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Show GERMANS CLAIM SUMTER OF Men Are Said to Have Been Caught in Mine Explosion Prepared for Them by Their Teuton Enemies. BRAVERY OF U. S. AVIATORS IS LAUDED Private Goes Single Handed Into Village of Apremont to Find It Deserted; Raid Intended. BERLIN, via London, May 11. Heavy losses were inflicted on the American troops southwest of Apre-mont Apre-mont and north of Parroy by a strong mine bombardment, according accord-ing to the official communication from general headquarters today. WITH THE AMEEICAN FORCES ON THE FRENCH FRONT, Friday, .May 10. American batteries bombarded bombard-ed the enemy lines heavily last night, the shells causing fires in the villages of Cantigny and Mesnil St. Georges (west of Montdidier), held by the Germans. Ger-mans. German patrols continue active along the front. One attempted to rush American outposts, but was driven off by brisk rifle fire. An American outpost caught a German Ger-man trench dog The pouch about his neck contained a message that the German retaliatory fire was falling short and that mauy of their own shells were landing in Cantigny. This eon-firmed eon-firmed previous information reported by American outposts. AMERICAN SOLDIER BEATS LIEUTENANT TO DESERTED TOWN WITH THE AMEEICAN ARMY IN FRANCE, Friday, May 10. (By the Associated Press.) Previous to the American raid into the village of Apremont, Apre-mont, a private carried out, single-handed, single-handed, Thursday afternoon, an incursion incur-sion into the village and brought back tho report that it was deserted. This was confirmed ty the larger patrol this morning. The private, who is a "striker" for the lieutenant who eon-ducted' eon-ducted' this morning's patrol, learned what the lieutenant planned to do and decided to beat him into tho village. Immediately after dinner Thursday the private slipped out from behind the American barbed wire and crawled across No -Man's land without being observed. He reached Apremont, crawded about the outskirts and returned re-turned with the information that only a few Germans were there. The patrol this morning encountered two Germans in the village. They retreated hastily when the Americans attempted to capture cap-ture them and signalled for a barrage, which was laid across the path of the patrol as it returned to the American lines. German prisoners taken by the French in Apremont forest this morning morn-ing confirm reports of American aerial observers that American shells recently demolished flam men warfare brought up for an attack on the Americans near Apremont. The artillery concentrated its fire on this spot iafter a German prisoner had reported that an attack-was attack-was coming from that direction. MAJOR RASMUSSEN, DECEASED, WAS IDOL OF FIGHTERS WITH THE AMERICAN A RM V IN FRANCE, Thursday. May SI. (By the Associated Press.) Major Andrew Ras mussen of Portland, Ure.. who was killed a few days ago. while leading a reconnoitering party on the American front in Pieardy. was the idol of his men because of his utter fearlessness. He passed uawounded through revolutions revolu-tions in Central America and more severe se-vere fighting with General Carranza'a forces in Mexico, and finally through I wo years of service as a major with the Canadian army. He was detailed by the British last October to assist in training Americans in bayonet fighting and later was sent to an American armv school as an instructor. In January he was transferred to the American army with a major's commission. commis-sion. Major BasKHXsven was imtoedialclv given command of a battalion and fCont.nueti on Page Two i at the head of a patrol; downed an enemy airplane after a hard fight. Paul Frank Baer (Mobile), lieutenant lieu-tenant of the same squadron; a pilot pi-lot of marvelous audacity, never hesitating to engage the enemy in superior numbers; downed an enemy, ene-my, the second in two days. PARIS, May 11 Thomas Buffun of New York, and Donald S, Stone of Mexico, N. Y., both members of the Lafayette flying squadron, are missing. Stone probably is a prisoner in Germany. Ger-many. His machine was seen by infantry in-fantry observers to fall behind the lines after a fight in which nine French airplanes and thirteen German machines were engaged. geiis claim a -successful trap (Continued from Page One.) went into action on the front northwest north-west of Toul, where he suffered slightly in a .gas attack. On the night that his battalion was moved from its billets into the line on the Picardy front, Major Rasmussen joked with several correspondents while the German shells were bursting in the village, a few kilometers in the rear. He told them they might have his uniform, helmet and other things in case he was 'killed. . Then he rode laughing toward the trenches. U. S. Aviators Cited. TABIS, May 11. Citation for American Amer-ican aviators apear in the Journal Of-ficiel Of-ficiel today as follows: ; AViliam Thaw, major (Pittsburg), commanding the Lafayette squadron squad-ron which, following its chief's ex-. ex-. . ample, :has boon remarkable for its boldness and sucess. A keen pilot, |