The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1919-02-20
HARRY FALCONER
BACK FROM THE front
MinOt Soldier Who Was Wounded in
Battle Tells Great Story Of Ex-
periences in France

Cne 1IOnC 1ueSuay aHu lS HOW VlSlt1uS
at the home of his mother, Mrs. Char
lie Mckenzie, 222 Eighth avenue
southeast.
Harry was wounded while fighting
in the Argonne sector northwest Of
Verdun and for eleven weeks was in
various hospitals in FrancGa In con-
with an Independent repre-
sentative he told many of his expert
ences and mentioned some facts that
will be of interest to our readers. He
said that in the front line trenches
the officers discard all insignia of rank
and dress exactly as the common
soldiers. He said he saw great
many of the naughty Prussian Guards
after capture and they surely looked
crestfallen and demoralized. Many of
the prisoners captured were mere boys
and some were old men with gray hair
and boards. He said the boys were
always watching for an opportunity
to do something that would humiliate
the German officers taken prisoners.
One day bunch of prisoners were
marching past a doughboy as he lay
wounded when the doughboy stop
ped the party and pointed out two
officers whom he chose to carry him
back to the first aid station. They
were obliged to comply and when the
party reached the station the dough-
boy had an arm about the ne
each officer and in one fist he held
dirk and in the other wicked look
ing revolver. He afterwards said he
was sorry they hadn't stumbled or
done something that would have Civ
en- him an excuse for using his hard
ware. One day the CLINT of canteen
gave our boys clue as to the loca
tion Of an enemy kitchen and a few
minutes later well-aimed shot and
ed and had blown the place to atoms.
But the Germans, not to be outdone,
returned the compliment, and demol-
ished one Of ours the following day. A
couple of our boys stationed on out
post duty were bewailing the fact that
they hadn't got "crack" at Ger
man and when they saw a patrol pass
ing down the valley some distance
away with party Of German prison
ers they blazed away and brought
down a few. They repeated this per-
formance several times before thev
were located and obliged to desist
Harry says the ground after battl
would delight the eye, of a souvenir
hunter as he could find anything
from rifles to field glasses. The
French when they take prisoners cut
off all the buttons from their uniforms
after rifiing their pockets, and occas-
ionally an Algerian will nip off an
ear or the tip Of nose. Harry says
that they had their full share of the
"cooties" and relates many amusing
incidents pertaining to these lively
CRITTERS" One of the boys in his
company, Van Tile Smith of Fargo, a
heavy set, good natured fellow, fur
nished much amusement whenever he
got busy hunting the "varmints" and
Harry said Smiths chest was fairly
raw from scratching in his endeavors
to break some persistent "cuss" loose
He says that narrow guage railways
bring ammunition and supplies right
up to the very front lines. He says
It is wonderful how the Americans
have built railroads through the war
area. The French methods of operat
ing railroads are peculiar Instead
of having a switch engine make up
their trains all the work is done by
hand. They have no caboose on their
freight trains. The conductors ride
I'D on a little perch on the left hand
side of the car next to the engine.
Even on the lines operated by the Am
ericans the conductors are French
men. Trains as we'll as pedestrians
and automobiles pass to the left.
All soldiers are provided with kha-
XII handerchiefs, and all gun emplace-
ments and dug-outs are camouf1aged.
To the unframed eye, ne said, the eft.
feet was very misleading. He told OF
an old darkey water carrier meeting
with a peculiar accident one day.
This darkey drove an old balliy mule
attached to two-wheeled cart. One
day as he was coming up with a fresh
load she'll struck the mule and not
an atom of it's carcass was left, but
the darkey and cart were left untouch-
ed. The darkey grinned and said:
''Dar, what did told youse would
happen" Harry says the boys had
some little difficulty in comprehend
ing the French at first but vouches
for the fact that the French language
is both intelligible and easily spoken
after one gets we'll filled up on vim
rouge. He says that vim rouge pos
sesses wonder capabilities. He said
that the day the armistice was signed
was a big day all over France. Every
one imbibed to the limit. Every dough-
boy at the hospital where 'he was sta
toned who could possibly get about
with canes or crutches was ont mix
ing with the populace. One old man
Of about 10 years who had wooden
leg and long white beard was turning
sonlersaults and standing on his head
in the middle Of the street, his hair
and beard filed with mQd and dirt.
Speaking of his own work, Harry
said that with eight other boys he left
Minot in February, 1918, having at
tended the Signal school here which
was conducted under the auspices Of
the FMinot Assassination Of Commerce,
and were sent to Fort Leavenworth,