Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1919-01-16

but as the wound was a small, clean
one, it must have been machine gun
bullet. 1t hit me in the left shoulder
and passed out in the back, just miss
ing the spinal column about half an
inch. Lucky! Believe me. am a
lucky boy A fellow in the company
named Simpieh, was hit in the leg ut
the same time, and we found our
selves lying beside a stream. He on
one side and | on the other in the lit
tie town. Simpich had a broken leg
A soldier bound up our wounds with
the first aid packets. This was at
about nine O'Clock on the morning of
Sept. 20. We laid there two days
and nights, and the Boch had killed
or captured all who advanced with us,
and former line between us and
our troops, putting us in German ter
ritory. During this time Germans
passed us several times but paid little
attention to us, except one who point
ed his rifle at me a dirty dog"
Simpich who spoke German, said
something to him. We knew our own
it out long enough and were not hit
by our own artillery, which was then
Smelling the town,ou troops would
rescue us. Each of us had started
out with two days rations, which mad
been eaten during our days of fight
ing
We crawled in building by the
stream, where it was not quite so cold
and stayed there that night and the
next day, and in the evening of the
l went out to the stream to fill our
canteens. l could walk little but
Simpich could just barely crawl. A
bunch Of Germans came along as L
was getting the water and took me
They refused to go into the house
after Simpich, but afterward learn
ed that they got him that evening and
that he had to have his leg ampu-
tated.
The soldier who gave me first aid
tore my shirt, undershirt and Red
Cross sweater and after my coat was
taken off / couldn't get it on again,
so when was captured didn't have
much covering. They took me by
stages, In wagons, ambulances and
cattle cars to Sedan, north of Verdun,
where with eighteen other Americans
was in tent hospital for two
weeks. l was then sent to Germers-
HEN, then to prison camp at Karls-
rube, where l got food and clothing
sent by the American Red Cross. /
will tell you about German food
when l get home. N. B.-Don't serve
any cabbage and carrot soup.
After lot of experiences in camp
including the revolution-we were
finally sent to France through Swift |
zerland and are now in quarantine at
this hospital. There are about $50
American officers here. l am in per-
fectly good health and my wounds
haev recovered, but the left arm is
dislocated at the shoulder and par
TALLY paralyzed, so / will have to
have a nerve specialist work on 1t be- /!
fore 1t is In perfectly good shape but
1t won't amount to much. think |
will be sent to the States and it will
ge done there.
This is a nice hospital-excellent
food and lady nurses, and they speak |
honest to- goodness English! 1t sure
seems good to get back to civilization. /
BY the way, the trip through Swift [,
erland was wonderful. The Swiss
could not do enough for us. and I still
have lot of chocolates, apples, etc. I
that they heaped on us. The Ameri- /
can Red Cross at Bern gave us some
reception also, and several thousand
people were at the station at Geneva