The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1919-05-30

whitening fire; Cornay Ridge. on their
right, sounded like thousand steel
hammers at work In other words the
Americans were caught by fire from
three directions.
York was on the extreme left of the
advance, his platoon being the support
platoon of the left assault company,
I'VE were losing a lot of men," he
said, See that little rise just where
the slope of the hill comes down? Well.
it looked like we couldn't get beyond
that. The line just seemed TO melt
away when it reached there"
T.. Under Cross Fire.
This was due to the fact that boche
machine guns on the hill-now known
as York's Hill--had the Americans en-
| filaded Therefore Sgt, Harry NJ. Par
sons, formerly an actor, who was in
command of the platoon, was ordered
to advance with his men and cover the
left flank. The fire was too hot in the
valley, so they skirted the foot of the
Ihil in order TO gain some protection
Parsons ordered Acting Sgt. Bernard
Early to take two squads and put the
enemy machine guns out Of action.
That was when the real business he
gan.
Early had under him sixteen men
Corporal York Corp. William b. Cut
ting, Corp. Murray Savage, Pvts.
Maryan z. Dymowsk, Ralph 70. Well
er. Fred Wareing, William Wine, Carl
Swanson, Mario MuZzi, Percy Beard
sley, Joe Konotslli, Feodor SAX Thos.
G.. johnson; Michael A. Sacina, Patrick
Donahue and George w. Wills. OF these
Corporal Savage and Privates Weller,
Dymowski, Wareing, Wine and Swan
son were killed early in the fight,
practically by the first blasts from the
machine gun emplacements. Sergeant
Early Corporal Cutting and Private
Muzzi were wounded at the same time,
the arst-named being shot three times
through the body. That left Corporal
York and seven rrivates to turn the
trick. ,-tt:
1t was a clear day, There had been
mists in the valley and shrouding the
hills just after dawn, but they had
lifted, so that the movements of the
Americans were perfectly visible to
the enemy along the ridges. AS the
little party started up the hill which
they proposed to clear of boches, ma =
chine guns peppered them from the
Cornay Ridge at their backs; but the
trees and brush were very thick and
they escaped beyond observation with
out losing a man. The nests they were
after lay on the other side of, a slope;
the boches were firing at the infantry
in the valley, and were wholly uncon-
scious of the detachment bent on circl-t
ing round behind them.
The Americans went stumbling up
ward through the leafy tungle, bullets
whipping the branches above and
round them. None were hit, however.
and soon they gained above the fire.
1t was stiff climb. / went up that
hill later without pack and free from
anxiety, and found it hard going. What
must it have been with full equipment,
machine guns blazing at them, and
the enemy ahead in unknown strength!
About two thirds of the way up they
came upon an old wide trench, prob
ably built by the French early in the
war. They entered this and followed
it. The clamor of the fight on the
other side of the hill now grew less.
The trench led over the crest. Going
warily in single file, now stopping TO
ilSteIi dilu ithhS SUN 'tiehs nv oiiSiiiy
lurked near now moving with painful
caution lest they be heard, the detach-
ment penetrated upward through the
dense woods and began to descend the
other slope Sergeant Early was in
the lead. Until wounded he directed
all the operations; his behavior thru
out the entire affair was of the highest
order.
A Shriekine Bedlam.
Still they saw no Germans. They
could hear firing off at their right;
they could hear it ahead; but not a
sign of the enemy did they see. Finally
they debouched upon path, and there