Newspapers / The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, … / Dec. 11, 1917, edition 1 / Page 3
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NEWSPAPER MAN DESCRIBES VISIT JO HEADQUARTERS Nerve Centers of British and Ca nadian Armies Peaceful Even in Battle. IS LIKE BUSINESS HOUSE Function Calmly and Efficiently With out Turmoil or Slightest Disorder ?Young Staff Officers Com plain Because They Must Stay Out of the Show. London. ? During the past three years of warfare there have been daily communications emanating from a mysterious place called general head quarters, whose location or surround ings have never been mentioned, in fact are not known to the average sol dier fighting in France, writes Hal O'Flaherty in the New York Sun. To the citizen unacquainted with the affairs of giant armies the mention of the term general headquarters brings up a picture of a building in the heart of the great army activities, with mud splattered couriers dashing up on horse or cycle and with sentries pacing to and fro armed to the teeyi, while wor ried generals sit about great tables within tracing upon their maps the various positions In the front line. The fact of the matter is that Brit ish general headquarters Is perhaps the most peaceful and orderly place that one could Imagine. The roads ap proaching the main buildings are not lined with troops and paraphernalia of war, nor is there any of the mucb talked-of dramatics of fighting. Guards Are Unarmed. It is a business house, conducted on the most advanced systems of efficien cy. The traffic coining up to thq heart of the gigantic chain of lighting units is regulated by military policemen who know their business and keep motors and pedestrians going in the right di rection. ? The soldiers on duty in front of the building visited by the correspondent were unarmed and directed the arriv ing officers in a manner as courteous as that displayed by the commission aire at the \\W office in London. With in there was nothing- to indicate the presence of the greatest army dhief tains. The furnishings were modest, almost homely, and the atmosphere of the whole place was that of a peaceful and wejl conducted business establish ment. To secure an interview with one of tht^men who conduct the affairs of the British armies was simplicity itself. A telephone call sufficed to tell him of our coming and we were ushered into his office immediately upon our arrival. An officer of the United States army, known as a "liaison officer," had quar ters nearby, lie has been working as hard as any man of affairs at home coul.J work nnd his surroundings showed he wasn't In the habit of en tertaining visitors. "Take that rocKing cnair over m uie corner," he said as we entered, and one of "the party \Vent over .as directed and saf on the wooden box that had held his typewriter. A wooden table, two chairs and a rack for books made up the furnishings of hia. office. On his table was a stack of corre spondence a foot high, which if it could be read by the German high command would probably give them heart fail ure. There was something significant in that stack of letters. It was prob ably the first nucleus of n correspond ence between the directing officials mf the American Tinny and the British upon whom they are depending for ad vice and information. Some day that little pile will have grown Into an en tire library of documents that will fill long ranks of filing cases. It is pio neer correspondence under the new order of things between Britain and the United States. The following afternoon brought us by a lucky chance to Canadian head quarters, where we had the privilege of spending several hours with other men who are conducting operations. It was more than a lucky chance that brought us to Canadian headquarters almost at the same hour that the Ger mans began an attack ? it was an act of providence. Lighted by Lamps and Candles. It can be set down here without further parley that two newspaper men were never treated more royally than we were by these men who ai the moment we entered their quarters were directing a barrage against a strong German attack. In the midst of tea the door opened and for a few minutes we were under the impression thnt every general on the western front had been deluged In to our presence. If was a party ol officers who had dropped in for te?i and a chat with the army command ers. Instead they had a rather amus ing talk with two American corre spondents, who were found interest ing because they hud been with th? American army on the Mexican bordei and in France and hud some idea o! what Ohe Unite^l States troops couk do. Their inteifse interest jp prepara tions of the United States for war was manifested in every question, and tbeii friendliness toward everything Ameri i an wu? :nore than evident. In two minutes the formality of It! trotlin tion was over with and f? r 1 u1 !i half an nonr the Canadian general staff dropped their heavy respdhsl hi ti tles and enjoyed the unique experi ence of entertaining two Africans. It was the first time that such a gath ering had ever assembled in this par ticular building and all made the most of it. The staff captain who had intro duced us suggested that we get a little exercise, explaining that the staff offi cers usually spent an hour in the eve uing playing badminton or some other game just to keep in condition. We went out to a well constructed court similar to a tennis court and taped off in the same manner. For an hour we watched four officers bat the feath ered shuttlecock across the net with a display of skill and strategy that was worthy of men who used strategy in a greater and more deadly manner. We took a hand in the game for a time and then watched four others play off the staff championship. Meet Famous Strategist. When the game broke up and we re entered the headquarters building we were presented to a man whose name i is famous the length and breadth of the British front. His keen strtitagems ; and forceful work have won for him I the praise aiul admiration of every ; Canadian fighting in France and his i record as a fighter would fill several books. We were fortunate in having an opportunity of talking with lilm, for he, like the late General Funston, is keenly interested in newspaper work and it gave us a good start on the right plane. We explained to him our | reasons for coming to headquarters I and how the car that was to meet us I had broken down. "Well, I'm glad you're here, boys," he said. "I'll just arrange to have a couple of places set for you at dinner. | How are things over in the U. S. A.?" We had been talking with him only j a few minutes when an officer brought ! to him word that an S/6. S. signal had been received from a certain point iu dicating that the Germans were pre ' paring to attack. There was no blus ter. The information was given in a low, steady voice and the orders for certain counter-measures were given in an equally unruffled manner. An hour later it was learned that the Germans had given up their attempt after being unmercifully flayed by the gruelling fire which our host had turned loose. From time to time an otticer would appear at the door and report the prog ress of various movements under way, and throughout the evening there was no letup In the handling of business. The whole procedure of this work of directing armies seemed to operate as smoothly as the service at the dinner table to which we were shown. When the meal was finished and we were comfortably seated in the main room we heard from the lips of one of the officers a story of the thoughts and feelings of a man directing an offen sive. For the moment we saw a series of pictures thrown on the screen of our imagination. The oflicer asleep in fiis room. A sex vant calls him in the small hours. He dresses and walks slowly to his office, where a number of telegraph and telephone operators sit at keys and switchboards. A cup of coffee is steaming at his desk, a broad, flat ta ble, upon which is spread a great de tail map with flags marking the line of attack. He drinks the coffee, lights his pipe and turns to greet his brother officers. Men Go Over the Top. The hour of the attack is nmriked by a general glance at watches anil then the phone rings. The men are over the top ! Several phones ring. A number of objectives have been reached. An S. O. S. signal from "A" section. All reports are marked upon the big map by llags, and as each objective is reached a new flag is added. As re ports of trouble come from different points certain barrages ao* instructed to cut loose with everything they have. A "cut-in" shows the men lying by their guns, which are loaded and trained upon certain points. The S. O. S. signal comeo to the gunner near est the string, who reaches out and gives it a yank while the other gun ners jump into action. Before the tirst shell has reached its destination a second is on its way and the bis show is on in full swing. We see the men bombing the Germans out of dug outs; fighting hand to hand in the open ground with vicious thrusting of bayonets. Finally the picture reverts to head quarters, where we see the officer, tired eyed but smiling, reading the congratulations from all along the line and transmitting them to the victori ous men out in the shell holes and trenches. "I don't believe there's a one of us that wouldn't have given a great deal to be right down there with our men," he said. "That's the worst of having a staff job. One must take a distant view of things and stay out of the 1 show, which isn't a pleasant task, es pecially for that young officer who just handed me this report. I'll venture to say that he'd yell with Joy if he got orders to go back to his regiment to 1 night." Along toward midnight our disabled car came limping up to headquarters 1 for us and our farewells were said outside the door in the inky blackness of a rainy night. We shook hand? there in the darkness with these men who had been our hosts. From the dis tance came the deep-throated growl ol heavy guns. "We never let up on them." said a 1 voice from the steps. "It has been just as you hear It now fo^ months, ' and we'll keep on until we finish tht r Job. We are going to win." And that is the spirit that pervades not cn>7 the headquarters staff bul every camp and every dugout on th? British front. MARATHON RUNNER DISPATCH BEARER I Henri St. Yves, Famous Sprinter, Now Carries Messages for French Army. HAS MANY NARROW ESCAPES Spotted by Germans While Carrying Orders, He Remains in Water Filled Shell-Hole for Five Hour* ? Wants to Fly. Paris. ? Henri Saint Yves, the foiv mer marathon runner and now a dis 1 patch bearer In the French army, has i returned to Paris for a special 24 hour furlough, granted him because of a particularly perilous mission which he carried out in the course of his du ties in the trenches in front of Saint Quentin. While trying to carry orders from the advanced French trench line to a French machine gun crew which had established itself 4n n shell hole in the middle of "No Man's Land" half-way between the opposing lines, Saint Yves was "spotted" by two Ger man machine-gun crews, also holding shell holes. ! They opened a cross-fire on thj^fop mer long-distance runner and he dropped into the nearest shell hole, which was almost full of rain water. Saint Yves remained- in the water, with just his head above the surface to enable him to breathe, for five hours, or until after darkness. Then he crept out and made his way to the French machine-*un position, de livered the orders to the lieutenant in charge and made his way to the trenches again. Sent to the Hospital. Saint Yves had to go to a hospital for ten days, however, as the shell hole water in which he had been immersed so long was "gassy," having assimilat ed tl^<i poisonous properties of the gas shells from both sides which nad been rained down In "No Man's Land." Sev eral hours after Saint Yves emerged from the shell hole the poisonous wa ter got in Its effect. Saint Yves was wounded in the leg last May, but has entirely recovered from that and asserts he will be able to run as well as ever if the war ever ends and he gets back into civilian life. The marathon runner has applied for a transfer to the aviation, and his superior officers have Indorsed his re quest. He expects to be called to an aviation school to begin his training at any time. Saint Yves will try to be brevetted as a fighting pilot for flying In single-seated machines. v "I hear that poor old Tom Longboat has been killed with the Canadians up near Lens," said Saint Yves. "Well, Tom was a wonderful runner, but no man ever lived that can run as fast as the Roche bullets. "Our sector at the front ? opposite Saint Quentin, where the Germans re treated to the Ilindenburg line ? is sup posed to be quiet all the time, but we had a little fight up there a few weeks ago that was pretty lively. 1 was as signed as dispatch-bearer, carrying messages from the colonel up to the line, because the German bom bardment had plowed up all the ground behind our first and second line of trenches and torn up the tele graph and telephone wires, and their artillery had also wrecked a lot of our wireless. Had Narrow Escapes. "I had several close shaves in cross ing out in the open, with the German snipers potting at me from 1,000 me ters away. A couple of big shells /dropped pretty near me, too, but then you get used to shells, whereas ma chine guns and rifles always annoy i you, "Pretty soon I hope to be In the aviation service and after I get bre vetted as a pilot and have some ex perience of flying at the front, I'm going to apply to be sent to America I as an instructor for United States army aviators." 1 1 The wife and family of Saint Yves ' are now at Dieppe. Contrary to gen ' eral belief, Saint Yves was never a waiter In a Paris cafe. Byrn in ttouen, he lived and worked there as a bicycle repair man prior to going 1 to the United States eight years ago as a long-distance runner. I SURGERY CAN CURE CROOKS Michigan Judge Declares Half the Criminals in the U. S. Might , I Be Saved. Chicago. ? "Fifty per cent of the | criminals in this country under thirty I years of age can be restored to good i citizenship under proper surgical at 1 tentlon." i ! Judge George W. Brldgeman of Ben i ton Harbor, Mich., made that state i ment nt the dinner of the American ? Association of Oriflclal Surgeons in ! the Hotel La Salle here. "Seventy-five per cent of the crlm i inals brought into the courts of this i country are between the ages of flf . teen and twenty-four years and 80 per ! cent of them suffer from physical dts | ability," said Judge Brldgeman. "In i most of these cases this disability in t responsive for mental disability, manl i fested in crime, and It is capable of ! correction." I Bedtime, Sonny No chance of a chill if you h^ve a Per fection Oil Heater to warm up the room while you undress him. You'll find a hundred uses for the Perfection. It's light and easily carried ; sturdy, depend able, safe. It's economical too ? espe cially with the present price of coal and pas. Eight hours glowing warmth on a gallon of kerosene. Now used in over 3,000,000 homes. Best results obtained with Aladdin Security Oil. STANDARD OIL COMPANY Washington. 1), C. Norfolk, Va. Richmond. Va. (New Jersey) BALTIMOK.il MU Charlotte, N. C. Charleston, \V. Va. Charleston, S. C. THi: STAMP THAT SAVI S MONEY. I ? The more quickly the people may come into an understanding of the Government's plan for saving money through the purchase of the war stamp the sooner will the campaign for the disposal of the entire issue of $2,000,000,000 be concluded. Two sets of stamps will be offered the people, i One will be for . ?">, the other in the de- j nomin; ion of 25 cents. A tli -ift. ca; I I is furnished that has spaces for 16 1 j stamps. When these spaces are filled the card may be exchanged with the payment cf odd cents, for a $5 stamp. These are to be attached to a f< lder, known as a War Savings Certificate, which has blank ; paces for 20 stamps. If these are (idled between I December 1 1, 1^17, and January 31, 1(j18, the cost to the purchaser will be $82.40, and on January 1, 192'?, the Govern ment will P-y the owner of the certifi cate $100? ^a net profit to the holder of $17. (>0. This is based on an interest * of 4 per cent compounded quarterly. The amount of War-Savings Stamps sold to any one person at any one time shall not exceed $100 and no person may hold such stamps to an aggregate amount exceeding $1,000. ? Charlotte Observer. I Death cf Miss Lucinda Edwards. ; On Sunday morning, November 25, Miss Lucinda Edwards died at the home of Mrs. Virginia Edwards, aged 73 years. She had lived a life of r.ervice und usefulness. She was never married, hut helped to raise a large l family of children and no mother ever loved her children better than she did those. She was sick only from Tues day until Sunday, but she suffered untold agony while she was sick. A dog bit her on October 15th, but it was not thought that the dog was mad. The dog died soon after he bit her. After she was taken she never could drink any water or take any nourish ment at all. She appeared to be a raving maniac from Saturday after- I noon until she died Sunday morning at nine o'clock. | She will be greatly missed, not only i by the members of the immediate I (family, but by th.^ people far and near, I for she went about and nurse<i the I I sick, and had many friends who will I truly mourn for her. She surely has I been a friend to the writer. Her funer;^ was preached on Mon- I day afternoon and she was laid awav I *n the Snipes grave yard near Prince- I ton, to await the Resurrection Morn. I ? May the Lord prepare and fit us that I we may meet her on the shiny bank I in the New Jerusalem, never to part again. MRS. E. L. SNIPES. Kenly, N C. Turner's Almanacs for 1918. We have just received a lot of Turner's North Carolina Almanacs for 1918. Price ten cents each. By mail 12 cents. Herald Officc, Smithfield N. C. We hav? a big line of American made Dolls and toys. We also have a good line of imported Dolls and toys from Japan. The American made Toys are higher than the imported Toys, but are better made. Wre have tire Ameri can made Dolls from 25 cents to $3.00, and the Japanese Dolls from 10" cents to $1.00. We can furnish everything that's needed for Christ mas Trees. Do not wait until the Rush to buy for a Christmas Tree.
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 11, 1917, edition 1
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