Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 174, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1915 — Page 2

This nhotoeraDh of a block of buildings In Mextcala gives some Idea of the damage done by the recent earth«aake that shook the Imperial valley in the southern part of California. Many towns there and across the line In Mexico suffered greatly and some lives were lost

DIED LIKE HEROES

Two Companies Hold Position Five Days Without Relief. Only Handful of Wrecks Left of Assaulting Party With Mission to Capture Chapel—They Captured It How two companies of French infantry took a chapel defended by German trenches and held their narrow strip of captured ground for five days •nder a continual fire from German artillery is related in a letter published In the Figaro of recent date. The letter was written by the officer commanding the party, who was one of the handful who remained when they were at last relieved. The appalling gruesomeness of modern warfare is told in thrilling phrases in this recital of a heroic act. Parts of the story have been elided by the French censor, but enough is left to give a graphic description. It is as follows. “There was much agitation upon the plateau. The order had been given to my major to take the chapel at all costs. My company had the honor of being designated as the attacking company, and I am sent to reconnoiter the point of departure. “The chasseurs who man the trenches from which we are to leave look at us with interest, because we are going to give the final blow, and because everyone is sure that the chapel has been mined and that the storming company will be blown up with it

“1 give my last orders, then the whistle signal and we start off on the run. For two hundred yards, a great distance in an attack of this kind, we run through shell holes at points deep as a man's height. We take three trenches that are not heavily defended. But by the time we arrive at the chapel half the company is down behind us, for we made the trip in the cross Are of three machine guns.

“My sub lieutenant, a cashier of the Bank of France in times of peace, but a lion on the battlefield, at the head of ten men. Jumps into the little trench that surrounds the chapel and drives out the German sections. We have taken the chapel, but it has been a hard task; then my lieutenant signals to Captain X’s company Without an instant's hesitation he leads his company behind mine, through the captured trenches. He Joins me and Is killed just as he shakes my hand. 1 take command of his company as well as mine, and throughout the night a savage struggle takes place. “The positions we occupy are in the form of a spoon, the captured trenches form the handle and the chapel the large end. Through the trenches ammunition and food are sent to us. as we are being attacked on three sides. “The next day, seeing that they could not drive us out by assaults and not having been able to blow us up. for the precaution had been taken to cut all electric wires which the shell explosions revealed, the Germans began bombarding. All their artillery in that neighborhood was concentrated upon the small space we held, and 1 humbly pray to God that I may never again find myself in the midst of such a belL

“Huge shells burst among the living and the dead uninterruptedly; we breathed only a thick and nauseous vapor. Everything was burning, everything was whistling all about us. The reinforcements that were sent in to me melted away and I was obliged ' to send again and again for more men to add to the handful of heroes whom 1 have the honor to command. “We could no longer get supplies, and for more than twenty-four hours we had to go without food or drink. “What a sight! When, both day and night, hands and feet slip ceaselessly upon unnamable things which once were human bodies; when of these things one has before one the thickness of four men, one realizes how small one really is in the scheme of things, and it restores religious ideas to the most skeptical. For five days that continued, and for five days my colonel, who was watching the bombardment of the chapel, kept saying to his staff officers; 'How can you expect a company to hold out in that bell? It is not possible!’

SEVERE EARTHQUAKE IN CALIFORNIA

“But hold we did! We held until the moment when a huge twenty-one centimeter shell struck three yards away from me, tearing everything about me to a horrible mess and burying me with five other soldiers. We dragged ourselves out, and finding that no one of ua was wounded we took off our kepis and on our knees we thanked the Blessed Virgin for having saved us. "Shortly afterward we were relieved. And when 1 descended that slope to the plateau with the handful of men left from what had once been two full companies we were all crying from fatigue and shattered nerves. “Some of us, with eyes sunk into our heads and contorted mouths, were chattering our teeth, without being able to stop. With our clothiDg torn and covered from head to foot with blood and brains we were horrible objects to see. But the chapel was ours!”

SPURRED RESTA TO VICTORY

There is a story connected with Dario Resta’s brilliant record-smash-ing victory in Chicago’s first 500-mile International auto derby. Even happier than Dario himself, who was rewarded with the handsome sum of $23,000 for his efforts, was Mrs. Resta, who was glad to see her husband come home the victor in the contest. Her joy was increased by the fact that her husband finished without any injury to himself. The speed king admits that his wife was really the goal that spurred him on to victory. Mr. and Mrs. Resta were married shortly after the last Vanderbilt cup races, in which Resta landed first honors.

IS THE OLDEST BLACKSMITH

Michigan Man Is Eighty-six Years of Age and Still Shoes Horses. Homer, Mich.—The oldest blacksmith in Michigan—probably the oldest in the United States. That’s whai Jacob L. .Lyon of Homer believes he is. He will be eighty-six years old next January. And if there are any competitors for the honor, Mr. Lyon hopes to remove all doubt by remaining at the anvil for many more years. "You see, my father lived to be eighty-two, but he had two brothers who lived to be ninety-four and ninetysix years old," he declares. “So I have a few more good years in me yet" Mr. Lyon hasn’t missed a day at his shop in several years. His arm is as powerful and he is as active as the man, forty years his junior, who is his employee. He lives with his wife, who is sev-enty-seven years old, in a pleasant little home only a few yards from the blacksmith shop.

Minneapolis, Minn.—James Forman of SL Paul has found the brother he has not seen in 20 years. He located him in Minneapolis municipal court facing a vagrancy charge. The brothers had a family reunion at James Forman’s home in SL PauL

Cbickasha, Okla. —While making excavations at Shanoan Springs, W. A. Hopkins of Cbickasha unearth ad several large bones which apparently are the remains oi a mastodon.

Found Long Lost Brother.

More “Old Bones.”

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

HITS FRENCH HUMOR

Real Fun Is Cut Out of It by the Great War. Sardonic Representations of Alleged German Cruelty Typical of Humorist’s Exhibition —Soldiers Show Sketches. Paris. —The dreadful effect of the war on the spirit of humor is illustrated in the exhibition of caricatures organized by the “Humorists” for the benefit of their wounded comrades and of the widows and orphans of artists killed In action. The French genius for making fun of everything has disappeared and the enemy is not seen comically but horribly. The subjects are difficult for caricature, consisting for the most part of alleged atrocities.

The deteriorating influence of the subjects on style is seen abundantly in the contributions of almost ail of the caricaturists and illustrators. Forain tries to avoid topical slavishness by using side themes set at the front and suggesting amusing discomforts like rain, wind and mud in Flanders. One is a sketch of two dirty soldiers in a front-line trench reading Paris papers, with the remark that FYance will be saved if her civil population hold good. Another is one of a sentry calling to the driver of an automobile ambulance stuck in the mud to haul down the Red Cross flag in order to escape bombardment. The large number of English caricatures shown are better in spirit than the French, though most of them are bad drawings. The subjects are characteristic of English humor, “bulls” by Irish corporals, recruiting absurdities. front discomforts and some amusing notions of German types which appear to be based on knowledge and a certain physical sympathy for fatness, roundness, redness and squareness as expressed in the uniformed Teuton. The tone is genial throughout, and never sardonic in the grandiose fashion sought by the French draftsmen. The trouble with the English caricatures is that they show a deadly identity of style, variety appearing only in the choice of humorous incident.

The sculpture shown Is as poor as most topical or humorous sculpture usually it, far and away the best exhibits being champagne bottleu dressed up as drunken German ao!l----diers. Various heroic episodes from the official communiques are done Into sculpture, notably the famous Incident of the zouave prisoners who yelled to their comrades to fire when the advancing Germans used them as a shield.

A few sketches by Boldiers actually in the trenches are of interest because they give a vivid notion of the dirtiness and lack of picturesqueness of trench warfare. Sem’s “Crown Prince” is the familiar death’s head. The motive of stolen clocks is rathei more amusingly developed than most of the other stock traditions about German behavior on campaign and a few of the jokes about German lack of taste In woman’s dress are well aimed.

HEN ROLLS THE EGGS BACK

Wyandotte Chicken Makes Owner Stop Sawing Wood So She Can Set

Winsted, Conn. —Michael L. L. Dane by was puzzled when he found six hen’s eggs on a pile of sawdust al his wood sawing plant after the gaso-line-driven power had been running a, short time.

Through the sawdust-filled air came two more eggs as he debated. He shut off the power to learn if possible where the eggs came from. Presently one of his Wyandotte hens appeared. Finding one of the eggs she rolled it to a nest which she had made in “V”-shaped box where the exhaust from the engine carries away the sawdusL One by one the hen rolled the eggs nestward. She then resumed setting. The exhaust engine had swept the nest clean of eggs. Mr. Daneby has temporarily suspended operations at the mill so that the hen can finish her work.

Russia has 25.000.000 horses, tha United States has 24,000,300 sad the world contains about 100,400, 1 000,

REVIVAL OF OLD PLAY

Years and years ago, “King” Kelly pulled a play where he followed Williamson right in to the plate on a play where it was apparent that the latter would be put out when the catcher would tag Williamson, who would slide In one direction. Kelly would slide the opposite way, and It was impossible for the catcher to get both men. It was a play worked time and again with one man out and a run needed to tie the score. Since that time the play did not come up until a few days ago, when two Lincoln runners came into the plate at the same time when a short fly fell at the feet of Outfielder Pownall of Wichita. Pownall threw the ball to .Catcher Griffith as both men slid in at the same time. They made the mistake of sliding in the same direction and Catcher Griffith’s shin guards proved mighty handy. He blocked the plate completely and both men were stopped a foot away from the plate. It was an easy matter to tag both and the umpire would not allow a claim of interference. In this manner an outfielder threw two men out at the plate on the same play. There is no record of this play ever having happened before. Of course, the play was not rehearsed as Williamson and Kelly worked it, or the catcher could not have tagged both men.

STARS AT INITIAL SACK

The three leading first basemen in the majors, Saier, Chase and Mclnnis, are also hard hitters, speedy on the bases and exceptionally good fielders.

Schangs Making Great Name.

The Schang family is making a great name for itself in baseball. There are four boys in the Schang family and all of them are clever ball players. Wally and Bobby are the. stars of the outfit, both of them making good In the major leagues. Wally is the fine young catcher of Connie Mack’s Athletics, while Bobby is playing with the Pirates behind the hat and is giving the fans the impression that he is another Wally. The Schangs come from Wales Center, N. Y.

Worried About Mathewson.

Much speculation is being indulged in as to how Christy Mathewson will fare this season. Some of the critics incline to the belief that the great ttflrler is on the decline, while others think he will come through with a good record. McGraw still banks on his star and looks to see him pitch many winning games this year.

Roy Mitchell Sent Back.

Pitcher Roy Mitchell has been turned back to the SL Louis club by the Los Angeles club of the Pacific Coast league. .

ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE “COME BACKS”

Jack Coombs, Formerly With Champion Athletics, Now Battling Himself to Glory With Brooklyn Dodgers.

Up out of the misty murk of oblivion emerges one Jack Coombs, former world’s series star and long the mainstay of the Athletics’ great pitching staff in their palmy days. With Squire Ebbetts’ Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, ably managed by Your Uncle Wilbert Robinson, Coombs is once more battling his way over the rough roads that lead to fame and glory. Released outright by the Athletics and generally regarded as being one of baseball’s "has beens,” the "Iron Man” of other days has flashed a brand of twirling in the National league this season that bids fair to put him at or near the top of the circuit’s winning hurlers. Coombs’ return to the top of the heap is one of the most remarkable ever recorded in the annals of baseball. The big twirler severely wrenched the muscles of his back in a world’s series battle while with the Athletics. At that time it was thought

JAKE BECKLEY WAS “PEEVED”

Big First Baseman Knocked Cold By Pitcher Beebe When Former Lowered Head to Expectorate.

Here are a brace of baseball stories as recited by Ed Konetchy, first sacker of the Pittsburgh Federal league team: “Some years ago while I was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals,” recited Konetchy, “Beebe was pitching and Jake Becker was» covering first. Beebe several times tried to catch a runner off first, but failed. “Beebe then made a motion as if to throw to the batter. The motion deceived Beckley, who, thinking Beebe really was going to throw to the plate, lowered his head to spit on the ground. Beebe, however, didn’t throw to the batter. He threw to first. The throw caught Beckley off his guard and the hall caught Beckley on the forehead. “When Beckley had been revived he

Ed Konetchy.

turned » disgusted look at his fellow players and said: “This is a fine league—nit. A fellow can’t even spit without being assaulted.”

Brooklyn Has Real Team.

The Brooklyn Dodgers are going better this year than they have for ten years. The report is that Wilbur Robinson has a real ball team and that it will not be necessary ,to stage special holidays to bring the fans out to see the games.

Harry Lord Making Good.

Reports from Buffalo indicate that Harry Lord is making a success as manager. The scribes of that town say that there is a different spirit about the team and that the change appears to be lasting.

he was through for all time as an athlete. But Coombs was determined to stick in the game. He employed specialists to work on him, and a “harness”—something on the order of a steel jacket—was rigged up tor him. Wearing this he was able to work on the mound, though under difficulty. The injury made itself manifest in his work, however. He twirled lots of good games, but he couldn’t pitch with the effectiveness that had once marked his efforts. Connie Mack was loath to let him go and it was not until last fall, when he “cleaned house” for fair, did the Athletic manager part with him. Coombs, then a free agent, went to Manager Robinson of the Dodgers. To him he made the proposition that if he didn’t return to his old form ills services were not to cost a cent. Judging by his work so far, Coombs is meeting the Dodgers’ paymaster regularly.

BASEBALL STORIES

Jackson is beginning to be one of Tinker’s best pinch hitters. * * * Manager Robinson of the Dodgers has taught his men to bunt well. * * * The Boston Braves are having a hard time making a decent showing this year. * * * The St. Louis Cardinals are moving up the percentage column rapidly these days. * * • Poll Perritt is beginning to get his old speed ball working with the desired results. * * * Denver has shipped Grover Goshom back to Columbus. He failed to make good in the Western league. • * * In St. Louis critics and fans feel sure that the Cardinals have an excellent chance to win the pennant. • * * Bobby Clemens is playing a wonderful game with Rochester and is sure to be recalled by the St. Louis Browns. • • • It has been a long while since Bill Clymer had such a loser as he has at present in Toronto and he is shaking up his team in hopes of getting something out of it. * * * John Nee, former Dayton manager, now a player in the ranks with Erie, says his new team is the best in the Central league, despite the fact that it is on the bottom. • • * The case of Larry Cheney, the Cubs’ best pitcher, is a puzzle. His arm is strong and he is in the finest condition. But he seems to have lost all confidence in himself. * • • “Uncle Robbie” says that Nap Rucker will be as effective as ever when hot weather sets in. Robbie also believes that Jack Coombs will continue his great work all season. • • • Derrill Pratt of the Browns Is In great demand these days. Manager Griffith of the Senators wanted to make a trade of some sort with him, and the Boston club also made Branch Rickey an offer. * * • Manager Stallings is still using his reversible outfield. Sherwood Magee is supposed to play every day in center, but the other two gardeners are switched whenever a left-handed pitcher goes to the mound to opposition.