Show m ii W T JL JL 0 WIIO WENT MACHINE 1917 BY EMPEY IS MEMBER OF FIRING SQUAD WHICH CARRIES OUT DEATH SENTENCE synopsis fired by the sinking of the with the loss ot american lives arthur guy dempcy an american living in jersey city goes to england and enlists as a private in the british army after a short experience as a recruiting officer in london he Is sent to train ing quarters in france where he first hears the sound of big guns and makes the acquaintance of booties cooties co oties after a brief period of training empey s company Is sent into the frontline front line trenches where he takes his first turn on the fire edep while the bullets whiz overhead empey learns as comrade falls that death lurks always in the trenches chaplain distinguishes himself by rescuing wounded men under hot fire with pick and shovel empey has experience as a trench digger in no man s 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 the front trenches empey goes over the top in a successful but costly attack on the german lines soon afterwards empey and his comrades repulse a determined gas attack launched by the germans CHAPTER 11 continued 29 I 1 shouted to the driver to stop and in bis 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 deaf enang report all that I 1 remember Is that I 1 was flying through the air and wondering if 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 out of his bottle on the other side of the road the cor was sitting rubbing a lump on his forehead with his left hand while his right arm was bound up in a blood soaked bandage lie was moaning very loudly I 1 had an awful headache and the skin on the left side of my face was full of grael and the blood was trickling from my nose but that ambulance was turned over in the ditch and was perforated with holes from fragments of the shell one of the front wheels was slowly revolving so I 1 could not have been out for a long period the shells were still screaming over head but the battery had raised its fire and they were bursting in a little wood about halt a mile from us atwell spoke up 1 I wish that boffl t wished us the best 0 luck then he commenced swearing I 1 coulden couldn t help laughing though my head was nigh to bursting slowly rising to my feet I 1 felt myself 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 I 1 from our first aid pouches put a tourniquet on his arm to stop the bleeding and then gathered up our equipment we realized that we were in a dan berous at any minute a shell might drop on the road and finish us off the village we hid left was not very far so we told the corporal he had better go back to it and get his arm dressed and then report the fact of the destruction of the ambulance to the military police lie was well able to walk so he set off in the direction of the tillage while atwell and I 1 con tinned our way on foot without further mishap we arrived at our destination and reported to bri gade headquarters tor rations and lets that night we slept in the battalion sergeant majors dugout the next morning I 1 went to a farst fald post and had the gra cl picked out of my face the instructions we received from division headquarters rend that we were out to catch spies patrol trenches search german dead in io mans land and take part in trench raids and prevent the robbing of the dead I 1 had a pass which would allow me to go anywhere at any time in the sector of the line held by our division it gave me authority to stop and search ambulances motor lorries wagons and even officers and soldiers whenever my suspicions deemed it necessary atwell and I 1 were allowed to work together or singly it was left to our judgment we decided to team up atwell was a good companion and aery entertaining he had an utter contempt for danger but was not fool hardy at swearing he was a wonder A cavalry regiment would have been proud of him though born in eng land he had spent several years in new york lie was about six feet one and as strong as an ox vie took up our quarters in a large degout of the roal engineers and mapped out our future actions this dugout was on the edge of a large cemetery and several times at night in returning to it we got many a fall stumbling over the graves of english french and germans atwell on these occasions never indulged in swearing though at oy other time at th it stumble he would turn the air blue A certain section of our trenches was held by the royal irish rifles for several days a very strong rumor w ent the rounds that a german spy was in our midst this spy was supposed to be dressed in the uniform of a british staff officer several stories bad been told about an officer wearing a red band around his cap who patrolled the front line and communication trenches asking suspicious questions as to loca tion of batteries machine gun ments and trench mortars it a shell dropped in a battery on a machine gun or een near a dugout this spy was blamed the rumor gained such strength that an order was issued for all troops to immediately place under arrest anyone answering to the description of the spy atwell and I 1 were on the aul alve we constantly patrolled the trenches at night and even in the day but the sp always eluded us one day while in a communication trench we were horrified to see our brigadier general old pepper being brought down ittia a big private of the bayal boyal irish rifles the general was walking in front and the private with fixed bayonet was following in the rear e saluted as the general passed us the irishman had a broad grin on his face and we could scarcely believe our eyes the general was under arrest after passing a few feet beyond us the general turned and said in a wrathful voice to atwell tell this d n fool who lam lie s arrested me as a spy atwell was speechless the sentry butted in with none 0 that gassan out 0 you back to headquarters you goes mr aritz open that face 0 yours again an III dent in your napper with the butt 0 me rifle the general s face was a sight to behold lie was fairly boiling over with rage but he shut up atwell tried to get in front of the sentry to explain to him that it really was the he had under arrest but the sentry threatened to run ahls bayonet through him and would have done it too so atwell stepped aside and remained silent I 1 was nearly bursting with laughter one word and I 1 would have exploded it Is not exactly diplomatic to laugh at your general in such a predicament the sentry and his prisoner arrived at brigade headquarters with dalsas tafous results to the sentry the joke was that the general had personally issued the order for the spy s arrest it was a habit of the gen cral to walk through the trenches on rounds of inspection unattended by any of his staff the irishman being new in the regiment had never seen the general before so when he came across him alone in n communication trench he promptly put him under ar rest brigadier generals wear a red band around their caps dext day we passed the irishman tied to the wheel of a limber the beginning of his sentence of twenty one iso 1 never before have I 1 seen such a woebegone expression on a man a face for several days atwell and I 1 made ourselves scarce around brigade head quarters we did not wani to meet the general the spy was never caught CHAPTER the firing suad A few days later I 1 had orders to report back to divisional headquarters about thirty kilos behind the line I 1 reported to the A P M assistant pro marshal lie told me to report to billet no 18 for quarters and ra alons it was about eight 0 clock at night and I 1 was tired and soon fill asleep in the straw of the billet it as a mis erable night outside cold and a drizzle rain was falling about two in tha morning I 1 watt awakened jy some on shaking roe by the shoulder opening my eyes I 1 a regimental sergeant irabor bending over me lie had a lantern ta his hand I 1 started to ash hla what was the matter when he ant hi finger to bis lips for elleace and athi get on your equipment and without any noise come with roe greatly mystified me but I 1 obeyed his order outside of the billet I 1 asked what was up but be shut me up allas don t a questions its against OP ders J don t know myself it w as raining like the mischief we splashed along a muddy road for about fifteen minutes finally at the entrance of what must haw been an old barn in the darkness dark nesa I 1 could hear pigs grunting as it they had just been disturbed in front of the door stood an officer in a iaac mackintosh the it S M went op to him whispered something and thea left this officer called to me askell my name number and regiment at tha same time in the light of a lantern be was holding making a notation in s little book when he had finished writing he whimpered go into that billet and wait order and no talking understand I 1 stumbled into the barn and sat 0 the floor in the darkness I 1 could e no one but could hear men and moving they seemed nervous anal restless I 1 know I 1 was during my wait three other VMS entered then the officer poked ut head in the door and ordered fall in outside the billet in single rank kt we fell in standing nt ease the he commanded squad shun 1 number 1 there were twelve of us right turn left wheel t quick march I 1 and away we w ent tin rain was trickling down my I 1 was shivering from the cold with the officer leading we nu have marched over an hour plowing through the mud and occasionally stumbling into a shell hole in the roa when suddenly the officer made a let wheel and w e found ourselves in a soft of enclosed courtyard the dawn was breaking and rafa had ceased in front of us were four stacks d rifles three to a stack the officer brought ux to attendee and gave the order to arms tot each took a rifle giving us stand aa ease in a nervous and shaky he informed men you are here on A very solema duty you have been selected c firing squad for the execution of a acs adler who having been found guilty of 0 grievous crime against king and burled with honor country has been regularly and duly tried and sentenced to be shot at 32 a ro this date this sentence has bees approved by the reviewing authority and ordered carried out it Is our duty to carry on with the sentence of the court there are twelve rifles one ot which contains a blank cartridge the other eleven containing ball every man Is expected to do his doty J and fire to kill take your orders front me squad shun I 1 we came to attention then he left my heart waa of lead and my knee s shook empey in the next antall s merit tells the gripping artory of jj a coward whose streak of yel j low turned white 7 TO BE CONTINUED a |