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YANK LISTED AS KILLED TURNS UP TO FIND RELATIVES Gone Wounded, Corporal Sprague Stayed by Brother's side in Argonne For est Till He Died, The Was Captured by Germans. Corp. Elmer A. Sprague, 22 years old, recently discharged member of Company A, 140th Infantry, returned to Kansas City a few days ago and was unable to find any of his relatives as he had been listed killed in action at least five differ ent times. Arthur Lee Sprague, broth er of Corporal Sprague, was killed in the Argonne Forest on September 29, and Corporal Sprague was wounded at the same time. His name accompanied that of his brother on the casualty Met as killed in action. Corporal Sprague tells a story of un usual interest as to occurrences on and after September 29. STATED BY BROTHER'S SIDE. “On the morning of September 29, Company A, of the 140th Infantry be gan to advance. During the course of this engagement my brother was killed and I was wounded,” he said. “I stayed with my brother until he died and then I started to join my company, but found that the division had fallen back. I also discovered that I was surrounded by Germans. As I lay near the body of my brother a small party of Germans’ approached, and after locking me over some of them raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired. The next thing I remember was the hospital train. They had evidently left me for dead and an other, more merciful party, had found me and sent me along with the other prisoners. “When we arrived at Sedan, France (in the hands of German troops at the time), we were placed in as small tent with hard boards to sleep on. GERMANS TOOK THEIR CLOTHING. “The next day our clothing was taken from us and after having had our wounds bandaged with paper bandages we were accorded the “pleasure” of see ing our “buddies” undergo operations as they are performed in the German army. No anaesthetic was used. A few husky German soldiers would seize the victim and hold him despite cries of agony while the operation was per formed. If the patient happened to ba n a very serious condition German surgeons used a hypodermic needle and the patient never awakened. “When I was able to lo work I was assigned to the prisoners’ hospital as a nurse, I received half a blanket for clothing and no shoes. A FRENCIE WOMAN TOOK FTFY. ‘A French woman saw my attire one day and offered men her clothes. She was overheard by a German sergeant, who took pity on me and gave me a pair of wooden shoes. “When the Americans captured the town of Sedan, the Germans took all prisoner and retired. I was sent to camp at Rastatt, Germany, where they released me on November 9.” Corporal Sprague is trying to locate his father, L. R. Sprague, formerly of Thirty-seventh Street and Elmwood Avenue. He joined the old 3d Missouri National Guard regiment in 1913. Seeene GIRL CHEERING YANKS INJURED. Mise Dimple Fowler of Syracuse Struck by Can of Corned Beef. Sipatta, Mo., May 16,—Miss Dimple Fowler, 18-year-old daughter of William Fowler, a section foreman, was severely injured today at Syracuse when a two pound can of corned beef was thrown from a special coach on Missouri Pacific train No. 31 carrying soldiers to Camp Funston for discharge. Miss Fowler was among a number of people on the station platform to cheer the soldiers passing through. Miss Fowler was struck on the head by the heavy can and was unconscious for ten minutes, and for a time it was feared the injury would be fatal. Just before the train reached Kansas City the officers in charge of the sol diers were notified that a little girl had been killed at Syracuse and expressed great anxiety over the accident. The names of all soldiers on the train were taken, but none could be found who wit nessed it i n New Leavenworth “¥!! Secretary: Sepa, Mo. May 16.—D. B. Buckley, for five years secretary of the Secalis Y. M. C. A., and later an evangelist, who recently returned from the battle fields in France, where he was a “Y” worker, has been elected secretary of the Y. M.C. A., at Leavenworth, Kaz. friends were advised here today.
Newspaper Details
Kansas City Times
Kansas City, Missouri, US
Sat, May 17, 1919
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
AD 13 Jan 2026
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