The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-08-26 00:00:00

THE FRENCH PRISONERS IN
GERMANY.

The following letter, ;;litet. from Paris, appear; in
the fig.trier : - .

"Since the return of the prisoners of war to the number
rbf nearly 400,000, who have been restored by Germany to
France, the F'reneh newspapers have publishe4 terrible pic-
tures of the bad treatment Inflicted on the captives in Ger-
man fortresses.
- • - - •• . .

.......
"I have been favoured with a sight id the report ilrawn
Up by M. nseiitiaur de Damns, Chaplain to the French forces,
after a visit paid byl ' last winter to the German fortresses.
This report was addressed by him, in January, ltql, to MS
ecclesiastical superiors, and a copy f it was afterwards for-
warded to the French Government.
- - • •

.....
" analysis of this ,focument furnisheo the best reply to
the falsehoods and inventions of the French Pre..
. .

,
" Monseigneur to Damns begins by relating that after the
fall of Meta he obtained from the King id Prussia, then at
Versailles. permission to visit the different places to which
the French primmer.; had been sent. Ile set out. furnished
merely with a pass signed by Genend von Podbielski. and
had alreaoly viOted Cologne, gerlin, CUshin, ktettin, lianisie
and K.Migslwrg, when, at Posen, lie was !net bp ii request to
return to Heflin. Ile imagined that he was about to be de-
prived of the authorization to continue his journey ; but, on
the contrary, found that the king hail, in an autograph
letter, especially recommended him to. the War Department,
and 4,rtlered that he should be allowed not only to visit the
priminers everywhere hut Ibm to load meetings if them for
the purpose of religious advice and consolation. provided
mily that Monseignenr de Daman should give his wotd as a
gentleman that he would not treat .1 political or military
matters. Mating complied with this condition the Chaplain
began a ACCOIId trip, in the course of which every door was
opened as widely as possible, Avith every consideration for
the distinguldied visitor.
- - •

" Monseigneur de Dantm visited first Cologne and its
17,000 prisont r*. Ile arrived there In the midst ,d the bmild-
lug of the large huts intended to house the prisoners. Ile

term huts ?Alla& ghmmy it seems to promise the
unfortunate Inhabitants only such shelter as would he
strictly inoliAponsahle to keep them alive in the bitter Wind
and snow ljut a Prtwian hut 13 infinitely superior to its
name. It Is not built npon the ground, Ist is raised some-
what above it, so as to leave a space between the flouring
and the damp soil. The walls are fornu,l of a double layer
of bricks, or it wood is employed a layer of beaten and dried
clay Is placed between the ' rend outer planking. The
rm.( is pitched over and an inner ceiling of wont serves both
to exclude the external cold and concentrate the internal
warmth. Excellent stoves of German make (of earthenware)
are placed at certain olistances inside the spacious hots, and
diffuse a comfortable warmth In every corner.'

" The author of the report, after thus disposing of the
prejudice which misted in France against the German system
if huts, mentiona cursorily a visit to Gremberg, near Kalk.
Ile,then proceeds to the hospitals at Cologne, and says
' Wowt re very happy to he aide to tell the families of the
sufferers that their sons were nursed and tended as well as
meta could po,.sibly he who lacked that inexpressible thing,
a mother's care.'

"The Sisters ot Charity conducted the visitor to the
kitchen, • anti there; says Monseigneur de [Wafts, • We RAW
two kinds t 1 bread, of which even the coarser was finer and
of better quality than the average Itread of French middle-
clam families ' For the soldiers alit, Came in from Metz half
starred and with digestions terribly Impaired the Meters had

ineremed the number of tueals n the hospital, so that the
patient' were fed live times day with coffee, chocolate,
soup, and roast meat by turns.
-

From Cologne the Chaplain proceeded to Neustadt.
flberswald, In the Mark of Bradenhurg, where he met with
the hest reception lie wise present there at the funeral of
ms -1 ieut enant, who had died of typhus Icier; and the SU
oft-en interne, in the fortress assured hini that if anything
cull reconcile them to their captivity it would be the et.
t•client way in which they were treated by the Prussian
Commandant.

" At Stettin he found 12,000 prisoners, partly In the bar-
racks, partly in the casemates, the forts, and the polygon of
the fortrrwr Mere %lon...Agnew Or Damns gathered from
the military doctors cartoon sad details respecting the health
of the soldiers who had come to Germany from Metz ; very
often their stomachs refused all food, aunt many fell victims
to famine fever--an observation calculated to dispose of
much declamation concerning the imputed treachery of
Baraine. At Stettin the visitor shows clearly that the
French soldiers had already found out that the days .4 bar-
barism have gont• bp, and that a prisoner of war is sacred--
only treated by his conqueror with just so much severity as
may be aber•lntely necessary.
Monseigneur de Mamas at Sts Min. as at Dalthic, sine
chiefly engrossed with the religions needs of the prisoners .
nevertheless. the soldiers in the latter town told hint that
they had not suffered' from the colt; tiny had rather been
inconvenienced by the heat kept up in the rams. The report
adds As we heard no other Complaints than Moose of too
nitwit warmth in the depth of winter, it may well he sup-
poled that we went on our way rejoicing.'
° The French Chaplain visited liOnigsberg and Posen with-
out making any remark on the subject of the prisoners. From
howl, as before mentioned, he was recalled to Berlin. He
gave the promise required, adding 'that the poor fellows
stood more in want of the Word of Gad than of useless talk
about chassennts or breech•loading cannon or even of Euro.
pean

n From I:erlin Monseigneur de Minos proceeded to
efistrin. Thom and Grande., to reach winch latter town
he had some difficulty in crossing the Vistula, on which ths
lee was beginning to break uti. One vivid impression which
may be traced upon the mind of the Chaplain is that very
often the moral conduct if the French soldiers in captivity
CPAS an unfavourable light upon their mental condition.
lltCollfo9Bol with great regret their tenilowy to drink and
to other base passion., anti oaks almost in despair, How call
one hope that as nation can 100 be delivered by such men as
these ?

" (hi quitting Posen Monseigneur de llamas pays a fresh
testimony to the iiertium authorities in these terms .--•
immot sufficiently express the gratitude I feel for what I
have seen here and fir the excellent c.onduct if the author'.
ties.' At Glom he describes the efforts made hy the
Prussian authorities to preserve the French prisoners from
the small pox, whisk h.s.l 'woken out tu that part of the
country. In one single hospital lie saw nuo cases of re-vac-
cination. In the same town he 'net, for like first tithe, with
some children (enfants-de-hotepe) among the prisoners.
Not only 'tele these children well eared for, but a Pntssian
officer hod taken charge of their education, superintended
their amusements, and was preparing a Christmas tree for
them. At Neisse awl :it Matz matters were equally satis-
factory, and the writer remarks In truth I am astonished
at the solicitude with which the superior military authorities
wide), over our tHen. The officers, •lthouohi at first some-
what stiff, are full od the most read kindness for those placed
under their surveillance.' Ile relates that in these Silesian
towns christmas treats, presents, ktc., were being, prepared
for the prisoners, and expresses the pleasure he feels in bear-
ing w it nes,. to the universal benevolence of the officers towards
the captives.

In the latter portion of his narrative Monseigneur de
llamas relates how touched and gratified the prisoners were
by the military honours rendered everywhere in Prussia to
such it their comrades its died. This religious and military
ceremony, at which the Prussian officers never failed to
assist, snivel then. deeply. line French officer, who was
present for the and time at one of these funerals: could not
refrain from team, anii a young recruit exclaimed, with
touching nalvetC, • Upon my word, I should like to die in
Prussia, to Iw a, honourably buried.' The chaplain adds in
patriotic sorrow :—• How low must one have Wen to be
indebted to a conqueror for a grave and the last honours
after death "