Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-14
DEVASTATED VILLAGES MARK
BATTLE-GROUND OF THE MARINE
Bright Sunshine of Ideal Day Shows Horror of Scenes
Carnage and Rapine in Strong Contrast to
Normal French Countryside
BY ELLEN ADA1R
star Correspondent Eveniu0 Ledger

on turning back to vitry. we ma, -
lrmored cars rushing back ana sSsiat sleat
on their way to the trenches and ia.'.slrro 1919
us covered with dust h''ns
We then proceeded by motoro.
route for the ruined viliaqee a., en-
ahead and Sermaize. U''net
Frignlcourt was the first M whts,.
arrived. The inhabitants numbered = w
300 to 400 persons, and as their bar.el
had been laid waste, they were ilv,ra
principally in little huts and exis,ia 'us
the charity OF such kind people q. ny IN
Society of Friends. I spoke with ~
Friends" and found them English o,.t
ers of a very fine type. They eroJe,,
young men who were working tiroie..s.
for the poor refugees, bringing tbern ~
ferings of food and clothing, and rendss
ing them every possible assistance.
I'VE are glad to do what we cam th..
said, 'for this devastation has left ,S.
people utterly destitutel There are Ames
leans. too, who are doing the same woEl
as ourselves, and they render great -
slstance to the Inhabitants"
The little huts were curious abod..
but afforded shelter for the refussss
The tales l was told are all the ssne
and many of them entirely unprlntabis
The Germans had laid waste the lItn.
towns all along this route, OUTRAGED ~
women, tortured the civilians, Killed the
old people and the children. and con.
Quoted their usual policy of ''fearf,I
ness with great zeal. The method ana
slckening details of torture are much thr
same all over these towns in northern
France and Belgium. The cuttinR-off ~
hands and feet, the bayonetlng OF bahlss
the most atrocious multilating of wonsn
and young girls are all part Of the Ger.
man "method''-and only too true. saw
many of the scars inflicted on innocent
civilians by the Germans and listened 10
many tales of horror.
TALES OF ATRoCITY.
Without entering into detail in this artI-
Gle, 1 would refer the reader to the ON.
cial report of Lord Bryce's Committee
on Alleged German Outrages, which veri.
fles my own experiences in northern
France. Lord Bryce was formerly Brit
ish Ambassador at Washington and "a
president of this committee.
We passed through such ruined towna
as Etrepy, Pargny and Maurupt, In all
of which the refugees were in direst pow
erty. The roads were deserted except
for armored cars and cavalcades hurry.
ing up to the firing line and when we
reached Sermaize we found II in utter
ruins, as the accompanying photograph
will show. Never was such scene Of
desolation. Here and there among the
ruins one would see human bone pro-
trudlng and the skeletons of many ami
mails.
Leaving Sermaize and striking north
we saw abandoned trenches and at length
heard the noise of cannon and the sound
of artillery! The shells make dread
full whirring and detonation like thun-
der. Red Cross ambulances, Alled with
wounded, passed us on the roads, for we
were pretty near the firing line now. The
sights were terrible, and the herolsm Of
those poor wounded fellows is beyond all
words! When they reach the hospitals
their very clothes have frequently to be
cut from them, for they have almost
grown into the skin!
Yet never have heard them make any
though their wounds were so
terrible that one wondered how they could
live through the agony! 1t Is Of such
stun as these that heroes are made!