Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-28
LORRAINE WOUNDED
! HELPLESS FOR DAYS
ON FIELD OF BATTLE
No RID Cross Service, and
UJnburied Bodies Strew
Border = Dying Foes
Reconciled.

DION, Sept. 2S dispatch to the London
Daily Chronicle).
Although great interest is concentrated
upon the northwest side of the line of
battle in France.>it must not be forgotten
that the east side is also of high impor-
tance.
Now for the first time since the begin
ming of the war there will be little res
pite on the Lorraine frontier, and in the
wooded country of the two lost provinces
there will be time to bury the dead which
cucumber its fields. Words are utterly
inadequate to describe the horrors of the
region to the east of the Meurthe in and
around the little towns of Blamont, Ba-
donviller, rey-les-Forges, Arracourt,
Chateau-Salins, Morhauge and Baudre-
court where for six weeks there has been
incessant fighting. After the heavy bat
lie of September 4, when the Germans
were repulsed with severe losses after an
attack in force, both sides retired for
about IL miles and dug themselves into
lines of trenches which they still hold
but every day since that date there has
been a kind of guerrilla warfare, with
small bodies of men fighting from village
to village and from wood to wood, the
forces on each side being scattered over
a wide area in advance of their main
lines. This method of warfare is even
more terrible than n pitched battle.
1T Is absurd to talk of Red Cross
work." said one of the French soldiers
who had just come out of the trenches
st Luneville. "It has not existed as far
as many of these fights are concerned.
How could 1t? A few litter carriers
came with us on some of our expedi-
tions, but they were soon shot down. and
after that the wounded just lay where
they fell, or crawled away into the shell
ter of the woods. Those of us who were
unhurt were not allowed to attend to
our wounded comrades; it is against
orders. We have to go on regardless Of
losses. My own best comrade was struck
down by my side. 1 heard his cry and
saw him lying there with blood oozing
through his coat My heart wept to
leave him., He wanted me to take his
money. but l just kissed his hand and
went on. I suppose he died, for l could
not find him when we retreated.'
LAY THREE DAYS INTENDED.
Another French soldier lay wounded at
the edge of a wood 10 miles from Lune-
vile. When he recovered consciousness
men around him. He remained for two
days, unable to move his shattered limbs
and cried out for death to relieve him
of his agony. At night. he was numbed
by cold in the day thirst tortured him
to the point of madness. Faint cries
and groans came to his ears across the
field. 1t was on the morning of the third
day that French peasants came to res,
those who still remained alive.
There have been several advances made
by the French into Lorraine, and sew
eral retircments. On each occasion men
have scen new horrors which have turned
their stomach.. There are woods not far
from Nancy from which there comes
pestilcntial stencil which steals down the
wind in gusts of obscene odor. For three
weeks and more dead bodies of Germans
and F'renchmen have lain rottnS there
There are few grave diggers. The peas
ants have fled from their villages, and
the soldiers have other work to do; so
that the frontier fields on each side are
Uttered with corruption, where plague
and fever find holding ground.
DYING ENEMIES RECONCILED.
have said that this warfare on the
frontier is pitless. This is general
statement of a truth to which there are
exceptions. One of these was a recon-
cillation on the battlefield between french
and German soldiers who lay wounded
and abandoned near the little town of
Blamont. When dawn came they con-
versed with each other while waiting |
for death. \ French soldier gave his |
water bottle to German officer who |
was crying out with thirst. The German
slipped a little and then kissed the hana
of the man who had been his enemy. |
There will be no war on the other side"
he said.
Another Frenchman, who came from |
MOntmartre, found LuXemburger ly- |
ing within a yard of him whom he had !
known as a messenger in a big hotel in |
Paris. The young German wept to see
his old acquaintance. 1T is stupid" he |
said, this war. You and l We're happy |
when we We're good friends in Paris. |
Why should we have been made to fight |
with each other?" He died with his |
arms around the neck of the soldier who !
told me the story, unashamed of his own |
tears