Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-07-10

Another story reads:
"In the cowl, habit and tonsure that
mark the monk a young man told his
beads aboard the train bound for Ant
werp. And a woman, hardly more
than a girl, kept her eyes fastened on
the nan Of prayers. She studied on
the devotion with which his fingers
slipped from decade to decade of the
long, well-worn rosary that hung from
The cincture about his waist. But, al
though his lips appeared to move In
humble s~upplication, the woman saw
that he had failed to kiss the cross.
The lapse was significant.
"'Spyr the girl Missed into the face
Of the alleged ascetic. In an instant
two guards had seized the man and
rushed him down the train corridor.
The woman examined the small wicker
basket behind in the seat. Lifting the
lid, she found three pigeons. AS a
member of the field intelligence staff
of the French war ministry she knew
that at least three 'homers' would fail
to return with military information to
the lofts Of the German posts"
Get German Pigeons.
A news dispatch briefly summarized
such a find thus:
"A German trawler was captured by
a British warship heal the Orkney
islands to the north Of Scotland. She
Is believed to have been engaged In
spying, as carrier pigeons were found
on board"
Reference has already been made to
the number of messages carried back
to the French lines by carrier pigeons
In the defense Of Verdun. A pigeon
captured by the French conveyed this
information:
1.-THE rolling fire of the enemy with
guns of the heaviest caliber is such
that sectors s., O., and III. are to a
great extent leveled. The garrison, in
Guiding that of sector ", is disorgan-
lied completely. Some of 1t has been
obliged to fall back on the Eighty-third
and Ninety-eighth regiments, which
also had to retire.
Sector v. (von Raun's) was SUBJ
jected to such fire that its observation
post was put out of order. All sorties
are being bombarded and one is occu-
pied constantly in replacing them.
1.-The battalion asks its immediate
relief this evening by fresh troops. 1t
a fight no longer.
"(Signed)
FIRST LIEUTENANT STEIN
BRECHT."
Carrier pigeons tell headquarters of
the progress of a battle. Here is a
typical report when the French army
fought along the Aisne:
ut Immediately appeared that the
destruction of the German defense
had been accomplished with as much
success as could be hoped for In so
difficult a country. By 7:30 a. m. we
by carrier pigeon and other
means that the Chateau de la Motto on
he French left near Allemant had
carried, and that at the center
Fort was taken. At S:45
Allemant village had been occupied,
he prisoners numbered a thousand, T
nd the French assault troops were ad-
9pclngg~ Across the central plateau to-
yard Vaudesson and Mont Parnasse
quarry. At 10 80 the news was that
hey were at the north of Hill 173, the
spur of Malmaison plateau,
md in q quarry 900 yards west Of the
'ort. By PAS p. m. the villages Of
and Vaudesson, with sew
.ral neighboring quarries lying on the
lorthern edge of the Aisne hills, had
been occupied. Chavignon was the
'urthest point contemplated in the
plan and represented an advance Of
and one-half miles made in the
face of the best remaining troops Of
the German empire"
Aided by c~amoufiage.
While many carrier pigeons changed ,
their habits Of spiraling,N finding 1t q
practice and learned to fly
back and then forward at an altitude
comparatively low, camoufiage aided
birds considerably in getting back to
their loft carrying with them messages
from troops in front. At Fort Vaux, |
in the battle Of verdun, the crown
princes army had a special group of
men shooting down carrier pigeons as
they left the fort.
And another story Of Verdun. Il
was at Thiaumont, sixteen times
taken, lost and retaken. Wireless and
telephones had long ceased to exist.
No human being could cross the ter
rain. The ~comIhandant was In des-
perate need of communicating with
the rear. Suddenly the glasses re-
vealed a dog, crouching on its belly,
crawling through the flashes, and in
a moment of temporary lull leaping
forward. On its back was a pannier.
Nearer and nearer the dog came. and
prayers were involuntarily altered as
the beast flattened out here and there
In the debris for shelter. Another lull
and the dog leaped forward and at
last 1t scampered into Thiaumont with
the pigeons safe in the pannier. On
the dogs collar was this message:
"We relieve you by attack on Froid-
terre, 3 p. m"
sStop the German battery on our
left. Here are the elements for point.
ing" was the written message of the
commandant sent back by M of the
pigeons. Another momentary lull and
the pigeon is released. Dog and pig
con, faithful and distinguished friends
of man, have done their work to save