El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-12-16


{ this column daily during the next several
months. Today's instalment. continuing
. the general narrative, relates experiences
/ on the Metz front during preparations for
! the great battle o. the saint MihieI Sa-
lent
1t is suggested that readers clip these
] articles each day ard paste them IN scrap
] books; they viii not be reprinted and back
| numbers cannot be supplied.
/ DAN all day September 8; quiet and
/ N uneventfuL Flowers more brilliant
than ever. Dense masses Of troops
I behind us; we crowd forward TO make
room and prepare for concentrated eff
| fort. Preparing all along the front for
i mighty blow. First corps headquarters
! establishes at Saizerais some miles
! back Of us.
: g September l9lS-Raiu. clear in eve
ming. Generally quiet along front.
I : September l9Is-Brilliant day aft
! er early morning dense fog and heavy
I dew which soaks everything ike rain.
/ Enemy shells our front lines and sup
I port area an morning without eliciting
/ response. Immense aggregate here of
I field artillery, machine guns, heavy ar
| tillery, trench artillery, railroad artil-
lery, and tanks.
Fifth division moves into our left
but our division viii continue TO hold
I the outposts in front of II 10 avoid
! enemy Identification. The Goth mar
rows its sector to miles, and still
! further consOlidates its units so that
it is only miles deep in echelon.
Last night we moved our hesdquar-
tiers several miles toward the front and
are now only miles from the German
I trenches and well within range Of the
/ enemy's light artillery 1.-THE Austrian
SIS have a range Of u or Is niles
l Helmets required TO be worn continu-
ally here and instructions are issued
for measures 10 be taken IN event Of
l Smelling or bombing.
To move last night was a fine eE-
| perience. Started at $40 p. m, and
arrived at a. m after travelling"
miles. Pitchy, inky black night; tor
rents Of rain; sunken road under dense
trees. Roads blocked with artillery,
trucks, and French wagon trains both
ways, caterpillar off road blocks traf-
fic, trucks slip off roads into bitches
and break through bridges, hard roads
narrow and high crowns, slippery as
ice, dirt roads bottOmless mud No
lights permitted, not even q cigaret.
French truck runs into rear Of our
car in spite Of my stop signal which
consists OF a radio wrist watch waved
back and forth from back seat. In the
general tie-up everybody is good temp
cred.
Pictures on the night drive. ST.
hOuets OF S-horse caissOns and men all
muffled and silent, so dark cannot see
six feet away. Flashes Of guns flares,
gHn NnnNN rarHr# ~
crashing, horses rearing in traces or
in valley Unanswered BY tiny fairy
flash lights. Nearby objects that one
feels rather than sees or hears. a shade
blacker than the black night. Indis-
tInguishable sounds Of struggle. falls,
hard breathing, bum ing vehicles,
splashing mud and water, rumbling,
creakiug timbers. auto engines. low
voices, BUT no loud talking or shouting. [
All the road seems hOpelessly jammed /
in the blackuess which only the light l
ming or an occasional star-shell re-
lieYes for an instant, and silence that !
is not silence at all but as persistent I
as the roaring in a great sea-shell and |
as mysterious. The rain pOurs down /
relentlessly.
At last we extricate ourselves, find /
a by-road, and reach our new station. /
S September l9lS-wOnderful view 1
east and north, woods, valleys, and wen /
located roads; far views 70 the heights I
across the MOselle. This village was i
occupied by the Germans early in the I
war but they were driven out later ]
Important supply depot and narrow D
gage railroad center. tracks gummed 4
up with artillery and ammunition and 1
supplies, an advance hospital here, |
some barracks, a very few civilians re-
main; for some reason the enemy has 4
not shelled this place vet. have bunk 1
in hut with our French interpreter Of /
whom 7 have become very fond-the
Paris clothing salesman who is such /
a model gentleman and patient am
faithful sOldier-an officiOus billeting
officer wants to put him out Of off
GERS quarters on the ground that he
does not bear commissioned rank, il
intermediate between an officer and a
uOn-commissioned officer, but he Is the
right sort any way you take him
Sunday. attend mass in the little
ancient church Of moss grown gray
stone. A few women sing the LATIN
GregOrian chants, with folk songs for
the hymns. Three French soldiers in
uniform lone with ecclesiastical robes
over sing the mass exceedingly vel
and one PLAYS tiny organ with express
sion and simple but harmonious i'm
provisatiOn One fine looking French
soldier with splendid tenor voice sings
stirring hymn for occasional Opt
mistic but serious sermon in morning.
Remarkable experience in early eve
ming when attended vespers and Salut
in the little church. The three soldier
priests are all fine looking men with /.
excellent voices, all are bath attendants
nj the delOusing station. l never heard /"
a service better sung or said by priests,
sn intimate familiar service vet cere-
monial and dignified. Congregation
sang the Latin as if they understood
10 and felt it.
Stubs Of candles on the altar the
only light except one stuck on the
little organ. Two rascally altar boys.
Organ exeellently played Beautiful
hymns and chants.
Before the end, the dav was done
and no glimmer filtered through the
narrow Sits Of windows high up in
the stone walls. IL was a somber
closing; the litanies and prayers soft
y murmured in the dimness Of the
vault One OF the soldiers remained
to clear the altar and one by one he
axtinguished the little sparks Of light;
as he snuffed the last candle. the
church was black except for the one
red point In the sanctuary signifying
the eternal presence I thanked the
priest for the beauty and sincerity Of
3D. all na No rramH orrH rn0aH hnr int o.