Evening star., 1914-10-10
GERMAN OFFICER
FORAGES FOR FOOD
Interesting Letter to His
Mother Tells of Subsist-
ence Conditions.
DECLARES THE ARMY
PAYS FOR ALL SUPPLIES
Soldiers Not Bitter Against French,
But Hatred for English Is
Intense, He Says.
o, the Associated Press.

Correspondence Of the Associated Press.
| ROTTERDAM. September 10 The
following letter of a reserve officer to
his mother. published in the Cologne
Gazette September 49, throws an i'll
Eliminating light on subsistence condi-
tions in the German forces now in
France. 1t is instructive also in a num-
ber OF other respects.
| ut is a hot morning. the men are busy
digging trenches, and now the crash of
| artillery. which kept up all morning.
is no longer heard. I am sitting under
a tree. reading again and again your
4 dear letter and the remainder OF my
| mail. Indeed. dear mother, IL IL could
be done L would telegraph you every
day. But that is impossible; now.
while 1 have the time. 1 will write you
as long a letter as possible One never
knows what the future will bring.
This is a very idyllic spot. | am dis
| turbed now and then in a most agree
| able manner. Ripe plums fall from the
| tree-most conscientiously l eat them.
| have breakfasted we'll. and the COM
pany barber gave me shave-which
was badly needed. In addition. 1 have
| managed to get some washing done.
and now 1 feel again like a gentleman.
| "As / already told you. the commits
|
| to the same college. l have been obliged
| to pay for this happy coincidence with
| many bite L needed myself. But yes
terday he told me that he had man
| aged to get two honest-to-g goodness,
| real and otherwise bona fide hams L
lost no time accepting my share-it
was fine and will last until tonight To
the great surprise of the captain, I man
aged to get one-eighth pound of butter
from a farm. Commissary bread, ham
| and butter-what Lucullian feast I
had last night. But there is nothing to
smoke. Kindly send me few cigar
cites and some pipe tobacco.
Farmers Run Away.
The owner of the farm where / got
the tobacco is a woman. thirty two
years old and rather wealthy She left
the place, not because she feared the
Germans, but the French. as her man.
ager told me. 1 wish these people had
sense enough to remain on their farms.
we do them no injury and pay for
everything we take. while the property
OF those who run away is naturally
without owners. and thus not protected
There is no evidence here of volks-
krieg (war carried on by the popu-
lation. as in Belgium). The people are
rather afraid and do everything to get
along along with m us: Everything is upside
alone is the colder. right and wrong
are matters which he rules on: ali
power and responsibility has been
placed on his shoulders. I thank God
that our hands are clean and that our
officers conduct is beyond criticism
In - asked a. woman whether she
had a complaint to make against our
soldiers, and she said: No, the Ger
man soldiers are good lads"
4 But with this the burning of viii
lagos has nothing to do. Most of
them are set afire by artillery shells.
q hyYrr, nd
posely it is done because the inhabi-
tan have eSd upon our soldiers In
remained in place. Some of our hus-
sars entered them and were treacher-
ously shot down. The example has
brought good results. We regretted
people have been brought to their
senses. further measures of that sort
have been prohibited
I'm the village of - 1 saw an old
man sit in a house which had been
destroyed. In front of him stood a
venerable gray, old mantle priest
who surveyed the remnant of his con-
gregation with sorrow. 1 entered the
village at the head of two battalions
and when the old priest saw me he
looked at me in a way that cut into
my very soul Then with the sudden
motion of fear he took off his hat and
held it in his hand until the last man
had passed him. I think he feared that
a refusal to greet US would be taken as
an offense. What went on in the mind
of the old priest would be interesting
to know. But this is war. and we did
not want the indescribable misery
which it has brought on.
Hears of Victory.
Last night at roll call we heard the
news of the German victory over the
English, French and Belgians We
especially appreciated the news con-
1 ;cl, nr.r hof fnr
those perfdious fellows is universal,
and much greater than our feeling
| against the French. Everybody wants
a chance at them, and God have mercy
| on them should they get before our
rif1es-from us they need expect none.
| AT z in the evening we heard
the news of the Russian defeat. j
hope that the good tidings will be con-
f1rmed. We are advancing everywhere.
1T is a beautiful evening, and ] will
have to do field duty tonight. The en-
tire village had prepared itself for
defense. but in the last moment they
a French soldier. who has been in hid
ing five days in a chicken house.
'At my side the captain is cutting up
a cucumber-oil and vinegar have been
secured after a long search"
Writes on Post. .,
While the officer is on outpost duty he
continues the letter.
| We'll, I am out in the field. In front
of us is the territory occupied by the
enemy War is a terrible thing. This
noon, while i was inspecting the out
posts, five French chasseurs on patrol
| work advanced toward our position.
We were in the woods. Fire was OPEN
ed on them at 200 meters 1 regretted
having to give the command. The off,
Ger, twenty-six years old and married
two days before the mobilization. as eI
| learned afterward, was killed The
others were wounded and taken pris-s
oners We did not aim at the horses+s'
they and the saddles are first class
and now five of us will ride. To have.
to do that sort of thing is distressing.
but what is to be done. C'est la guerrel
ct have received mail twice so far.t
and every time the post arrives | inf-i
agine there must be something for me.
| What has become of the letters? We,
are here far from human aid-have no
tents and are not permitted to make a
fire. Ny meals so far have consisted Of
dry bread, and / feared that my sup