Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 March 1915 — Smokestack Dummy “Slain” [ARTICLE]

Smokestack Dummy “Slain”

Amiens, France. —A factory chimney, of which there are many in Northern France, makes an excellent observation post. There was one near Albert, which aided, the French for several days. A captain climbed to the top, whence with a telephone he effectively directed the. fire of the French batteries. The Germans probably saw the officer, for they began to fire at the dhuhney. The first day they aimed about twenty shells at it without result, for it is not easy to hit such a thin mark five or six kilometers (three to three and three-fifths miles) away. The captain was ordered to descend, but before doing so he Installed in his place a life-size dummy with a fine gold embroidered cap. By the* OS'of a cord thia dummy could be made to appear at will. The game caused much pleasure to the French troops for two days- Each time a German shell missed the chimney the dummy would appear in the summit as it to chaff the “Boches,” but finally a shell struck the chimney squarely and the dummy perished among the brick. The artillerist who told jne this Ataxy was very tired a few nights ago »nd went to sleep with three comrades on top of a hayrick. There were three other men sleeping in another hayrick alongside. In the morning this artillerist was greatly surprised to see the (hrep men in the second hayrick all dead. In the night a shell had burst and killed these near neighbors, but the men in the first hayrick were so tired and so accustomed to the sound of explosions that they had not been