Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-15
DEAD SUPPORTED
BY DEAD HAVE NO
PLACE TO FALL
Terrible Scenes of Carnage
During Wild Flight of
Germans Told by Wound
ed French Soldier.
LONDON, Sept, is.

LONDON, Sept Is.
"The Germans fed like animals who
knew they had been cornered," is the
! graphic description Of the German retreat
given by an English correspondent, tele-
graphing from Melun, southeast of Paris.
His story follows:
II have just come from orleans, where
the hospitals are full of men, young men
and mer in the prime of life who have
laid their youth and strength upon the
blood -drenched altar OF freedom. I have
seen sights too horrible to speak Of
sights which cannot be described by one
who In the selfishness of his own health
tries to blot them from memory.
~ have seen. too, heroism of the most
exalted kind by splendid women. whose
work of love and mercy is so great that
no praise ever can recompense IL.
II have travelled through dark forests
and witnessed hundreds Of lonely biv-
ouacs; farm carts with couple of goats
tethered to the wheels, team of oxen
browsing nearby, and the peasant and
his wife and children gathered about
little fire. l have seen women, famished
and terrified, fleeing across the long
stretches of the country with their chill
dren. Every mile held an Invisible terror
for them.
IL have Just spoken with n soldier who
has returned wounded from the pursuit
that will go down in history along with
the terrible retreat from Moscow rs one
OF the crowning catastrophes OF the
world
This soldier speaking Of the German
retreat, said to me:
They fed like animals who knew they
had been Cornered. Their retreat at times
seemed Incredible to me. As we followed
them we found the roadways for mile
after mile Uttered with guns. knapsacks
and cartridge belts, which the Germans
had dropped 80 as to tighten the load
they had to carry We also found MaXims
and heavy cannon.
And along the roads we found piles
Of dead horses, stacks OF dead men. In
some OF the lighting the Germans were
so close together that when the dead
and wounded fell they formed little piles
around the living and when others OF
the living were shot they had no place
to fall The dead supported them and
the last to be shot remained standing on
their feet
THE sights that met our eyes were
horrible and incrediNle-horrible beyond
the power OF words to tell
Tremendous efforts have been made
sal one. One cannot bury whole armies
in a day. To add to the horrors OF the
situation are the birds OF carrOn which
hover over the fields waiting a chance
to swoop down and tear to pieces all
that Is left now of what was once an
army OF living, breathing men In the
prime OF health.
II have heard, too. that ghouls have
been operating among the dead, rushing
10 the fields where the dea die and TAX
ing from the clothes Of the dead all
the vauables that may be therein.
In the villages the dead and wounded
make an endless multitude Doctors and
nurses are working feverishlv rescuing
dead, and then they try hard to bring
they have rescued. They care Just rs
tenderly for the wounded Germans Ms
thev do for those of France and England.
whenever a wounded soldier is found
he Is at once given first aid 10 the in
tured Ambulances. moving from over
100 different points, then carry the wound
cd back to their temporary hospitals,
from which big STATS Of nurses and doc
tors give them further aid
The bravery and the stoicIsn n, the
wounded amazed me. I saw hundreds Of
them, some almost shot 10 pieces, Nsted
from the ground into nm ambulance
Every move meant terrible agony 10
them. Yet none WINGED %ur- COM
plained. The faces Of some We're white
and drawn with pain, but they never
uttered a word Of protest. Some even
smiled through their suffering, passed
some litle joke, and Eraciously thanked
the nurses and doctors for the aid that
had been given To them.