Evening journal., 1914-12-12
Stories From the European Firing Line
As Related BY Some Eye Witnesses

NtAAN INV AANAA wal OAnN0 Woo o'hN
from Won Kluck's army near Noyon,
France.
Send me nurses to take care of
1.4OO lunatics." was the gist of the
message which came from an officer
of the medical corps.
Investigation disclosed that many
of the doctors and some of the nurses
OF the great French asylum for the
insane at Chauny had deserted their
posts as the Germans advanced There
are no walls surrounding the asylum
grounds. as the asylum is built on the
most advanced lines and the boun-
daries of the grounds are only deep
bitches.
The asylum buildings were mis-
taken by the Germans for a chateau
and the officers who rode up were as
tonished to discover over a thousand
hopelessly insane patients in the
buildings and grounds.
Some valiant nurses had remained.
but many patients were without at
tendants. The German medical corps
took charge of the place and later
some of the French physicians and
nurses, being assured by the Germans
that their lives would be spared, re-
turned to the asylum.
NISH. Servia. Nov. 1.-(By Mail TO
New York)-At Krupanj. on the east
ern bank of the Drina, situation has
developed probably without parallel
in all the present European war.
Although able to boast Of the fact
that they are i'm the enemy's territory,
the Austrians are in the rather en-
barrassing position of neither being
able to advance nor retire. Tho least
movement on their part would mean
the certain humiliation of the entire
detachment.
For over month now these few
Austrians near Krupani have been
face to face with the Servians, the
trenches OF the two armies not being
on an average of more than 60 yards
apart II is this proximity, together
with the apparent friendship that has
grown up between the two bodies of
troops, that has given rise TO the
most unusual situation.
Every evening the Servians have re-
source TO most ingenious method OF
tantalizing their Austrian neighbors
in the trenches so near at hand. This
is for the Servians to sing the folk
songs of the various districts of Ser
via. In the Austrian ranks there are
many Slavs. or Servians, coming from
Bosnia, Dalmatia. Croatia, Slavonia
and other Servian provinces which
are under Austrian rule. That these
folk songs Of the Servians drive al
most to madness and desperation
their brothers in the rival trenches
there can be no doubt, and no small
| portion of the duty of the Austrian
sentinels Is that of guarding against
Servian assertions within the Aus
trian ranks rather than Servian at
tacks from without.
In response to these folk songs oi
the Servians, the Austrians who are
not Of Slav origin set up cries o.
Come on you half-starved Servians
surrender yourselves; come over 4
us: well give you something to eat.
In response to this the Servians, t.
show that they are not half starved
cease singing and shower the Aus
trian trenches with chicken bone
and other remnants of the evening
Iepast
+ Another favorlte pastime OF III
Servians is to hurl whole volley
tin cans and boxes at the trenche
I pretending they are bombs. and az
: companying them with vocal volley
I which initiate TO perfection the SCUM
! of exploding shells. The Austrian
: reply by swearing at the Servians i
e all twelve of the languages most CON
monty spoken I'm the Austrian empir
together with a goodly number of dia
lect "cuss-words."
+ Despite this seeming friendlinesl
p there is never a relaxation for a me
ment either in the military precau
e tons or in the consciousness on bot
D sides that the instant the order come
: TO fight il means fight to the last MAJ
p The Austrians change their men I
e the trenches every "a hours. TIL
/, Servians. being numerically inferio
are not able to do so, and the me
now in the trenches have been ther
. for a month without change. TIL
odor Of decaying bodies which lie be
! tween the two trenches rises ais
I constantly to the nostrils Of both Iii
tie armies. but despite the menace {
this, and despite the seeming friendl
ness between the two lines, there
not man who does not know this
to venture forth even to bury or dra
, away the corpses would mean instar
death.