Show k k 4 jr 4 ak ANT MACHINE N I 1 ray 1 EMMI EMPEY IS MEMBER OF FIRING SQUAD WHICH CARRIES OUT DEATH SENTENCE synopsis Sy fired by the sinking of the lusitania with ur the tow loss of american lives arthur guy empey an american living lu iii jersey city loei goes to england and enlists a as a private in the british army after a abort short experience as a recruiting officer in london be he la Is sent to train tog lo 10 quarter quarters in france nerre bere he first bents the sound of bir big euni and makes the acquaintance of coolies co oties after a brief period ot of training company ts Is sent into the front line trenches where he taken his first turn on the fire step while bile the bullets whiz overhead empey learns leams as comrade falls that cleath lurks always in the trenches chaplain distinguishes by rescuing wounded men under hot lare with pick and shovel empey has experience as an a trench diker digger in no mans land exciting experience on listening post detail ex citing work on observation post duty back in rest billets empey writes and stages a successful play once more in to the front trenches E empey pey roea goes over the top in a successful bat but costly attack on the german lines soon afterwards empey and his repulse a determined cas gas attack launched by the germans CHAPTER continued 20 I 1 shouted to the driver to top stop and in his nervousness he put on the brakes we nearly pitched out head first but the applying of those brakes saved our lives the next instant there was a blinding flash and a do deafening af report all that I 1 remember Is that I 1 wae was flying through the air and wondering it I 1 would land in a soft spot then the lights went out when I 1 came to atwell was pouring water on my head liend out of hie his bottle N atle on the other side of the road the cor was bitting sitting rubbing a lump on tila his forehead with his left hand while his right ami am N nas as bound up in a blood soaked bandage lie ile was moaning very loudly I 1 had an awful headache and the tle ekin skin on the left side of my face wits was full of gravel and the blood was trickling from my nose but that ambulance was as turned over in the ditch and was perforated with holes from fragments of the shell one of the front wheels was revolving so I 1 could not have been out for a long period the shells were still screaming overhead but the battery had raised its are fire and they were bursting in a little wood about half a mile from us atwell spoke up 1 I wish that om wished us the best 0 luck uck then he commenced swearing I 1 help laughing though my head was nigh to bursting slowly rising to my feet I 1 felt myself nil all over to make sure that there were no broken bones but outside of a few bruises and scratches I 1 was all right the corporal was still moaning but more from shock than pain A shell splinter had gone through the flesh of his right forearm atwell and 1 I from our first aid pouches put a tourniquet on his arm arnt to stop the bleeding and then gathered up our equipment we realized that we N were ere in a dangerous spot at any minute a shell might drop on the road and nod finish us off the village we had left was not very far so we ie told the corporal he had better go back to it and get his arm mt dressed and ithen then report the fact of the destruction of ilie the ambulance to the military police lie ile was will able to walk so tie ret off oft in the dejection of the vil village loge while hile atwell and I 1 continued ou way on foot wilhoit further mishap we arrived a at t our destination and reported to bri gade headquarters for rations and billets 1 that night we wo slept in the battalion a the next morning I 1 went to a first nid ald post and had the gravel picked 1 ut of my face the instructions we received rec elred from division diTl slon headquarter headquarters read that we were to catch aple spies patrol trenches march search german dead reconnoiter recon la in no and nd and tace take part la in trench raids and 2 prevent the robbing of the I 1 had a pasa pass which would allow me to go anywhere at any time in the sector of be the una line hald by our division it gave roe me authority to atop stop and search ambulances motor lorries wagon wagons and even officer and soldiers whenever my suspicions deemed I 1 it necessary cenary ne atwell and I 1 were allowed al towe lo 10 work to ether gether or eln gly n wa wits iset to our judgment we decided to team up atell wae was a good companion aad and very entertaining lie ile had an utter contempt for danger but wai was not riot fool airdo at swearing he wae was a wonder A cavalry regiment would have been proud of him though born bom la in eng land he had peat spent several 1 year years la in new tork york ile waa was about alx alz fet feet one and ai as strong ai as ao an ox wt we took tip up our quarter la in a large digout d gout of the royal engineer engineers and ua out our future action this dugout waa was on an the edge of a large cime cemetery tery and veral uron times at t night in returning to it lt we got rot man many A fall stumbling over the gats of englich Eng liah I and d berm Oe naana atwell on thee these never indulged la in wearing swearing thourl at r aay av other time at the tm kt lout tamble stumble be he would turn the air blue A certain section of our trenches wbk hald by the royal irish rifles for several days a very strong rumor went the round rounds that a german spy was in our midst thie this spy was supposed to be dressed in the uniform of a british staff officer several stories had been told about an officer wearing a red band blind around hia his cap who patrolled the frontline front line and communication trenches asking suspicious questions as to location of batteries machine gun ments and trench mortars mor tare if a shell dropped la in a battery or on a machine gun or even near a dugout this spy was blamed the rumor gained such strength that an order was issued for all 11 II troops to immediately place under arrest anyone answering to the description of the spy alwell atwell and I 1 were on th the qui rive vive we constantly patrolled patrol Kd ltd the trenches at it niort and even in the day but th spy always eluded us one day while in to a communication trench we were horrified hor rifled to see our brigadier general old pepper being brought down it by a big private of the royal irish rifles the general I 1 was wa walking aking in front and the private with fixed bayonet was following in the rear we saluted as the general passed us the irishman had bad a broad grin on ill his face and we could ic scarcely believe our yes the general was under arrest after passing a few feet beyond us tha general turned and said la in a wrathful voice to atwell tell this a a fool who I 1 am lies hes ar amsted rioted me ns as R spy atwell was speechless lle je sentry sent ry butted in with none 0 that gassin out 0 you rack to be headquarters you goes M mr fritz open that face 0 yours again an art ill I 1 II 11 dent in your napper with the butt 0 me rifle the generals face was a eight night to be bl hold he ile was fairly boiling over with rage but he shut up atwell tried to get in front of th the sentry to explain to him that it really was the general he had bad coder arres arrest t but the sentry threatened to run his bayonet through him and would hive have done it too so atwell stepped stopped arld and rem remained aitio silent allent I 1 was nearly burstion bur stio with suppressed laughter oct word and I 1 would wont hare have exploded it te lz not exactly diplomatic to laugh at our general la such a predicament the sentry and his prisoner cr arrived at brigade headquarter headquarters with disastrous results to the the joke wa was that the general central had personally issued the order for the arrest it was a habit of the general to walk through the trenches lenc be on round rounds of inspection unattended b by T any of bla his staff the irishman Irli hman baus b g new mew la the se had never en t n the general before so when be he ime across him alone ta tn a trench he promptly put him under arrest brigadier general generals wear weer a red band around their cap caps next day we petted pasted the irishman Irli hman tied to the wheel of a gimbor the b be inning of hia his sentence aen tence of twenty one day days field punishment no I 1 neter never before have bave I 1 een seen euch such a woebegone expression on a face vor several day atwell and I 1 made ourselves carce scarce around brigade bit cade head quarters nar we did not want to meet int the general the py spy waa was never caught CHAPTER the suad A few daya days later I 1 had order orders to re port back to divis divisional lInal bet headquarter about thirty kilos behind the line I 1 reported to the A P IL assistant pro yost mr arshal told me to report to billet no 78 for quarter quarters and ration it wae was about eight at night and ad I 1 wa was tired soon fell felt asleep in n the straw of the billet it was a mil mis erable amble outside oa talde cold and a nia ats w falline fal linc about two in a the morning I 1 was awalt awakened ned by some son on shaking me by the shoulder opening my eye eyes I 1 aw saw a regimental sergeant ere cant major bending avor me lie had a lightie lantern lo 10 hn hl right hand I 1 started to ask him what wae was the matter when hen he put fill hi a linger to his lips for allocca and whiff his per get on your equipment and without any noise come with me this greatly mystified me but I 1 obeyed his order outside of the th billet I 1 asked him what was up but he shut me up with dont ask questions its against or ders I 1 don t know myself it was raining like the mischief we splashed eJ alone along a muddy road for about fifteen minutes finally stopping stop pinc at the entrance of what must hare have been aa in old barn in the darkness dar knees I 1 could hear pig grunting as it they bad had just been disturbed in front of the door stood an officer in a mack mackintosh the II 11 S M went up to him whispered something and then left this officer called to me asked my name number and regiment reel ment at the th same time in the light of a lantern h he wax was holding making a notation aa a little book when he h had finished writing he h whimpered go into luto that billet ana watt orders and aid oo 00 talking understand I 1 tumbled stumbled into the barn and eat ant on the floor in to the darkness I 1 could see no one but could hear bear men breathing and moving they seemed nervous and restless I 1 know I 1 was during my wilt witt w itt three other men entered then the officer poked hia head la in the door and ordered rail fall in outside the billet in single raak rank we fell in standing nt at ease then be he commanded squad shun I 1 number Num bert I 1 there were twelve of us u turn I 1 lett quid quick march I 1 and away we went th the rain nas aas trickling down my back and I 1 wai was shivering from the cold with the officer lending leading we must hare have marched over an hour plowing through the mud and occasionally stumbling into a shell hole in the road when suddenly the officer made a lec wheel and we found ourselves la in a BOP nor i of courtyard the dawn was bre breaking ahing and th rain had ceased in front of us were four stocks oi of rifles three to a stack stick the officer brought a us to attention and gave the order to angale arms wt eat took a rifle giving us I 1 stand at ease in a nerous and shaky voice 1 he fol informed ormed me men you er or here on a very dalema duty you hae have been elected selected as a firing bring quad squad for the execution of a sol dier who having been frund found guilty of lav a 3 grievous crime against king and cat I 1 jp P burled with honors country has hn been regularly and duly dull tried and sentenced to be not at a tn this date this sentence has been approved by the reviewing authority and ordered carried but it Is in our duty to carry on with the sentence of tha court there arc art twelve rides one ot of which contain contains a blank cartridge the containing ball cartridge cartridges every man li in expected eror ceeil to do his duty and clr fire to kill take your order orders from frow nie me squad shun I 1 we caroe come to attention then he left lly my heart was wa of leed lead and my knees hook shook ampy in the next install Ini tall ment tells the gripping gripp lna etory story V f A coward whoa whose streak of yd yet low w turned waite W M BE CONTIN IF |