldn't
60 on any further. Here, eleven
days before the wars end, I was in
the one place of all places; The big
fun was ahead. And I was slated to
60 back without so much as firing
my rifle at a German. Such is fate.
Anyway, when I discovered that
my wound was not serious, l de-
liberately refused a stretcher. I
didn't care much whether I got back
or not. Later changed my mind.
The next few minutes were spent in
cutting my pack away and gather
ing such personals as I had coveted,
in small bundle. Then I crawled
to she'll hole to think things over.
The machine gun fire had been
and was then sweeping. 1t seemed
suicidal to venture forth yet that was
my only chance. So I got up and
started back. l was weak, my head
ached and the blood shot to it at
times in peculiar fashion, almost
drowning my senses. After 10 min
utes of floundering, I met the reg
mental doctor, a marine offiser,
coming towards the line.
Whats the trouble, boy?" he
asked.
"Guess I'm hit" I answered.
Lies in Shell Hole.
Better get to a shell hole, then"
he advised, seeing that the wound
had been dressed. I did.
For nearly an hour l lay at the
bottom of that communicat ting hole.
It was big, deep and comfortable,
lending ray of hope. In al! my
life l have never experienced more
nerve-trying hour. Though fell
into doke, my conscious mind
blasted onA at full speed. Every
thought, act or deed of mine rose
up before me in its true light. I
was guilty of many things not Chris
tan. I tried to pray and couldn't
Then in the end l won. No longer
would I fear or disbelieve. And I
have not changed since.
Dirt began, finally, to sift in on
me. / stood up hurriedly and it was
az I expected. The barrage was
NOTING up. Already shells were
falling in increased numbers about
me, splashing dirt and powder. A
machine gun. evidently aiming at a
dummy in communicating hole 10
yards to the left, probably thinking
myself or it, a field commander, pep
pered welcome in our direction.
Something had to be done. So l
got up.
Escape Almost Miraculous.
How I got away I don't know. For
minutes at time l could walk al
most without effort, with an almost
superhunian strength; other times I
stumbled and fell, crawling weakly,
choking back sobs, from shell hole,
to shell hole. But I got there. Al
long column of German prisoners
was coming over the horizon in
charge of marines. The sight bright
ened me and I grew lighthearted.
The next morning was in Paris.
The other greatest" experience of
my life occurred while our division,
the Second regulars, were encamped
on a "Meuse hilltop" noted as such
in my diary, during the week that
preceded the great Argonne-Meuse
offensive. We had been on the road
for eight days, coming from the
Champagne front, and had passed
through a half-dozen recent battle
fronts, experiencing the hardest of
hiking. g.
To Rout Enemy.
"The time has come" General
Summeral began. I stood within an
arms length Of him. Marshal Foch
and the allied commanders have
come to a decision. Tomorrow
morning, on a 200-mile front, the
armies of the allies move forward to
roll back the enemy and win that
victory for which we have SO long
fought-the complete rout of the
crown princes armies.
"On the very ground on which