The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1914-10-16
iSIDELIGHTS ON
EUROPEAN WAR
French Artist Marches With
Germans-Finds
Real Work.

by the Germans at st. Gerard, near
Namur. He gives the following ac-
count of his experiences:
after sleeping in barn with
Zouave prisoners, soldier stand
ing over us with fixed bayonet, we
were called at five the next morn
ing. The prisoners were told to peel
potatoes for the field kitchen.
made my toilet while a guard follow
ed me about. At six all the soldiers
began to form up. Orders came from
the officers like pistol shots, the click
of heels and the thud of shoulder
arms coming as from one man. Woe
to the man slightly out of line!
81 was placed i'm the middle of
marching column. and as 1 was load
ed with my knapsack and coat "a
soldier near to me carrying my pa
pers,) / could take part in the sensa-
tons of the men under the iron dis
cipline of the officers. The road lay
inches thick of chilky dust, which
rose in clouds above our heads.
"Never were we allowed to open
as had seen the marching Belgians
do and let the air circulate. We
plodded on the whole day, the only
rest being when there was an occa-
sional block on the road. The march
was as If on parade. Should one fall
out of step the shouts of his superior
soon brought him up.
Now and then men were waiting
swung by the soldiers dipped in their
aluminium cups. Another man would
be holding a biscuit tin full of
sweets, or il might be handfuls of
prunes, but still the march went on.
1T was remarkable to see the field
pOstOffice at work; the armed blue
coated postmen stood by the march
ing column receiving the post cards
handed to them. Sometimes an officer
would hand over a fowiing piece or
antique with the address hanging
from It,
AT noon / was handed over to
officers and left the regiment. was
IN the box seat of a char-abanc full
yellous organization of the column.
The pace was at a walk, but con-
tinuous.
ammunition wagons, field pieces.
carts filled with flour, whole trains
of enormous pontoons pulled by
heavy horses, and great traction en-
zines pulling siege guns, landeaus
and motor cars filled with doctors
md officers, whose only distinguish
ng mark is.a strip of color at the
neck-all advanced at the same
pace.
should a slight block occur the
whole column would stop as one
rain. the drivers passing the mes
sage back by pumping movement
made with the fist on high. The
warning Of a declivity or bend in the
road passed backwards like mus
kerry fire. All vehicles belonged to
the army. Some had chalked on their
grey sides 'Berlin-Paris.'
Sometimes the column would let
an enormous grey motor omnibus
dash by. and through the glass sides
saw staff officers bending over
maps. Every driver and service man
carried his weapons, the great wa
CONS simply bristling with rifles.
"On our way we passed crowds
of peasants returning to their ruined
homes. 1t was pitiful to see them
humbly raise their hats to the in
vaders. We passed many villages in
ruins.
"Locked-up houses were instantly
broken open and searched. The bet>
ter class houses were pillaged for
wine, every soldier marching with
bottles sticking out of his knapsack.
"a French aeroplane daringly flew
above the column, the German shrap-
mel ineffectiyely bursting like little
balls of thistledown underneath il.
"At last, at a village near the
French frontier, | was set down in
the Uttered Marie, where, at long
table lighted by the unshaded light
of lamps, staff officers were quickly
writing, giving out orders between
the puffs of cigarettes, AT a word
the aide-de-camp stood at attention,
clicking their boots and their hands
at the side like a statue.
"Great bundles OF detailed maps
were brought in and distributed for
the following DAYS march. fhep
the room was ait 10 the clerks
who were writing all night with
a bottle of wine on the table. Broth
rom the field kitchen with black