The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-09-14
DRIVING GERMANS
FROM FRANCE
CONTINUED from Page u

awaiting orders to 90 forward wer'
very cheerful. The Turcos 1.-THE French
Algerian troops) were hard TO keel
In check. They have an utter disre
gard Of danger and when the ORDER
finally came to charge, drove for"ars
reckiessiy, their laughter rising ove'
the sound Of musketry. Their one
ambition seems to be desire to out
strip the French regulars In the
charge. The French army organlza
ton 10 marveIously compact and EN-
cient. The cavalry, infantry, artiI
lery and supply trains work eooi'y, IN
close formation, without hitch OF
without a trace Of excitement.
FRENCH NOT EXCITED.
traditional exeitabIe Latin temper
ament nowhere is In evidence 80 Tar
as could see. OFFICERS we've eooiiy
5raternIzina with their men, overses-
.ina their food and keeping their am,
tsnunition repienished. This In mark
ed contract to the brutal German
ia,ethods which have been reported
from ali parts Of the fighting line.
The French eommissary Is simply
wonderful It Is maintained very
close to the fighting line. Not single
moment 10 lost In moving food sup
plies and ammunition AZ needed. The
drivers OF the supply trains smoked
their cigarettes, read newspapers and
sang while awaiting orders to move
TO the front. The Red Cross oreani-
cation kept In the rear anc wounded
were taken back in such vehicles ~
could be used. Germans all along the
battle lines have abandoned their
wounded to the mereies Of the French.
The French, doctors who arrived at the
front from Paris, expressed the ut
most surprise that there were no
French officers galIopins exeitediy
across the battlefield or with meto-
dramatic orderlies rushing here and
there from all points Of the compass
Instead everything was moved with
clock work regularity, the field teie-
gram and telephone system keeping
officers at all times In
touch with every section Of the field.
The proverbiaIIy stoiid British officer
q being outdone by the French com
mander, whose confidence in the
French army 10 superb. Talks with
officers Of French and British forces
convince me the Germans have sus-
kaIned crushing reverse but they
IRE still far from having been com
pIeteIy defeated. Regardless Of the
large number Of prisoners and the
enormous quantities Of supplies that
have fallen into French and British
hands, the Germans are retiring in
good order. Their lines
remain unbroken. Defeat
will neeessitate Reorganization Of the
entire German army and many cir
Gers with whom talked expressed the
belief that this will take place be-
Hind the German frontier. The Ger
man forces were obviously exhausted
by their forced marches which while
sensational In the extreme rs an Of
Sensive movement, left the Germans
% exhausted that they had nothing in
reserve when the allies assumed the
VuGTofWS 6sSH9 AItS HkICS VI Sob1iG ~
selected by General Joffre
and Sir John French. The German
army on defense 10 infinitely Inferior
70 the German army on ef'ense. Every
cfficer with whom l talked agreed TO
khis and this fact is very likely to
have a most important result on the
ultimate outcome Of the war. Al Sois-
sons after the Germans abandoned
their positions, counted 145 used
SheIIs about a disabled German gun.
This shows. the rapidity Of the Ger
man fire. Between Meaux and Sois-
sons | passed nine deserted burned
auto trucks and their traiiers loaded
with ammunition that had been ex-
pioded and abandoned. The roads
were also Uttered with German small
guns and impediments which showed
how precipitate had been the German
setreat.
West Of Chateau Thierry saw
many Of the Paris auto-busses with
farm wagons attached as traiIers.
crossing the field gathering up the
French and German dead. Peasants
have been pressed into service and
are reverently buryins The dead in
Tong trenches which they have dug.
Soldiers detailed for that purpose COL
lect metal Identification tags and their
~aluabies which will be returned TO
friends in the happier days to come.
J GRAVES ARE MARKED.
The officers are buried IN separate
trenches and all are marked with
crosses. The stencil of the purify
ing corpses is detectabIe miles away
from the battle fields.
Officers and surgeons who have In.
spected the bodies of the slain are
surprised to find that more than half
Thu NAE@~>~~