Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-04-17
TWO YANKS HAVE
NARROW ESCAPE
:our American Guns Await Order
to Fire.
OFFICER SEES THE CHEVROk
II II Hadn't Been a Clear Day Knight,
Of Columbus Secretary and low;
Corporal Would Not Be Here Nov
to Tell the TaIe-Yanks Though,
They Were Huns and Had Gun,
Trained to Wipe Them Out.

If Sunday. October 10, 1918, had moi
been clear, bright day John ]. Nc
Bennett, u West Sixty-ninth street
New York, just returned from France
where since last May he served az
Knights of Columbus secretary, would
not be living today. He admits it and
his contention is supported by Cor
poral Bill Hale of Iowa, circulation
manager for Stars and Stripes, the Of
fetal organ of the A. e. f. Hale, too
has cause to remember always that
that particular day was bright and
clear-at least In the ArgOnne section
of the battlefields in France.
McBennett and Hale would certain
ly have been blown off the face Of the
earth if keen-eyed American artil
lery officer had not, through power
full field glass, happened to see the
X. G. chevron on McBennett's sleeve
There wasn't an instcnt to spare, ell
Their, because four big American guns
were trained on the men and the sig.
nal only was needed to blow them to
smithereens,
How It Happened.
1t happened like this: McBennett
who had been delivering supplies to
several of the Knights Of Columbus
buildings at the front, returned to d.
vision headquarters near Rarecourt
Saturday night, October II, with his
automobile out of commission. He was
wondering how he could manage to get
these cigarets and chocolates where
they would do the most good when he
happened to see Corporal Bill Hale
coming along with camiOnette deliv
erIng late edition Of Stars and
Stripes.
Hale agreed to help McBennett out
They made an early start and headed
for Fleville, then started for ST. Juvin,
which McBennett understood was oc.
cupied by American troops, but later
developments proved that $50 Ger
mans were concealed in the town and
outskirts.
Got Out to Adjust Curtains.
They kept going until they wore
within r. yards of the city. They
stopped their car and decided to get
away from there at once. Hale got
out of the car to adjust the curtains
on one side and McBennett left his
seat to arrange the shields on the
other side. They finally turned around
and they got back near Flevllle.
On the way back to the lines Me
Bennett and Hale met Father Mar
telle, chaplain of the Three Hundred
and Seventh engineers and Three Hun
dren and Twenty-first field artillery
The priest told McBennett and Hale
they certainly We're the luckiest men
In the world, because on the preceding
day, when they had ridden into File
Vile and started for st. Juvin. the
American troops stationed In noun
tain near there had seen them, but
could not make out any name or In
sigma on their car. and when they
saw them ride by these German ma
chlne-gun nests they naturally con.
Guided that they were Germans and
thus decided to mop them up. -Four
guns got their range on them imme
diately and would have received the
signal to begin firing had 1t not been
for the keen-eyed officer referred to,
Through his glass he happened to see
the X. C. chevron on McBennett's arm
and the order to fire was never given