The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1919-04-24

Will make their home in Skowhegan
have been asked many time how
it feels to be wounded In my ex-
perience, the feeling was the same a.
one has when in commissions and ny
leg felt as if it vas being drawn back
forcibly This feeling was caused
by the muscles being so badly torn
When l came to myself probably in
less than minute l found mat /
was bleeding badly and must do
something at once With cord
from by bandoler and my bayonet
made a tourniquet for my leg bur
ing all this time the machine gun bull
lets were flying around me like hail
and il Was necessary for me TO find
cover as soon as possible BY ly-
ing on my back and digging the heel
of my uninjured leg into the ground
| could very slowly push myself
along, my objective being clump of
bushes a few yards away. got as
far as the edge OF these bushes and
encountered rise in the ground
which ! was unable to get over ow-
ing to- my weakness from loss OF
blood lay here for some time
part of the time unconscious. until q
soldier came along who had been
wounded in the arm. and he helped
me- into the bushes He said he was
going 10 dressing station and would
send stretcher for me | have new
er seen the sretcher Still later.
another soldier with an ankle wound
found me and together we reached
large rock near which was a pit that
had formerly been occupied by Ger
man. We lay here during that night
and the next day. our position being
in no mans land and nearest the
enemy We had had no water dur
ing this time and after dark on the
second night my companion allow
ing that he preferred being shot or
captured than TO die of thirst, crawl
ed out TO examine the bodies for can
teens. He finally came back unSucs y
cessful and started in another direc-
ton and never came back.
Previously | had thrown away my
gun and equipment but had kept my
automatic thinking that it might BE-
useful later
About 10 o'clock heard an excla-
nation that sounded to ME like yam
kee talk, and sticking my head out Of
the hole, saw the forms OF two Ger
mans evidently searching the dead l
watched these men and finally they
came toward me | was hoping that
they would not discover me. but one
OF them came so near that | knew il
was only a matter of seconds before
he would get me, so I was obliged 10
shoot him | fired at the second Ger
man as quickly as possible and had
the satisfaction Of seeing him fall
About an hour later ! was captured
by wave of the enemy who came
over in an attempt to reCapture the
town. | was taken to the large gun
emplacement where was sharply
questioned by German sergeant who
spoke excellent English and told me
he had lived in Philadelphia for eight
years. | was shortly sent back 10 a
field dressing station where reeeiv-
ed an inocculatiOn for tetanus This
was the only aid for my wound thar
| ever received from the Germans
The next day | was moved back to a
large hospital at st Gillis Here on
June IA. my wound was dressed for
the first time by an English Colonel
of the X A. M c. who. with his staff
had been previously captured | Was
kept here until the middle OF July
when was moved to prison camp
AZ lieuberg. in the State OF Baden |
was in the hospital here for about two
weeks coming out on August > II
MAS on this day that first learned Of
the Red Cross In Berne. Switzerland.
wrote to them at once and received
my first package on the fourth day OF
september From this time on my
packages came regularly each week
After | was discharged from the
hospital, ! was put into an English
Company and stayed with them until
two days before we were released and
was then transferred to an American
prison camp AT Rastatt
While prisoner In Germany I was
treated We'll enough with the except
ti0u of tn food, and this was offset
by the packages from the Red Cross
The release trains we're run direct
Is into tae camp and after we arrived
at the SWISS border. the trip was one
coutlHull ovation with plenty of good
hing 20 elt ! cannot say enough
for tbr splendid work of he Red
eros bata here and abroad and
shall mover ,Hfect their Kindness 70
me
f e aa8 al he fighting
evp Ht f7rn for and upOn
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