The Sentinel=record., 1919-01-02
CHARLES BEAHRf
 IN THICK FIGHTING
HOT SPRINGS BOY WAS WOUND
 20 AND GAssEo BUT GOT THROUGH ALL RIGHT.
Writes of the Participation in Some of the Most Eventual Battles of the Whole of tho Four Year Period.

Charles Beatty Hot Springs boy and a former carrier for the Sentinel Rec oHd has been in tho thickcst of the l'ehtns in France, and participated in the most cyontful battles. He writes the Following interesting story of his experiences:
 T got my first baptism of Hun shells" at Chateau -Thierry on July 18th, and except for possibly a week or 10 days | Was in the lines all the time They would take us out for a couple of days and let us rest and get replacements, ana thon We would get shot rh-ht back up again. l have been in three big battles at Cha.eau- Tlherry from July !&th to 25th One from August fth to Fist Then we pulled out of there and went eO 'resl camp believe that l would rather stay up at the front than to stay in one of those rest camps. Instead of letting a fellow rest they just work the living misterchief out of him.
 "We went from there on the 9th of September to point above Nancy, We stayed there until September 9,h. From there to St. Michiel, and on the morning Of Sept 12th a. m. we went over the top This was the second battle that l was in
 "On the 17th of September we puill- ed out and went back to the town above Nancy on the Mossue river This town had been captured by the Germans early in the war They held it for four days then were driven out Since then only trench raids had been the chief kind of warfare in that Lor- hine country.
 When we got in the town on the 18th the Germans shelled Us night and dly We timed the shells, and they were exactly four minu-es apart For some reason the Germans d dsllhed the II Inf, for it was us who captured roo of their prisoners, and to take their spite out on us they shelled us with a long range six inch gun.
 The first night they shelled us they only dropped four shells. The first shell was fired about 9:30. l was just about half asleep We were only & kilomcters from the front line trenches G miles) This gun wasn t an artillery gun; it was a Naval 6 inch gun, and when it hit the town it sounded just Ike it burst in front ot nv billet although it had hit the railroad yards. about 200 yards from us Each man knew exactly where he had to go as we were shown our dugouts Believe me we sure got hol in those dug0uts We decided thal Fritz was through for that night anu we all started back to the billet and about 1l:30 the second shot was Tie ed. l. made us Nd as hell to chase back to that hot hole. Eyerythlng weno we'll then, and at ? the thlrd shell dropped on the railroad yard and at 4:30 the last shell was Tired.
 The following day t was dangerous to be out on the streets so We were told 10 stay around our dusouts. 'l think our captain made 8 wise move and about 3 o'clock the morning or Septcmbei 22 the German' began to shell us. As l stated we timed the shells and they were exactly i min ,tes apart. When we wanted 10 eat eur meals we were only allowed to 70 eight at a time, and get right ba h' and then the next eight would 70 And so on. unt1 all were fed, This was the way we lived from September 22nd to October 9th.
 "Ihe we got orders to leave so on the night of october we starred to hil1inls. and it was cold that nigbt and in order to keep warm we hlhea B kilometers (20 miles). Anything to keep cut of those wh-zzing ban is' On the night of the 27th we hiked about 20 more miles. We get on mo- tor trucks al Foul and We rode from Toul to point 17 ldlometers west oI the city of Verdun. We stayed there until the 1lth of Octcoer. Then we started out fer the front.
 It was a case of life or death, Tor upon this front Fritz was not as peaceful as he was at St. MichaeL He shelled the roads at all times, day and night. And on the morning Of October 1ith we went over the top