Nebraska Newspapers

    VIEWING RUINS IN
AND BEHIND YPRES
^Tillages of New Shacks to
House Refugees Have Sprung
Up at Cross Roads.
BY LOWELL MELLETT.
United Press Staff (Correspondent.
With the Amertcan Army in France.
<by mail.)—The principal road to
'Ypres—from this side—leads through
Poperinghe. Approaching Poperinghe,
^ likewise from this side, you see
•one of the rarest sights in all Belgium;
Ofw houses. People never before lived
itn new houses in Belgium; houses al
ways were old; they were like the
trees and the hills and the rest of the
^scenery. But now on the forks of the
road you find little new houses one
after another.
If it were not that nothing can make
you forget the war, once you pass the
Belgian border, you could easily im
agine yourself In the outskirts of a new
factory or mining town in America
These little houses are the most pitiful
nondescripts. They arc built of boxes
and,-of discarded timbers of one kind
•and another, forming a typical Shanty
town of the American sort, save that
many have roofs of tile and the others
have thatched coverings.
In nearly every window is displayed
•■something for sale, green groceries,
post cards, odds and ends that sol
diers buy, and you think at first that
this temporary market is responsible
for the new one-street town strung
along the road. But that, too, is a mis
take. Poperinghe explains the Belgian
•shantytown. Poperinghe—known alt
over the British front as “Pop” is de
serted, and these houses were built
along the road by refugees who were^
unwilling to go any further than they
had to.
You can ride all about Poperinghe
and see little sign of life, save an oc
casional hungry looking cat. All the
„ dogs apparently got away, but a few
cats remain One we saw sat in the
great round hole made in the side of a
little brick dwelling by shell, sat and
stared disconsolately at the clock In
the biggest of Poperinghe's churches.
The clock registered half past six. The
clock on the next biggest church regis
tered half past one. The cat may have
been puzzled as well as disconsolate.
Straightaway eastward out of Pop
eringhe runs the main road to Ypres.
On either side are desolate farms, un
filled, except by shells. Near the town
are a few exceptions, such as one hop
ranch, whose vines have climbed a
■dozen feet Up their poles, regardless of
the fact that . the towji breytiery has
erased’to. UreW.' As Ypres is approached
the desolation increases. Only the
heavily cobbled roadway, running level
and intact well above the abandoned
farms, shows signs of human attention.
It will be the same after this after
noon’s rain, while the dusty farms will
turn into mud flats.
It continues so into Ypres.
One cannot go beyond the edge of
Ypres unless one has business there as
a fighter, but standing on the broken
walls of the old weaving mill near the
western edge a good view of the ruins
can be had. The half-gone corner tow
ers of the famous Cloth Hall can be
seen, anil the arch of the crumbled
cathedral. All the rest of the piace is
a dead level of destruction, and the
continued methodical shelling by the
Germans may in time bring the re
mainder’of the towers and the cathe
dral arch down also.
Ypres. it Is said, was beautiful. It
will require a restoration like San
Francisco’s after the Are to make it
beautiful again.
HUNS BELIEVED ALLIED
ARMY WASEXHAUSTED
New York.—Long before Marshal
Foeh began his brilliant counter of
fensive on the Marne, the Germans
had been told that his reserves had
been exhausted. This is shown by a
Wolff Bureau dispatch published in
the Berlin Tagebiatt, which described
the fighting about Chateau-Thierry.
"The hope of the entente regarding
a (Jeeisiye intervention •;of the great
army of maneuver• has been definitely
shattered. The proud army of reserve
which the war council of Versailles
played as Its trump exists as such no
longer,’’ read the dispatch.
“The great victory of the crown
prince has shattered a considerable
part of the enemies fighting force and
has resulted In the dissolution and
complete dispersal of the Foch army
of maneuver. The tremendous losses
suffered by the entente on the exten
sive fronts between Ypres and Rheims
will be difficult to replace.”
This was published in Germany
about a month before Marshal Foch
struck the Germans on the Marne and
drove them back to the Vesle. It prob
ably shows why th? German public
was so %reg,tjy surprised by Marshal
'Foch’s brilliant stroke.
BOYS OF ALL RANKS
JOIN THE BOY SCOUTS
i From the Minneapolis Journal.
What kind of boys Join Boy Scout
itroopa? From what kind of homes?
What do their fathers do?
And their mothers, when the latter
work outside tho homes?
Ludvig S. Dale, scout executive for
Hennepin county, has been looking into
these questions. His findings cover
1,606 cases. Of these only 387 are
roughly classitled as coming from
homes “where they may he said to en
joy superior advantages,' while the
large majority, 75 per cent, come from
'•Vrijlfee homes '”
Mr. Dale .states that hts .purpose in
mtVkirtg' tne survey was to learn in what
proportion the Boy Scout movement is
reaching different classes of boys. Find
ings are summarized by grouping fath
ers into 20 classes, dividing these into
four groups on a basis of “living ctr
■cumstances,” and then combining the
four into two classes.
The study is believed to strengthen
a communication made to the board of
education last week by Dr. Nils Juell,
a member. In. which be suggested that
the Boy Scout mo- -merit contained so
much merit It might well be utilized as
an agency in the public «< hools on a
largo scale.
Dr. Juell Is a m< mber of the executive
committee of the Boy Scouts of Ameri
ca for Minneapolis. y
1 Mr. l>ale says more fathers come ftl
the manual Ichor than In any other of
the 20 main groups. The next largest
father group Is that of “salesmen.” with
200 numbers. The largest single group
is that of carpenters, with 101 members.
Of the 46 cases where mothers are re
ported h» working outside the home. 31
are housekeepers or cooks, or work in
laur.drl os
Tile emerald Improves in color by
exposure to light. Fearls kept in
darkness lose their luster, but regain
it on exposure to the s uu.
JUAREZ, MEXICO, IS
PORT OF MISSING MEN
Many Americans Have Crossed
Border There Never to Be
Heard of Again.
Juare*, Mexieo--Thls Is the port of
missing men. Many Americans have
crossed the shaky, wooden bridge to
this little adobe town who have never
been seen nor heard of again. The files
of the United States consulate here are
filled with letters from mothers, wives
and other relatives asking for infor
mation about men who have dis
appeared somewhere in Mexico.
Many were killed fighting with the
various revolutionary forces during the
six years’ war. Others were murdered
for their money on the Calle Diablo—•
Street of the Devil, or were killed by
bandits who rove over the country en
forcing the law of the six shooter. Still
others are living out their lives In some
mountain settlement under assumed
names, often With native families.
Tom Kingsherry’s name was the lat
est addition to the long list of those
men “missing in Mexifeo," KtngSberry
was foreman for the Potomas Land &
Cattle Co., of Los Angeles. He left for
an Inspection of the cattle ranches west
of here and has not been heard from
Since. Mexicans here whisper of a feud
existing between the Palomas cowboys
and Jose Ynez Salazar’s band of out
laws. Salazar was killed at the head
quarters ranch of the Palomas com
pany. , That was where Kingsberry dis
appeared a year later.
Kor months the body of- an Ameri
can swayed in the wind suspended
from a telegraph pole at Rancheria,
south of here. He was caught dyna
miting bridges and hanged by the fed
eral railroad guards. He was never
identified. Many Americans are known
to have been executed in the cemetery
on the hill. Few were given an op
portunity to notify their relatives.
RUSSIA A VICTIM
OF GERMAN KULTUR
From the New Europe.
No one imagines that the Russian
debacle was entirely the result of Ger
man propaganda, or that it was due to
the plotting of a few Individuals. We
could go back to Empress Catherine if
we liked, but perhaps it would be bet
ter if we examined the Russian fabric
of the past 30 years or so. The Rus-.
sian newspaper Vecerni Cas (March
18) reproached the allies for their ig
norance of Russia, for which "they
very dearly, and we even more
dearly;” and in the coruse of this ar
ticle the writer says:
The Germans have made a thor
ough study of Russia. During the
past 20 or 30 years, when it be
came clear that an armed collision
was inevitable, the Germans in
formed themselves of the whole re
sources of our country, and entered
into the war with us armed not
alone with guns but also with a
most detailed knowledge of our in
dustrial, economic and intellectual
life; not to mention the fact that
during the past 30 years the whole
of Russian science and almost all
our Intellectual activity lived and
developed under the domineering
influence of the German mind. ‘Our
jurisprudence is German, our phil
ology Is German, while our so
cialism also bears the stamp—
"Made in Germany.”
The statement is worth studying,
and particularly the last part of It. We
may detest kultur as we detest poi
son gas, which, however, we did not
hesitate to use ourselves when the
military need for It became urgent;
how much more reason is there to op
pose German kulture. which we con
sider a detestable thing, with our own
culture, which we consider a noble
thing. Before the war we were perhaps
a little too contemptuous of Ideas; we
took our soap too much for granted.
And yet there Is such a thing as Anglo
Saxon civilization, Anglo-Saxon polit
ical freedom, Anglo-Saxon democracy.
England has more original genius,
but the Germans are the great adapters
and go in for cumulative effects, im
pressing outsiders •by it he pressure' of :
sheer weight,' not unlike their tactloa
in the baittlefleld. Like ancient Egypt,
modern Germany goes In for the kolos
aal. German education and science, In
particular, gained a pyramidal reputa
tion In Russia by its colossal and sys
tematic thorough (less: Russia was
just near enough to see the tops of the
German cultural pyramids, gilded, like
their Egyptian prototypes, to catch the
sunlight, and hiding by their sheer
size the finer and more exquisite cul
tural monuments of England and
France.
The deepest Ignorance prevails In
Russia regarding English conditions
and problems. English political insti
tutions, their evolutionary and demo
cratic character, institutions which
for man integral part of Anglo-Saxon
culture hardly less pyramidal than
Germany’s more vulgar monuments,
the Russians are almost ignorant of.
At thts moment the impression pre
vails in Russia that England is an im
perialistic country, holding her large
and numerous colonies in subjugation.
GREEK CHARGED WITH
TAKING_ROYAL PLACQUE
From the Washington Times.
Oeorge Haidiarakos, Greek, was ar
rested by the police on the charge of
the larceny of a silver placque. esti
mated to be worth 140.000, said to have
been an heirloom of the royal Greek
family, from Thomas Tripolitis. also
a Greek, of Chicago. Haidiarakos was
i arrested in Scranton, Ha.
Haidiarakos say3 ho is (he owner
the silver art treasure, claiming it be
longed to Ills wife. who. he said, is of
royal ancestry. He said the placque
had been in her family since 1422 and
was brought to the United States from
Constantinople by himself and two
other Greeks at the outbreak of the
war.
Tripolitis claims the plaegue was
taken from George E. Mason, of Chi
cago. to whom he had intrusted it to
be i.cjd.
DASHES THROUGH STEAM
TO PREVENT A WRECK
From the New York Wolrd.
Cumberland, Md.—The heroic act of
£. W. Bennett, in rushing through
scalding steam to save a Baltimore &
Ohio passenger train from crashing in
to a wreck of another passenger train
just east of Newburg, prevented a sec
ond disaster. In the wreck the engi
neer was killed and the other members
of the train injured.
When Bennett flagged the oncoming
train the engineer threw on the emer
gency brakes.
The helping engine of the first train
had Jumped the tracks, derailing tii« 1
smoking and baggage cars.
THE poor condition of seed com In the northern Corn Belt will no doubt
result In a very poor stand of com In many fields. In some cases
entire fields will have to be replant*!.
Many farmers cannot replant because of the scarcity of seed, and
substitute crops must be planted or the land will remain Idle.
In this emergency the growing of millet, sorghum, or even Sudan grass. Is
worthy of consideration.
Perhaps the best of these substitutes for the northern Corn Belt Is
sorghum. The Early Amber variety Is ghod for either syrup or forage purposes.
Other good varieties ore the Orange, lied Top, and Gooseneck. For growing as
'forage, sorghnm can be sown as late as August 1, and will make more or less
;of an enormous growth, depending upon the soil and season.
When grown for hay it may be sown broadcast or with a grain drill, using
from 50 to 70 pounds of seed to the acre. Or it can be sown In rows like com.
using Z.jva five to ten
pounds of seed per F
acre, cultivated and cut
for silage with a corn
binder.
’> When' used ns silage
It should be cut when
the seed begins to har- ,!
den. For silage it Is
nearly equal to corn i
and under good grow- $
lng conditions will pro- $
iduce more tons to the j
acre. ill
When sowed for hay '?
it should be cut with a |!
grain binder and shock- ;]
ed. Later it can be |
hauled to the barn or
feed lot and put In the |
mow or stacked, to be l
fed whole or run
through a cutting box. *
As it is hard to cure, it Jj
may be best to leave it J
outside in snocits or a ■— ■ rr.. . —■..w-...—
small stack, us the Foxtail Millet—Can Be Sown After Wheat and Oata
weather does not dam- Are Harvested—Make* Good Catch Crop,
age It.
There are two types of millet—the broom corn type, which has spreading
heads, and the foxtail type, which has one spike head.
: Millet can be sown ns late as July as a catch crop. It con be sown after
wheat and oats are harvested. Use about three pecks of seed to the aero and (
cut for hay when the heads begin to show.
Sudap grass Is as yet new to the Corn Belt., It belongs tp the sorghum
family. It'may be sown broadcast, or drilled,'nnd it makes no difference in the
yield of hay whether 10 pounds or HO pounds of seed are sown to the acre, rs It
Is a great stooler.
! Sudan grass can be sown as late ns July 15 or 20, nnd the early seeding
sometimes makes two cuttings. It should be cut ns soon as the bloom begins
to drop and handled the same as sorghum. Jf the weather Is hot and dry It can
be cured Into hay and stored.
j In securing Sudan grass seed care must be taken to make sure you do not
get Johnson grass seed Instead. Johnson grass ts a great pest and Its seed so
closely resembles the seed of Budan grass that the average person cannot tell
the difference.
---
Social Invention. j
H. Addington Bruce, in 1
The world has always been In need of
great social Inventors, i More than ever
it will need them to solve the stupendous
soctal problems certain to develop after
the great war.
There can be no return to pre-war
social conditions, with the injustices which
the war has brought so sharply Into
relief. But other' Injustices—even confu
sion amounting to chaos—may develop In
the absence of truly efficient plans tor
social reconstruction.
Russia’s present plight Is ample Indica
tion of this.
Russia was a land of privileged tyranny.
Socially It was an architectural abomina
tion. Master minds were Indispensable to
make It a pleasing place wherein to dwell.
Master minds doubtless were available.
Alas! They had not been giving sufficient
thought to Russia’s soplal problem. .And.
the'task of reconstruction fell to vision
aries unequal to it.
We must take warning from Russia’s
sufferings. In our own land sundry so
cial readustments are inevitable. If their
working out Is left to men who feel keenly
but think thinly can we hope for a real
betterment?
Borne years ago Louis D. Brandels. r.ow
Justice Brandels. of the United States
supreme court, made a statement much
to the point at the time he made it
and still more to the point today. Said
Mr. Brandels:
There ate vital economic, social and
Industrial problems to be solved. And
for these we need our ablest men.
The reason why we have not made
more progress in social matters Is
that these problems have not been
the Chicago Daily News.
'tackled by the practical men of high
ability, like those who hare worked on
Industrial inventions and enterprises.
Yet, if in the past "practical men of
high ability” as a rule have failed to
tackle social problems, they are not alto
gether^ be blamed. ,
The spirit of the past has been exces
sively Individualistic and to an Inordinate
extent materialistic. Accomplishment for
self, gain for self, pleasure for self has
been the teaching of our yesterdays.
Under such teaching the social sense was
of necessity well night stifled.
But circumstances are now compelling
new views of the meaning and responsi
bilities of life. The old selfish Individual
ism Invites social disaster. "Practical
men of high ability" must turn their
thoughts to social rebuilding or perish In
the ruins, of Society.
That Is the-situation which confronts
them.
It will not avail to dlsmlsa with bitter,
contemptuous words the murmurings and
protests of those oppressed In the present
social order. The justice of the protests
must be appreciated, and earnest thought
given by the best trained thinkers to the
devising of effective social reforms.
Again I quote Justice Braudels:
There is no such thing as freedom
for a man who under normal condi
tions Is not financially free.
We must therefore find means to
create in the individual financial inde
pendence against sickness, accidents
unemployment, old age and the dread
of leaving his family destitute if he
suffers premature death.
Kor we have become practically a
world of employes.
ARMY TURNING OUT
COOKS RY WHOLESALE
School at Camp Bowie Fits Men
to Prepare Wholesome
Food For Soldiers.
—
Fort Worth. Tex.—Nine hundred!
skilled cooks, trained for overseas duty,!
have been graduated (p classes or SOU
fropj *-he Stivercunent school for cooks j
arid bakers, the'largest school of Its!
kind in the country, which Is being'
conducted at Camp Howie here under |
command of Captain Fred H, Morrell. |
Students graduating must reacl\ the |
following standard: Practical work, j
50 per cent; recitation and theory, 20
per cent; care of kitchen, 18 per cent;
discipline, 15 per cent The majority of
those graduated have been taken from
the course for second cooks, with first
cooks next in number and mess ser
geants third.
The course Includes lectures and in
struction on rations, bills of faro
component parts, field specifications,
preparation, sanitation, temperatures,
mess management, stock sheets, field j
cooking, recipes and visits to the pack - I
ing houses here. An understanding of I
food values moat needed to suit con- '
dttions existing In various places is
being drilled into the students
Great attention aUto is given to food
conaervaUOtf. The army must not
waste and cooks are taught to throw
all particles of meat and bone Into a
20-gallon pot where the mixture is j
boiled and the fat rendered. The stock |
Is then used for gravies and soups. |
Some companle.) here require the;
msn to weigh what Is left ton their
plates and the amount Is deducted
from the next meal, thus adjusting the j
food needed to their appetites.
The sanitation course requires the
mess officers to keep kitchen, mess
hail. refrigerators, oveiui and cooking
utensils hygenlcally clean. This ap
plies to tables and floors. How to set
the tables is an important part of the
study.
Experiments are conducted to devise
means of using substitutes for flour,
such as oatmeal, cornmeal, and rice
flour. Use of sirup instead of sugar
wherever possible is encouraged.
“Food wastage,” said Captain Morrell
“is not always the fault of the soldier
at the mess table. The cook is often to
blame. If he doesn't cook the food
right, it will be distasteful to the men
and they will refuse to eal all set tie
fore them. The well cooked menl put*
the men in good spirits its well as help
ing physically."
A record of fOod conservation was
kept, at the detention camp where the
recruits are quartered and fn. inder
1>je Tlirection of Oolite**. .'.Jorrei; Of
72,179 pounds of flour allowed the camp
In 14 days, only 36,16a pounds were
used and yet every man had all the
bread he desired.
"KAISER” BURNS CHILD.
From the New York World.
"Down with the kaiser!” shouted a
group of children in front of No. 229
Kast One Hundred and Klghth street,
which is in the heart of the Harlem
Italian colony. They were dancing
about an effigy of the Herman em
peror which had been left over from a
bloek party held the previous evening
by young Americans of Italian descent
who were departing tor camp. The
children had seized the dummy and aet
it afire.
Josephine Salvaggio. 5 years, whose
home was In the house In front of
which the kaiser flamed, danced toe
close to the blaze. Her skirt was set
afire. All her clothing was burned off
and she was terribly scorched. Her
uncle, Amaileo Salvaggio. ran to her
rescue. His hands jtnd face were
burned. Both were taken to the Re
ception hospital.
An illuminated dour knob, for which
a !>atent has been granted, is oovered
with a glass pare! on whtrh “so be
painted a bouse number or a na—
ARMY BANDS HAVE .
MORE ATTENTION
Musicians Will Be Required to
Possess Ability—Other
Work Also.
Tn France (by mail).—A recent gen
eral order of the American army In
creasing regimental bands to BO piece*
and giving all bandmasters the com- j
mission of lieutenant Is understood to
foreshadow a general reorganisation o<
army hands and music. Like a good
many things that military theory had
-either abolished or regarded as of sec- j
ondary Importance when this war be- I
gan. music Is to come Into its own '
again as a primary essential of soldier- I
ing.
The commander In chief recently
sought the advice of Dr. Walter
Dam roach. American orchestra leader
and composer, who Is now in France. I
and aa a result the army bands are to
b* brought up to date and perfected.
At m-esent army musicians also act as
Mretcher bearers when action Is on.
It Is proposed to relieve them of this
duty. If the military authorities think
it feasible, and compel them tt>' prac
tice constantly. The band lenders are
to bo examined as to their musical
ability and an effort will b« made to
find the best instrumentalists In the
service, so that' every regiment will
have a highly trained band.
The army authorities have learned
that music is a big part of war. The
men want It and they appreciate good
music, as Is shown by the big turnout
for the concerts. Good music is a
tonic to the units relieved from the
front lines and wearied troops straight
en up inwardly and outwardly when
they are played Into rest camps after
action. It also haa been found that to
play the men out when they start for
the front Improves their morale.
Experiments are being made with a
view to the Introduction of the French
bugle in our bands. The American bu
gle is keyed In C and does not lend It
self well to a band, while the French
army bugle, keyed In B flat and with
a clear ringing tone. Is excellent coun
terpoint In hand music.
GENDER ,0F THE PIAVE
WORRYING ITALIANS
BY HENRY WOOD.
United Press Staff Correspondent.
Rome (by mall)—Italy h» very much
Interested In settling the question of
whether the Piave river is masculine or
feminine.
Names of rivers, like names of all
things in Italian have gender Which Is
Indicated usually by the last letter of
the word and as a consequence of which
all articles or adjectives modifying the
word must be of the same gender. Un
fortunately the gender of the Piave has
never yet been definitely established,
and the question now being discussed Is
whether It Is “La Piave" (feminine) or
"II piave” (masculine).
But for the fact that It was on the
hanks of the Piave that the Italians
checked the great Austro-German drlva
of last fall, and the new Austrian offen
sive of this spring, It la doubtful if ths
question nf the Plave’s gender would
ever liaVe been discussed or settled. As
It Is, the question has become one of
great importance and one that Italian
writers are demanding to have perma
nently established.
Supporters of the two sides are citing
all aw Purities possible to support their
respective contentions.
Marla D'Angelo is for havjng the
river masculine, and has in his support
two of the greatest Italian writers,
Carducc! and d'Annunzio. D'Annunzio
especially feels that the river should be
masculine as a permanent tribute to
the vicinity of the Italian army that
was manifested there.
On the other hand nearly all of the
most celebrated Venetian writers, such
as Bembo. Goldoni, Starpl and Gaspnre
Gozzl used the Piave on their writings
(an feminine.
Meantime It develops that both the
maps of the Italian Touring Club and
those of the Italian general staff have
adopted the feminine form The gen
eral staff especially Is credited with
having chosen the feminine for the
Piave after cartful study of historical
documents and the common usage
along the river.
The question, however. Is still open.
AFRICAN ELEPHANT TO
AID RECONSTRUCTION
Pittsburgh.—John Ringling. circus
owner, has determined to propose to
the allied governments that African
ejfphants be tamed and used In tho
reconstruction of France after the
wgr.
Because gun and shell fire at the
battle fronts are slaughtering mules
and horses by the tens of thousands.
Mr. Ringling and Edmond I at plea, of
the University of Ivouvaln, Belgium,
met In conference here the other day
and discussed plans for using the here
tofore African elephant In reconstruc
tion work In Europe.
The men agreed that the loss of
horses and mules could not be replaced
for many years, and. since African ele
phants may he found In vast numbers,
and be tamed easily, both felt positive
that the allies would assist In the ship
ment Of the big beasts.
"One elephant will do the work of
26 horses," said Mr. Ixtplea. who has
charge of the Belgian government's
business In the Congo. "Europe must
be reconstructed ami there will be no
horses. We are using the African ele
phant in currying timber from tlie
forest, in plowing and in all kinds of
farm work. He carries nnd lifts beams
and girders for the construction of
buildings." _
A Call of the Wild.
From the Birmingham Age-Herald.
'I wish to buy a motor car horn to re
place the one wo now have—something
distinctive," said the haughty matron.
"Yes. ma'am,” replied the salesman.
"Would a siren do?”
"Dear me, no. It must be something
entirely different from the ordinary motor
horn."
"But wo havo a siren that exactly Imi
tates the hue', of a timber wolf '
■ Ahl That ought to stilt my husband.
He's a gr4Adover of nature."
BOY POST.
From the Chicago Tribune
Versailles, Ind. On its first trip
from Cincinnati to Versailles, the par
cel post automobile truck carried a
much alivo 13-year-old boy weighing
73 pounds and wearing 73 cents of
Iiostuge stamps as one of its packages.
The lad was tagged “Freddie Prtnx
Versailles, Ind., care of the postmaster."
He was sent by a Cincinnati news
paper. He remained overnight in Ver
sailles nnd was "posted" for his homfi
the next day by the postmaster, who
stamped on .hi* collar “Fraglls and
perishable."
MOUNT GRAPPA HAS
BECOME ABYWOBB
Italian Who Took Part In Great
Conflict Tells of Many
Acts of Valor.
Front In Italy, (by mall.)—Mount
Rrappa ia a synonym for valor in the
Italian army. The proudest troops
are those who defended the historic*
i mountain against the Austrians last
j June and prevented their passage to "*>
the Venetian plain. A bowlder taken
from the spot where the fight was hot
test has been removed to Milan and
erected as a battle memorial with Im
posing ceremonies.
AUghlero Castelll, of the Italian
! army who took part in the conflict had
i Written as follows:
"The effort to straighten our lines
I In the mountains, begun by the re
occupatlon of Mount Valbella, Col del
Rosso and Col d'Rchele (Col means
I hill) was extended to the northwest of
Mount Grappa, between Col Moschln
and the Asolone.
"Against .this zone In his June of
fensive, ’General Conrad, as all re
member. launched hla best troops In
an attempt which he expected would
opep the way to the valley through
Hassano’ with comparative ease. He
was halted Instead In the valley of San
| Tjorenzo, driven from the plateaus ho
had taken and. through a hold stroke
| of our arms, obliged to abandon other
j positions which arc of great advantage
1 to the Italians In checking a new drive
or starting an offensive against Aus
tria, as Conrad announced In one of
hla bulletins.
Artillary Firs for Two Days.
"For' two days the Austrian artillery
played on the zone without ceasing.
The night preceding the attack the con
centration of fire was redoubled by the
Italians, fully engaging all the posi
tions of the enemy, disorganizing his
commands, cutting his communications
and all the nerves of his movement.
In the rooming the Infantry went
Into action and at one dash occupied
the positions of the enemy., Soon their
Importance was disclosed hV the large
number of prisoners who appeared to
lay down their arms.
"At 6 o'clock our forces had achieved
all their objectives. A Roman colonel
commanded our Infantry. A lieutenant
with one arm led another body el men.
He had refused to leave the Mrvlcs
when crippled and be exerted an ex- ,
traordinary ascendancy over hla sol
diers.
"At tha aame time out other detach
ments straightened our positions In
the -valley of San T.orenzo and im
proved the effectiveness of our lines.
“The resistance of the enemy was
obstinate, especially by the Twenty
seventh Austrian division.
"The struggle In the trenches In ths
communication lines, in the dugonta
which our artillery had half destroyed
was bitter and at times fierce. With
the Impetuous charge of our attacking
parties the first 200 prisoners were
brought in In leas than 20 minutes.
Our Infantry seized 20 enemy machine
guna and forthwith turned 12 of then*
against him.
"We took about 600 prisoner* In all
and 27 officer*. Including a company
commander. The Austrian losses lit
killed and wounded, however. Wers
about 1,200 men.
_ 1 i 11 r. >
uur artillery unswereu inimeuiaie
ly with the greatest precision and si
lenced the enemy's barrage fire. It cot
off the Austrians In their dugouts and
decimated the occupants and support
ed the infantry at all times with great
efficacy.
"The Austrians counter attacked
several times In vain, keeping up the
fight till 7 In the morning- They per
sisted In shelling the terrain with
heavy artillery, but under it our troops
succeeded in holding and consolidating
our positions.
“The Austrian prisoners taken neat
Mount Grappa said they did pot ex
pect to be so quietly expelled from
their strong positions.
“The enemy suffered heavily. Some
compantM were reduced to a few men.
We saw battalions left In command of
a lieutenant. Their supply department
was poorly organised. The soldiers
suffered from hunger, especially In the
last few days. They asserted that lack
of provisions to send them had as much
to do with the conditions as the de
fective provision service.
“We saw a long column of Austrian
prisoners defile in front of our line*
with their officers leading them. Their
appearance Was that of men happy tc
escape from a great disaster.
'One of our soldiers threw a loaf of
bread among them. The Austrians,
like a swarm of bees, flung themselves
on the bread to grab It. They tore it
to shreds. After that the column
moved slowly through ouy lines, which
stood at fixed bayonets.
“A Hungarian officer said:
" ‘It la useless. Mount Grappa has
been and always will be our tomb.'
"In contrast with the state of the
enemy. It is enough to say that the
Italian troops of every class go Into
battle sinking hymns. ith their hel
mets decked with flowers, shouting:
'Fall back. Austrians, we are the sol
diers of the Grappa!’
“Seven Italian war prisoners suc
ceeded In regaining our lines. After
escaping In spite of the great vigilance
of the enemy, they related that the
Austrians compel most of the prisoners
to work Immediately In ttie second line
trenches and under fire. The Austrians
lack food. They say that the hodr of
dellveranre Is eagerly awaited in the
Invaded territory, while the inhabi
tants make ostentatious display of
their Italian patriotism, even in front
of the Austrian gendarmes.
1 "The children almost all wear little
1 Alpine caps and sing the 'Hymn of the
Grappa.' even as they pass groups of
' Austrian soldiers.
“The success of yesterday, besides
I strengthening and improving our po
sitions, bars die road to the invader.
[ which symbolizes the valor of our
’ army and the Inflexible will of our
country.” '*
NEW GREENBACKS OtfT.
Two new greenbacks—the first of
the nation's wartime currency—are In
: circulation. They are the }1 and
federal reserve tyank notes planned es
pecially to replace the silver certifi
cates withdrawn from circulation as
the treasury’s silver reserve Is melted
into bullion for export to the allies.
The $1 note hears a portrait, of George
Washington in the upper left hand cor
ner of ttye t.vce side, and otherwise
resembles p* fierally a federal reserve
note On the reverse sido is shown in
a center ova! an eagle In full flight,
typifying the nation mobilized for war.
The $2 note is similar, except that it
beers a portrait of Thomas Jefferson
on the front and a picture of a battle
t ship on the back._
\ COAL HEAD READY.
From the Philadelphia Public laslger.
Hollldayburg, Pa.—In anticipation of
. tilt enactment of the law extending
the draft agee, John E Elliott, a coat
company president, registered before
j the local war board and passed the
| physical test. Mr. Elliot* wanted ample
j time to arrange his business u/falnx
before entering the army.