Jim Hogg County Enterprise (Hebbronville, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 22, 1941 Page: 5 of 8
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THE JIM HOGG COUNTY ENTERPRISE
THE STORY SO FAR: Intelligence
OOlecr Bcnning'i warning that 200,000
forotgn troops wera poised In Mrxlco
lor an attark on the I'nlted Suits
canted grave eonevrn In array head-
quarters, bet the people branded the
sutement at “war mongerlng.” He had
Jnst returned from Mexico City where
# *
CHAPTER X—Continued
As the commanders scattered to-
ward their station wagons and mili-
tary sedans, the bright sky festered
into a hideous hiss of sound. It
came crashing in out of the dis-
tance. The ear could trace its course
as it settled toward the earth.
An instant's silence and the ground
trembled under the impact of high
explosive. A geyser of muddy brown
earth shot skyward, the air filled
with the mighty detonation.
The departing commanders gave
an anxious look at the spout of dirt,
but changed neither gait nor pos-
ture. General Mole calmly touched
• match to the stub of his cigar
and gave several vindictive puffs.
“Well, there's the first shot,” he
muttered. “Sounded to me like a
long-range baby — probably from
twenty or thirty miles."
An observation plane radioed in
the information. Van Hassek's
heavy artillery had set up north of
the Nueces. Mole offered no com-
ment. There was nothing he could
do about it until the enemy came
within range of his howitzers. His
own 105-millimeter cannons, good
for fifteen miles, had yet to be mold-
ed, mounted, tested, and delivered
to the Army.
As for his airplanes, there was
no taking further risks over Van
Hassek’s moving columns. It didn't
matter that the air service had sent
in the crack combat groups from
all three of its powerful wings. Nor
that American pilots and gunners
had proved themselves this morning
much more than a match for the
Van Hassek airmen.
The American squadrons had paid
a heavy price for their swoops
against Van Hassek’s invaders. Into
one anti-aircraft trap after another
the Americans had fallen.
The first big shell fell in an empty
field well back from the Second’s
front lines. A second shot followed
quickly, and the business of long-
range cannonading settled down into
glum, racking routine. From a
range of approximately twenty-two
miles, observation reported. The
Van Hassek columns were still roll-
ing forward in a great, tortuous
martial serpent whose tail reached
far back across the Rio Grande into
Mexico.
The ten thousand men of the divi-
sion worked feverishly through the
hot afternoon, deepening and extend-
ing their trenches, adjusting gun po-
sitions. They pretended indifference
to the roar of Van Hassek’s artil-
lery, to the frequent spurting foun-
tains of earth that rose hideously
about them. In mid-afternoon one
shell caught a full squad of men
who in a flash were shreds of flesh.
A stark reminder of what was to
come. But the men who saw this
tragedy went stubbornly on with
their work.
Out of the distance came the rum-
ble of light American artillery.
The firing came from the Frio Riv-
er, which meant that Major Randt,
commanding, was potting at the
head of the main attack force. The
sound of Van Hassek's counter-bat-
tery assault wafted in fifteen min-
utes later. It rose in volume. The ar-
tillery duel went on, growing in vio-
lence, which told the whole Second
Division that the intrepid Randt was
forcing the Van Hassek advance
guard to extend itself.
Firing broke out to the north and
south on the extreme flanks. At the
division command post Mole and his
staff waited on these actions with
tense nerves. Three o’clock was
near. If Van Hassek’s invaders
could be delayed much longer, they
would not be able to deliver their
attack in force against the Second
before daybreak.
General Mole and his staff made
an estimate of the situation. Mole’s
jaded face brightened in a moment's
exultation as his staff unanimously
agreed with his own deduction. The
Van Hassek commanders would not
be able to attack now until morn-
ing. Their advanced divisions had
not even started into assembly areas
for battle deployment.
“That means we’ve delayed them
one day without a fight,” Mole ex-
claimed. “It gives us a real chance
of getting through tomorrow with-
out getting blown out of our shoes.
After that—we will see what we will
see. But what a hell of a pounding
we’re in for tonight, without any
anti-aircraft and long-range artil-
lery!”
When the hot Texas sun slipped
down to the horizon through the haze
in the west, a furious roar of mo-
tors swept the Second Division. The
flight of enemy attack planes, flying
an altitude of less than five hun-
dred feet, struck with the sharp bite
of forked lightning.
Over the 9th Infantry’s sector the
attack planes appeared close enough
to be hit with a hand-grenade. Men
gaped after the apparition, or
ducked into their holes in the ground
against the menace of fragmenta-
tion bombs. But there came no ex-
plosion. The enemy had not opened
up with their machine guns.
••Gas!”
The warning outcry rose in vol-
ume from two thousand throats. Ter-
ror froze on men's faces. Officers
INSTALLMENT TEN
tax bad acted ai a ipy and gained tbu
confidence of Flncke and Bravot, two
enemy offleera. Suddenly four tart#
aoutbern cltlei were attacked from the
air; Washington waa bombed and the
Prealdcnt killed. National force* were
ordered mobilised, but they were IU
equipped for Immediate action. Crneral
#*#####
barked orders, noncoms raged at
their men.
Stay put! Discipline slowly but
surely prevailed over the hot im-
pulse of self-preservation. Men dove
into their trenches to bury their
faces in the earth, or ripped off their
cotton shirts, and wound them,
doused with water, about their faces.
Gas—and not a gas mask in the
entire regiment—only ninety in the
whole division and those for demon-
stration purposes in training tests.
What type of gas had the Van
Hassek barbarians put down? Ob-
viously not a mustard or persistent
gas. The Van Hassek infantry would
not want the sector contaminated
in the morning when they launched
their attack to blast the Americans
out of position. A noncom caught
the answer as his eyes burned into
tears.
“Tear gas I” he shouted.
The sector commander cursed
again and trotted off to the left, im-
parting a show of deliberation to
his gait. Gas officers were making
their calculations of what appeared
a new gas. Scores of men, afflicted
with a lachrymation and burns that
might extend over several days,
would have to be evacuated to the
hospital at San Antonio for treat-
ment.
Overhead the American aviation
was redoubling its efforts. The 33d
Pursuit Squadron was hawking over
the sector. The 77th Pursuit Squad-
ron was patrolling to the front. That
audacious attack flight of Van Has-
sek's had used its heels to get away
Mole’s jaded face brightened.
intact. The American pilots were
sharply alert against a second such
surprise. Reinforcements flew up
from Kelly Field.
Overhead the American aviation
was redoubling its efforts. Pursuit
and observation squadrons had flown
in from Louisiana and Virginia. Oth-
er planes were en route from Cali-
fornia.
At the division command post,
General Mole and his staff grimly
watched the fading light of day.
There was a tightening of tension
throughout the sectors as dusk slow-
ly engulfed them and deepened into
night. Long-range artillery pounded
away laconically, tearing great cra-
ters in the Second’s artillery area
and hitting near the division’s main
line of resistance, and back in the
bivouacs of the reserves. This told
Mole that enemy observation planes
had photographed his positions in
detail—and confirmed the hint of
what must be expected during the
night.
Evident it was, as the enemy pur-
pose unfolded itself, that Van Has-
sek did not mean to brook delay.
With the preponderance of force held
by his main Laredo column he had
no need to wait. For that matter it
hardly made sense, within the Van
Hassek line of military reasoning,
that the Second Division would com-
mit the brash audacity of a serious
fight in front of San Antonio. With-
drawal would be only the logical
course for the Americans, and Van
Hassek had no reason to expect
anything more than a few holding
battalions at daybreak, resistance
that would roll up in a hurry and
scatter before his massed assault
waves.
“Bombers flying in, altitude be-
tween eight thousand and ten thou-
sand feet!”
The warning came in from an ob-
servation plane a few minutes after
nine o’clock. It merely confirmed
Mole’s fears. Fast on the heels of
the warning came the devastating
roar of a heavy bomb. The earth
churned under the roar of succes-
sive explosions. A squadron of nine
bombers, air service reported, us-
ing an estimated three-hundred-
pound bomb which would have a
NEXT WEEK
it a c i /tit%c^
Brill, commander of the army In Texaa.
reported to General Hague at Wishing-
ton that he was opposed by greaUy su-
perior lorres but wat ordered to resist
at all costs. General Mole, division com-
mander, prepared to make the butt ot e
desperate situation.
Now continue with the story.
* *
fragmentation and shock effect. A
second enemy squadron was report-
ed flying in.
The warning buzzed out over the
field wire to the sectors. Men were
to take cover as best they could.
More long-range artillery opened up.
Night became another volcanic bed-
lam, the Second's position a raging
inferno that drove men huddling into
their holes to claw frantically under
a maddening impulse to dig their
way down, down out of it all. At-
tack flights roared over, released
fragmentation bombs attached to
parachutes—small bombs that ex-
ploded on coming to earth.
It confirmed Mole's theory that
Van Hassek expected an American
withdrawal. This enemy blow fell
at exactly the hour the Second would
be pulling out if such had been its
intention.
In the 20th Infantry sector a bomb,
estimated a six-hundred-pounder,
fell in rear of a company position
with a devastating force that re-
duced seventeen men to speechless,
trembling impotence, though no man
was wounded. Later they were re-
ported slowly recovering their wits
from the shock and were not evacu-
ated.
Van Hassek’s planes were operat-
ing without lights. American pur-
suit hawks buzzed about, but were
ineffective in the darkness. Van Has-
sek's fury rose and fell intermit-
tently, then slowly dwindled away
into a mere barking of some long-
range artillery that was pounding
the roads into San Antonio.
The clash of musketry far out in
front brought an anticlimax to the
crimson hurricane. Van Hassek pa-
trols were pressing the American
outposts, seeking information of an
American withdrawal that had not
occurred. Half a dozen Van Hassek
riflemen were gobbled up by the 9th
Infantry outpost and shunted back
for question.
Over the field wire, Mole’s staff
checked casualties at eleven o’clock.
The bombardment had killed only
71 men, wounded 142. Another 80
were numbed by shock. Three had
been stripped of their wits and sent
back, in driveling madness, for
evacuation.
Mole nodded his head approvingly
at this small toll. It did not sur-
prise him that he had lost so few
men to the Van Hassek strafing.
This was not Mole’s first battle. In
France he had learned how frugal
can be the night's harvest of artil-
lery and bombardment.
“I’ve been talking to Brill at San
Antonio,” Mole told his assembled
staff when he had completed his
newest estimate. “Fort Sam Hou-
ston took another air beating to-
night. Our air service has been
forced to abandon Kelly and Ran-
dolph Fields. Galveston got a dose
of mustard gas tonight after our
69th Anti-Aircraft Regiment there
shot down an enemy bomber. It’s
all unspeakably horrible—but my
mind has had so many jolts I just
can’t feel things any longer.
General Mole staggered but
caught himself. The light in his un-
quenchable eyes burned steady
through the toxins of fatigue. There
had been a lapse in his memory, now
he picked up the gap.
“Put the Guard infantry In reserve
just south of San Antonio. Also keep
the mechanized cavalry out to look
after our flanks. I am going to turn
in for some sleep, but don't hesitate
to call me if anything important de-
velops. Otherwise call me when the
enemy preparation fire puts down on
us in the morning. Good night, gen-
tlemen.”
CHAPTER XI
First Lieutenant Boynton, 9th In-
fantry, lay sprawled on the ground,
his eyes strained into the first gray-
ing light of approaching dawn.
Above the thunder of the enemy ar-
tillery preparation he could feel the
pounding of his heart against the
drums of his ear.
Behind that curtain of fire and
thunder Boynton knew the Van Has-
sek infantry was moving forward to
the assault. From his position out
in front of the American outpost line
it was Boynton’s job to discover
the attack and fall back to the out-
post with twenty riflemen of his who
lay immediately behind him.
Boynton's eyes caught an instant's
glimpse of infantry, men silhouetted
against the sheet-lightning of artil-
lery flashes. Not more than a hun-
dred yards away he estimated the
enemy infantrymen. He slipped the
safety lock of his service automatic
and lifted the weapon in front of
his face. His men, long tense and
ready, fitted the butts of their new
semi-automatic rifles against their
shoulders and waited.
Like a ship looming suddenly out
of a thick fog there came into view
the weaving shadows that were the
flesh and blood of moving infantry.
A spurt of flame leaped from the
muzzle of Boynton's pistol. It re-
leased the pent-up rage of twenty
Garand rifles which sent a stream
of lead pouring into those shadows of
the night.
(TO BE CONTINVED)
■‘■FIRST-AID'1,
to the
AILING HOUSE
Sy SOCES I. WHITMAN ^
t© Roger B. Whitman—WNU Service.!
Effects of Condensation.
QUESTION: A house that we
bought last year was freshly
painted, but within two months the
outside paint blistered, except on
porches and other places that did not
touch the inside walls. In winter, win-
dows steam so badly that water runs
down and has rotted the window
casings and spoiled the paper below.
Upstairs is not finished, and paint
outside of upstairs does not blister.
We have hot air heat and a cistern
in the basement. What causes the
trouble?
Answer: That trouble all comes
from too much dampness in the air
of the house. This may be from
over use of the humidifier in your
furnace. Another cause may be the
burning of natural gas in open burn-
ers; every gas burner should be con-
nected to a flue to carry the vapors
outdoors. The cistern may also be
responsible; it should have a tight
cover. You can check the steaming
on your windows by applying storm
sash and tight weatherstrips. You
should also fill the joints between
window frames and outside walls
with caulking compound.
Banging Steam Pipes.
Question: We are annoyed by a
loud banging in the steam pipes to
the second floor. This occurs main-
ly at night when the radiators are
cold, and automatic heat goes on.
The house is five years old, and
the owner says the noise has been
present from the first. One plumber
tells us that nothing can be done
about it. Can you make any sugges-
tions?
Answer: That banging is due to a
section of the pipe that is level, or
on a bank slant, instead of being
slanted toward the boiler. As a re-
sult, water collects in it, and inter-
feres with the passage of steam to
the radiator. Very often raising the
radiator on blocks of wood one-half
inch thick, or even more, will end
the trouble. Otherwise, the water-
trap in the pipe must be located and
straightened out.
Basement Finish.
Question: My house has now been
built about six months, and conden-
sation that troubled me has now dis-
appeared. In finishing a basement
room, what can I use for the floor
and walls?
Answer: For the walls, use ce-
ment paint of a kind intended for
masonry. For the floor, the kind of
dye that you name should be excel-
lent. This will give color, but you
will not be able to use rugs or mats
on the floor. You should look for-
ward to laying asphalt tiles, or a
new kind of linoleum that is proof
against rotting when laid on the con-
crete floor of a basement.
Mice in a Car.
Question: How can mice be kept
from gnawing holes in the uphol-
stery of a car stored for the winter
in a country garage?
Answer: Scatter quantities of
moth balls all over the inside of the
car. If the car is of the closed type,
and the doors and windows are shut,
the odor inside will keep any small
animals from entering. If the car
is open, it should be covered with
canvas, building paper, or in some
other way, so that the vapor of the
moth balls cannot escape. It may
be necessury to replenish the moth
balls some time during the winter.
Poison Ivy.
Question: My backyard is in a
natural state, with a rocky ledge
and trees. Poison ivy is growing
there. How can I get rid of it?
Answer: In every locality you
can find someone who is immune to
ivy poisoning, and who can grub up
the plants and get rid of them once
and for all. Sprinkling the leaves
with a solution of rock salt and wa-
ter, with a little soap added, will
make them shrivel. If this is con-
tinued, as new leaves and shoots
show the roots will eventually die.
Do not let this solution get on the
ground, for it will kill all vegetation.
White Cast on Doors.
Question: Can anything be done
to restore stained doors that have a
whitish cast from being wiped with
a wet cloth?
Answer: The whitish misty cast
can be removed by wiping with a
mixture of 1 tablespoon of cider
vinegar in a quart of water; rub
this on with a soft cloth in the di-
rection of the grain, and wipe dry.
A thin coat of wax well rubbed in
will protect the finish.
Hollow Sound.
Question: The eight steps to my
stoop are against brick walls, with
one side open. When entering or
leaving there is a hollow sound.
How can I overcome it?
Answer: The space underneath is
empty, so that you get the effect of
a drum. If the hollow sound is •
recent development, it may be be-
cause the under parts are rotting.
You should investigate.
Wood Cellar Floor.
Question: Can a wood floor be laid
on a cement cellar floor, provided
no dampness arises?
Answer: A concrete floor may be
dry on the surface, and yet be con-
tinually passing moisture to the cel-
lar air. Test it by laying a piece of
linoleum, tar paper, or something
similar on the floor, and leaving it
there for several days in damp
weather. If, on lifting it up, the
concrete underneath is damp, a wa-
terproofing layer of heavy felt stuck
down with tar or asphalt, is neces-
sary before putting in a wood floor.
Easy to Reduce Weight
When You Limit Calories
You Lose Two Pounds a Week.
A TRUE slimming story! And
** a really happy ending, too,
when a stout woman diets the cal-
ory way.
By limiting food calories to
around 1,200 a day, she not only
loses—as much as 24 pounds in
three months—but feels radiantly
younger. And the lovely port is
that while reducing you eat as
much 88 ever!
e e e
Have a graceful. girlish new flfure--
aoonl Our Kpage booklet slvee 43 taety
low-calory menu*, a newly enlarged calory
chart. Alio telle how to gain. For a copy,
•end your order to:
READER-HOME SERVICE
SIS Sixth Ave. New York City
Encloee 10 cent* In coin for your
copy of THE NEW WAY TO A
YOUTHFUL FIGURE.
Masonry Via Wire
Even the laying of a*corncrstone
has been done over electric wires,
says Colliers. Not long ago in Lon-
don, 10,000 Masons in an exhibi-
tion hall watched a dignitary go
through such a ceremony, every
movement of laying the substitute
stone actuating, through electrical
synchronization, the laying of the
real stone on the site of a hospitul
several miles away.
Even Court RulingCouhln t
Mnke Absent Plaintiff Talk
“I understand that you called on
the complainant. Is that so?” de-
manded a browbeating barrister
of a man he was cross-examining.
“Yes,’’ replied the witness.
“What did he say?”
“Counsel for the other side ob-
jected that evidence as to a con-
versation was not admissible, and
half an hour's argument ensued.
Then the court retired to consider
the point, announcing some time
later that they deemed the ques-
tion a proper one.
“Well, what did the plaintiff
say?” repeated the cross-examin-
ing attorney.
“He wasn’t at home, sir!” was
the answer.
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Great Thoughts
What makes a great thought is
when a thing is said which reveals
a great number of others, and
which enables us to discover sud-
denly that for which we could not
hope except after long study.—
Montesquieu.
Exposed Defect
Let a defect, which is possibly
but small, appear undisguised.
A fault concealed is presumed to
be great.—Martial.
Hedge Bepper’t H./ly»**d — CBS, «<It P. M, Zfttr.-llM.FsS, Ai
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McGee, J. Frank. Jim Hogg County Enterprise (Hebbronville, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 2, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 22, 1941, newspaper, May 22, 1941; Hebbronville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1017249/m1/5/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .