Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-06
A GERMAN OFFICER
writes GRAPHIC LET
Ter FROM FRONT
Commissary with the Army In
vading France Hardly Up to
Home Fare-The Horrors of
War-Rejoicing Over the Re-
ported Victories of the Ger
man Forces

Correspondence of The Associated
Press
Rotterdam, Sept. 19-The following
letter of a reserve officer to his moth
er, published in the Cologne Gazette,
on Sept. 16, throws an Illuminating
light on subsistence conditions in the
German forces now in France. 1t is
instructive also in a number of other
respects.
1T 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. | am sit
ting under a tree, reading again and
again your dear letter and the re-
mainder of my mail. Indeed, dear
mother, if it could be done l would
telegraph you every day. But that is
impossible: so now, while l have the
time, l will write you as Ions let
ter as possible. One never knows
what the future will bring.
This is a very idyllic spot. I am
disturbed now and then in a most
agreeable manner. Ripe plums fall
from the tree-most conscientiously
eat them. | have breakfasted well, and
the company barber gave me shave
which was needed badly. In addi-
ton | have managed to get some
washing done, and now l feel again
like a gentleman.
"As / already told you the COM
missary officer of our battalion and
went to the same college. l have been
obliged to pay for this happy coinci-
dence with many bite l needed my
self But yesterday he told me that
he had managed to set two honest
to-goodness, real and otherwise boni-
fide hams lost no time accepting
my share-it was fine and viii last
until tonight. To the great surprise of
the captain managed to get Is pound
of butter from a farm. Commissary
bread, ham and butter-what Lus-
cullan feast | had last night. But there
is nothing to smoke. Kindly send me
a few cigarettes and some pipe to-
bacco.
1.-THE owner of the farm where I got
the butter is a woman; 80 years old
and rather wealthy. She left the
place, not because she feared the Ger
mans, but the French, as her manager
told me- l wish these people had
sense enough to remain on their farms
We do them no injury and pay Tor
everything we take, while the prop
erty of those who run away is nat
urally without owner and thus not
protected
"There is no evidence here oil
.yolkslSrieg' (war carried on by the
population, as in Belgium). The peo-
pie are rather afraid and do every
thing to get along with US. Everything
is upside down nowadays, dear moth
er, Master alone is the soldier. right
and wrong are matters which ne ruies
on, all power and responsibility mas
been placed on his shoulders. l thank
God that our hands are clean ana tnaI
our officers conduct is beyond crltl-
cism. In I asked woman
whether she had complaint to make
against our soldiers, and she said: NO
the German soldiers are good lads!'
But with this the burning OF VII
lagos has nothing to do. Most of them
are set afire by artillery shells, and
when they are burned down purposely
# ia done because the inhabitants have
fred upon our soldiers. In the villages
-
Mace Some of our hussars entered
them and were treacherously sho,
down The example has brought good
results, We regretted that we had te
do it, and now that the people
have been brought to their senses
further measures of that sort have
been prohibited.
In the village of -- l saw an old
man sit in a house which had been
destroyed. In front of HIM stood
venerable gray, old mantle priest
who surveyed the remnant of his con-
gregation with sorrow. 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. 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 inter-
esting to know. But this is war, and
we did not want the indescribable mis-