South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-10-08
Trail of COntending Armies is
Like Path of Cyclone With
Wrecked Homes and Shat
tered Hopes on Every Side.
BY III. j. PHILLIPS.

PARIS. Sept. % (By Mail. 1T isn't
the lighting man that my heart goes
out to in this war. I've seen so many
dead and wounded men and SO much
misery and pain that my senses are
dulled to others suffering. Anyway,
it's tit for tat on the firing line. The
soldier gives as much as he gets.
But it's the awful, awful destruction
Of homes, the wasting of poor peo-
pies all, the constant, ever recurring,
sight of ruined cottages OF starving
children, of ragged, hungry, weather
beaten women, caught through no
fault of their own in the frightful
maelstrom that brings the horror of
this war home to me.
1 left Paris on a bicycle for the
front The trail of the retreating leu
ton was the path Of a cyclone. Huge
trees were broken and some uproOted.
Every farmhouse was roohess, some
were burning. Roads and fields were
dotted with clothing and arms and
household goods and the pretty land
scape was pitted and slashed In long,
brown lines by the trenches of fight
ing men.
Hears Sound of Cannon.
Dusk was gathering fast when about
four miles outside La Fertesous-JOu-
ARE, the sound Of cannon, which l
had heard internationally all day, be-
came more clearly audible. The
Marine runs through the little town
which lies on either side Of the
stream in a valley. AS 1 reached the
outskirts a weird spectacle broke my
gaze. 1t was perfect picture of
war. in all It's horror, in all It's males
~, in all its picturesqueness From
the hills to the right the British ar
tillery was Smelling the retreating
Germans on the other side of the
jets of flame that broke orange in the
gathering darkness; a couple of houses
wreathed in flame, burned fiercely,
the light reflected in the peaceful wa
tiers of the Marine which ran past two
bridges blown up and shattered.
When the sounds of firing had died
away / quietly slipped down into the
town. Down by the river the British
engineers were putting the finishing
touches TO a pOntoOn bridge-a bridge
they finished complete, in about two
hours. The troops were already pre-
pairing to cross. So swiftly does the
British army move that when 1 arose
with dawn the next morning 1 found
that troops had melted away in the
night
But I'm getting ahead Of my story.
Before night fell 1 found place to
sleep in a deserted manor house which
1 saw from the street.
Windows and doors were open, but
the place was as silent as the grave.
/ walked into the courtyard and saw
no one. Then 1 entered the house
and understood. The beautiful old
manor which looked so warm and
placid had been deserted by its own
ers and had been ruthlesSly pillaged
by the Germans.
Thought IL Blood, But 1t Was Soup.
The dining room table was heaped
with the wreckage Of a drunken meal
There were empty wine bottles every
where. and across the table and in
the dishes there was flung a great
crimson splash that looked like blood.
hut proved 10 be the outpoured con-
tents OF a tureen OF beetroOt soup.
Every drawer from sideboar5 and
cupboard lay on the floor. where its
contents had been turned out in a
search for all that was valuable. /
passed from room 10 room and every
where found the same litter.
liz seemed that not a single ward
robe or press in the house had not
been rifed The beds were overturn-
ed the telephone instrument was
smashed. and even a pile Of gramo-
phone records had been trOdden
under the heel.
Early IN the morning as l prepared
10 resume my journey 1 found an old
peasant. the first OF the returning vii
layers who had been driven from their
homes a week ago. With the pride
OF a professional guide. the old man
led me around TO places where the
lighting had been dercest and SO 1t