Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-10-30
WORST: OF HORRORS
Visit to War Hospitals Described
by Writer.
Procession OF the Blind Soldiers
Leaves an Impression of the Aw-
full Hldeousness OF war Thar
Can Never Be Effaced.
BY GRACE ELLISON.

~ 1HNSE EILto0N.
Northern France.-A little tow
nesting in a wealth of trees in peac
time 1t is almost unhearu OF. now /,
Is an important military station -thi
Is my next hating place Every nous
is occupied by soldiers, every buildin
of importance is turned into a hos
pital.
So near the front there are case
which need all the science of tn
trained nurse to pull them through
Men unnerved almost to madness, me
VINO mistake all the male staff for ii
enemy--one has only to listen to Il
rawlings OF these poor men to knc
something of the strain OF war
them.
| was taken to the eye ward to st
the operations there or all the no
rors OF war, is not this the worst?
nave seen Jaws smashed beyond re
ognition-human beings who mad fo
gotten their very names men WI
can live to ripe old age and new
have anything in common with Il
great life going on around them: b,
the procession of blind men, or m,
who might be blind, has left an il
preston Of the hideousness of "
that can never be effaced
Here Is brilliant young lieutenan
His father was only concierge, b
he worked and saved to give his SC
his chance. The son has gone throut
with flying colors-now he is bin
He was lying In the officers wa
when | saw him-the ward was dar
ened, for there were others sufferin
100. He had In his hand a portrait @
the little girl he had never seer
Only take off the bandage an instan
that ! may look at my little girl" h
pleaded. Il dare not" answered tn
doctor. Who will have the courag
to tell him the truth?
A poor man has come that day fror
the trenches-the blood is still on hi
face--his eyes are bandaged. An oil
man leads him in, and the nurse pre-
pares him for the examination On
sees the answer on the doctors face
'lind, blind-one after another. On
ARE not think-the horror Of 1t al
seems to numb ones very soul.
We have started early, for we hav
10 far to go and we are stopped;
s another examination of our papers
But VINO is speaking? Voices seer
to be beside me In the carl VIVA
la this mystery? listen CAREFUL,
when suddenly two officers pop u
from underground and disappear. TIL
horrid, uncanny idea trench war is
1t does not somehow seem fair an
square
We have to pass along the roa,
which the French soldiers have chris
tened the Jaws of Death" A youn
man on the way tells us the German
pepper everyone who goes up tina
road-perhaps we shall be the exceT
lion. Up the narrow, stony passag
we pillow our way--if by any chanc
the car stops we are finished--yet
we go too quickly we shall make
cloud of dust. AS 1t is we are par
md parcel of the dusty landscape.
keep my eyes on the enemy's lines
And on we go till we have turned tn
corner and are safe again for a while
On and on we go-more and NOR
diftinctly Is the firing heard. Wher
are we? We are on height, and SUI
denly we discover an artillery duel /
taking place In the trenches near by
the trenches are ablaze, shells ar
bursting on all sides, They are goin
to lombard the hill. The tocsin ha
already sounded, and all the inhab
tants are In the cellars. A group 9
three women rush out from a neigl
boring house One is biting her shaw
another is sobbing bitterly, and "
mother cries in anguish, Year Ii
year out how long must this suffel
ing last?"
We are ordered into the cellars.
German aeroplane Is there to direC
the enemy's firing. We have bee
seen--this time we have to go throug
the shells--they will finish us no.
Our only hope is speed One she
has burst so yards from the car. Al
other is sent ahead--it has struck
farm, and the farm blazes up IN pi
lars of smoke and fire. My chauffeu
drives right through ton ard o
like a flash of lightning.
Have they ceased firing? | sha
hear those shells for days and day
| am too tired even to be tired. A
along the road the troops are movinf
They are SO covered with dust the
might be Asiatics, and the sun ha
Drowned them to a manliness a won
an cannot fail to admire.
1t was a curious visit. was glad
Wehe' nut HoW StIdHSc lHey tOof
these dwellers in the bowels of tn
earth. In one trench is roof of nul
dies, covered with leaves, which open
and shuts like the fairy-book traI
door; there is a mud and hurdle sea
on which letters are being written t
those loved ones left behind.
And they are all so well and napp