Show to A A A 11 T X MT 1010 N r t N 1 1 1 tt MACHINE N FRANCE I 1 my BY EMPEY IS MEMBER OF FIRING SQUAD WHICH CARRIES 4 OUT DEATH SENTENCE synopsis fired by the sinking of the lusitania with the loss of american lives arthur guy empey an american kmer ican 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 landon he la is sent to training quarters in france where lie he first hears the sound of big ba g guns gun i and makes the acquaintance of cloties cooties co oties otles after a brief period of training empens company Is sent into the front line trenches where he takes his first turn on the fire step 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 lias experience as a trench digger in nd mans land Exciting i experience on listening post detail exciting 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 afler afterwards wards empey and ana his comrades repulse it determined gas attack launched by the germans CHAPTER I 1 I 1 continued 1 20 I 1 shouted to the driver to stop and in his nervousness lie he put on the brakes we nearly pitched out headfirst but the applying of those brakes saved our lives the next instant there was a blinding flush flash and a deafening report all that I 1 remember Is that I 1 was flying through the air and wondering lf if I 1 would land in a soft so ft spot then the lights went out when I 1 came to atwell w was as pouring water on my head out of his bottle on the other side of the road the car corporal was sitting rubbing a lump on his forehead with his left lef t hand while his right arm was bound up in a blood soaked bandage he was moaning very ery loudly I 1 had an awful headache lie and the skin on the left side of my face was full of gravel 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 overhead I 1 but the battery had raised its fire and ana they were bursting in a little wood about halt half a mile from us atwell spoke up 1 I wish that officer wished us the best a 0 luck then lie he commenced swearing I 1 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 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 ald pouches put a tourniquet on oa his arm to stop the bleeding and then gathered up our equipment we realized that we were in adan a dangerous spot at any minute a shell might drop on the road and finish us off the village we had left was not ver very y far so we told the corporal coi he be had better go back to it and get ills his arm dressed and then report the fact of the destruction of the ambulance to the military police lie ile was well able to walk so lie he set oft off in the direction of the village while atwell and I 1 continued our way on foot without further mishap wo we arrived at our destination and to brigade headquarters headquarter for rations and billets that night we slept in the battalion sergeant majors dugout the next morning I 1 went to a first farst ald post poet and had the gravel picked out of my the instructions we received irom from division headquarters read that we were wera out to catch spies patrol trenches search german dead recon nolier in no mans land and take pert part in trench raids and prevent the robbing of the dead I 1 1 I 1 had a pass which would allow me to go anywhere at any time in the see sec tor of theline 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 At atwell welland and I 1 were allowed to work together or singly tt was left to our judgment we decided to team up atwell was a good companion and very entertaining he lind had an utter contempt for danger but was not foolhardy at swearing he was a wonder A cavalry regiment regime fit would have been D proud roud of him though born in england he had spent several years in new york he was about six feet one and as strong as duox an ox we took up our quarters in a large degout of the royal engineers and mapped out our future actions this dugout was on the edge edg e of a large cemetery cem eiery and several times at night in returning to it we got many a fall stumbling over the graves of english french and bermans Oen nans atwell on these occasions never indulged in swearing hough at any other time at the lust least stumble he would turn the air blue A certain section of our trenches was as held by the royal irish rifles for several days a very strong rumor we went nt the rounds that a german spy was in our midst this spy epy 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 around his cap who patrolled the front line and communication trenches asking suspicious questions as to location of batteries machine gun ments and trench mortars mortals it if a shell dropped in a battery on a machine gun or even near a dugout this spy was blamed the rumor gained such strength that tin nn order was issued for all troops to immediately place under arrest anyone answering ring to the description of the spy atwell and I 1 were on the vive we constantly patrolled the trenches at night and even lit la the day but the spy always eluded us one day while in a communication trench we were horrified io to see our brigadier general old pepper being brought down it by a big private of the royal irish rifles the general was walking in front and the private with fixed bayonet was following in the rear we saluted as the general passed us the irishman had a broad grin on his face and we could scarcely believe our ey eyes c s the general was under arrest after passing a few feet beyond us the general turned and said in a wrathful voice to atwell atwel I 1 tell this d n fool who I 1 am hes arrested me as a spy sp atwell was speechless the sentry butted in with none 0 that gossip out a 0 you boll back to headquarters you u goes mr fritz open that face a 0 yours again an ill dent in your napper with ti the I 1 e butt a 0 me rifle the generals face was a sight to behold he was fairly boiling over with rage but lie he shut up atwell tried to get in front of the sentry to explain to him that it really was the general he had under ity arrest rust but the sentry threatened to run his big bayonet through him and would have hae done it too so atwell stepped aside and remained silent I 1 was nearl nearly y bursting with suppressed laughter one word and I 1 would have exploded it is not exactly diplomatic to laugh at your our general in such a predicament the sentry and his prisoner arrived at brigade headquarters with disastrous results to the sentry the joke vas nas that the general had personally issued the order for the says arrest it was a habit of the general to walk through the trenches nelies on rounds of inspection unattended by any of his star staff the irishman being new in the regiment had never spen seen the general before so eo when he came across him alone in a communication trench he promptly put him under arrest brigadier generals wear a red band around their caps next day we passed the Irl irishman tied to the wheel of a limber the beginning of his sentence of twenty one days field punishment no 1 1 I never before have I 1 seen such a woebegone expression on a mans face for several days atwell and I 1 made ourselves scarce around brigade headquarters we did not want wani to meet the general the spy was never caught CHAPTER ohp firing suad A few days later thad I 1 had orders to report back to divisional headquarters about thirty kilos behind the line I 1 reported to thea the A P M 1 assistant provost marshal he told me to report to billet no 78 for qua quarters arters and rations it was vas about eight at ati night and I 1 was tired and so soon fell asleep in the straw of the billet it was ft a miserable night outside cold and a drizzly rain was falling fall lne about two in the tha morning I 1 wa vat awakened by some out one shaking gme me by bk the shoulder my eyes I 1 saw a regimental sergeant major bending over me ile he had a lantern in his right hand I 1 started to ask him what was the matter when lie put his finger to his lips for silence elleace and wills i get on your equipment and with 1 I out any noise come with roe me this greatly mystified me but I 1 obeyed his order outside of the bil billet let I 1 as asked ked him what was up but lie he shut me up with dont ask qui questions its against orders I 1 don dont I 1 t h know now myself it was raining like the mischief we splashed along a muddy road for about fifteen minutes finally plopping at the entrance of what must have been an old barn in the darkness 1 could hear pigs grunting as it if they had just been disturbed in front of the door stood on nn officer in a mack mackintosh the it S 11 went up to him whispered something and then left this officer called to me asked my rinnie name number and regiment at the same time in the light of a lantern he was holding making a notation in a little book when he had finished writing he whispered go into that billet and wait orders and aid no talking understand I 1 stumbled into the barn and sat on the floor in the darkness I 1 could see no one but could hear men breathing and moving they seemed nervous and restless I 1 know I 1 was during my wait three other men entered then the officer poked his head in the door and ordered fall in outside the billet in single rank we fell in standing at ease then lie he commanded squad shun number 1 there were twelve of us right turn I 1 left wheel I 1 buich march 1 and away we went the rain was trickling down my back and I 1 was shivering from the cold with the officer lending leading we must have marched over an hour plowing through the mud and occasionally stumbling into a sh shell ell hole in the rowl road when suddenly the officer made a leff lef wheel and we found ourselves in st a son of enclosed courtyard the dawn was breaking and thi th rain had ceased in front of us were tour four stacks ot ol rifles three to a stack the officer brought us u to attention tind and gave the order to arms we each took a rifle giving us stand at case in a nervous and shaky voice he informed men imen you are here on it very solemn duty you have been selected as i a firing squad for the execution of a soldier who having been found g guilty allty of a grievous crime against kins king and hoto by L S buried with honors country has been regularly and duly tried and sentenced to be shot at a m this date this sentence has been approved by the reviewing authority and ordered carried out it Is our duty to carry on with the sentence of the court there lic re are twelve rifles one ot of WT which eh contains a blank cartridge the tha other eleven containing ball cartridges every man Is expected to do his duty and fire to kill take your orders from m me e squad shun I 1 we came to attention then he left my heart was as of lead and my knees shook empey in the next installment tells the gripping story of a Il coward 11 whose streak of yel low turned white TO BE CONTINUED |