Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-09-26
MONTANA WAR
HERO TELLS Of
PRISON TRIALS
Government WardSays
EyeRemovedwhenH He
Refused Information.
Captured While Out on
Patrol and Held Until
Signing of Armistice.
Special to The Tribune.

Special to The Tribune.
Helena, Sept. 25.-Doomed
to spend the balance Of his life
in darkness, one eye COM
pletely gone and the sight Of
the other destroyed because Of
his refusal to divulge inforna-
ton as to the American forces
after he had been made cap
tive by the Germans, Bob
Roberts, a Montana soldier, is
now preparing himself to be
self supporting in spite Of the
extreme nature Of his dis
ability.
Roberts was taken prisoner on the
Champaign front shortly after his COM
mand entered the zone of hostilities in
the early part Of 1918 and remained in
German prison camps until the close OF
the war. He is now in Helena for
few days stay and will leave this week
for Minneapolis, where he expects to
resume his studies as a ward OF the
government
Although he has passed through the
most terrible of experiences and has
served in two campaigns in which the
Montana troops were engaged. Roberts
is but ~ years of age A native of
Huron, S. D., he came to Montana in
February, 1915, and was employed on
ranch near Miles City until the Mexican
troubles, when he went to the border
rs a member of the machine gun COM
pany, under Captain Foote, of the Sec
ond Montana. Upon his return from
the border he went into Co. z, Of Miles
City. Of the Second Montana, with
which he remained until after his COM
mand got into France, when he was
transferred to the 18th infantry, Co. A,
with which he remained for the few
weeks be was permitted with the Amer
lean forces.
On Front Early.
His regiment reached the front jan
uary 20, 1918, and for few weeks it
was merely held at the front to famil-
iarize the troops with the conditions
and to enable them to get acquainted
with it's functions. The regiment had
engaged in no battle at this time, the
men being assigned to patrol duty,
only, and it was while on one Of these
expeditions that Roberts was captured.
On the night of February 5 1918,
patrol of Ii men, of which Roberts was
q member, was sent out to inspect and
repair the wire entanglements in front
Of the American trenches. The patrol
had advanced to a point about 100 feet
beyond the trenches when it ran into
an ambuscade of about IS Germans, by
which the patrol was practically an
initiated.
Besides Roberts, there were two
other Montana boys in this patrol,
Bobby White, of Miles City, pal Of
Roberts, who was killed at his side, his
body being blown completely in two,
and Christ Sorenson of Big Sandy. AS
far as Roberts has been able to learn
only he and Sorenson escaped and all
the rest were killed.
Roberts was wounded by three bull
let's, one in his right hand, one in his
arm, and in the back Of the neck. How
ever, his injuries were not serious and
he was picked up by the Germans and
taken to a dug out where he was piled
with questions concerning the Ameri-
can forces.
He was one Of the first Of the Amer
leans to be taken captive by the Ger
mans, and they were very anxious to
learn Of the numbers and disposition
questions Roberts refused answers and
his first chastisement was a slap in the
face.
Threatened by Germans.
He was told that was not all he
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