Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-09-19
PROF. BELL OF
80 w DOM TELLS
OF EUROPEAN TRIP

A special from Winfield NJ. Thompson
"a Maine boy) from New York to the
Boston Globe under date of Sept 49, Civ
ing story from Prof H. c. Bell of
Bowdoin College, Will be of unusual in
terest at this time. IT follows:
That the Germans have been charging
the French with using poisoned bullets
was stated by II. C. Bell. professor of
history at Bowdoin College, Brunswick.
Me-, on the arrival this afternoon of the
steamer Menominee. from London, on
which Prof. Bell was a passenger
Prof. Bell before his arrival had not
heard of the Kaiser's charge that the
French were using dlitn-dnm. bullets, nor
of President Poincare's. denial
After spending July and August at
Freiburg, Ger, only 80 miles back of the
battle line in upper Alsaee, Prof Bell
was in position to witness much of the
backwash of the battleffelds in that vicin-
ity. He saw many German wounded
coming back from the field, and also saw
wounded French prisoners
I heard a good deal of. talk about the
French using poisoned bullets" he said
Everybody talked about it. As | had
some friends in the Red Cross. 1 had the
means of making a little investigation
for myself and observed the character
of the wounds.
THE French bullet makes a smaller
and cleaner wound than the German bull
let, because it is shorter. When it
! strikes 1T holds its course, making a
small hole and a clean wound
THE longer German bullet has its CEN
ter of gravity near the end. and when it
strikes Its end has tendency to drop
This gives it an upward course and pro-
duces larger wound.
ITO satisfy myself as to the bullets
used by the two armies, l got specimens
of both. The French bullet is copper
jacketed and the German bullet steel
jacketed Around the French bullet, at
the edge of the jacket, is a blue band. 1t
was this band that led to the wild state
ments made about the French using pois-
oned bullets.
The poison was supposed to be in that
blue band, l have examined the bullet
carefully and am satisfied that the blue
band is merely a preparation to keep out
moisture-nothing else Il intend to have
Prof. Bell described the panic and spy
fever that seized the people of Friehurg
on the breaking out of the war. MEN
disguised as women were supposed to be
acting as spies" ne said. "If woman
with large feet was noticed she was fol-
lowed and perhaps roughly used"
Prof. Bel heard the roar of guns in the
battle of Muelhausen and saw two
French aeropb ines flying over Freiburg
on scout duty.
Another New Highlander on the Me-
nominee was benjamin Phillips of Lake
vile, Mass. and SO State ST. Boston. He
came out of Germany early in the war
with a small party, one of whom hap
pened to nave an old Pennsylvania Ii
cense to operate an automobile On &C.
casion he displayed this and it served in
lieu of passport Mr. Phillips wife and
daughter, who are in England waiting
transportation, lost their trunks. contain
ing $500 worth of clothes. in Germany.
Herbert b. Turner of 20 Raymond St,
Cambridge who with Mrs. Turner and
and their daughter, Miss Inez, returned
on the Menominee, said that he met Lau-
renee Minot of Boston in London, and
that Mr. Minot intended to remain there
through the winter
Mrs. Francis A. Walker and Misses
Lucy and Evelyn Walker of 1896 Park
ST., Brookline, who returned on the Me-
nominee, saw Joseph Walker Ito whom
they are not related) in London. but did
not learn on what steamer he expected
to return.
The Menomnee brought only 81 pas
sengers, her stateroom capacity. This Is
her first trip to New York in 10 years, as
she usually runs to Philadelphia.