New-York tribune., 1915-03-14
Young French Nurse Tells
of Her Experiences
Among Enemy.
LETTER CITES MANY
CASES OF BRUTALITY
Food Intended for wounded
Systematically Taken by
Soldiers, Ii Is Said.
By Nine. JEAN ALCIDE PICARD.


and for n long time after the German
invasion we were very anxious ABOUT
her. having no news at all OF her
or her whereabouts. ! translate het
letter; in its simplicity II seems 10 nc
very significant:
madame: | must leave tomorrow
TO JOIN my hospital, so 1t Will be I'M
pos sible FOR me to go and see you
regret il very much. but ! Will Try IN
this letter to give you few detalis,
which, if not sensational, nave the
merit OF being true, and when ma!
also, perhaps, help you TO snow !ouI
friends in America the elegance ana
honesty used by the 'Boches IN theIr
relations with us.
81 had been sent early in August by
the Femmes de France TO Hospital
1OI. in Arras. On September the
Germans occupied the city and TOOK
US away TO Cambria with whole am
bulancc, under pretence OF nursing
French wounded. do not insist the
fact of making five women prisoners
is significant enough in itse II. ! must
say, however that during the voyage,
as we'll as the FIVE months when
spent under the German boot they
have always been Outwardly pollte
toward me and correct. From ma
terial point OF view. ] have not 700
much TO complain OF. The worst time
was the first twcnty-four hours, Wheh
we had TO sleep on straw.
During the five months OF my stay
in Cambrai ! have been IN severai
hospitals of the city, all under the
German regime. so ! was a6ie 10 see
many shameful things. The most
Il
ized robbery or at least the rcbbery
authorized by the superiors. and
openly practised. Here is an example:
"A wounded Englishman asked me
one dav to try and see If | could not
get back for him a portrait OF MS
wife. some letters and a few pounds
which he had left in his trousers
pockets. 7 searched all over the place
and made 'rcclamatiOns. All in vain.
Finally. eight days later, after re-
ncwed demand TO the under-otfcer IN
charge Of the vestiary, ! obtained TINS
exquisite answer: FOR reasons OF hy-
piene. we burn all clothes Of all the
newly arrived wounded, and. naturally,
we have no time to empty their pock-
etsn And the purses must have been
burned with tho rest
"A great many things were brought
10 the hossital by the people in Cam
brai for the French wounded, but very
few ever reached their destination. In
Guiries about them were useless. for
, they were systematically ignored by
the officers.
"The food was insufficient, especially
in the hospitals where the admInlstra-
ton yas entirely German. For the
evening meal in the military hospital
the wounded soldiers had to be con-
tent with a slice Of black. bitter, al
most uneatable bread spread with
grease, and vet the city which was
paying for all hospita. requl 'ltlons was
giving generously. But all day long
an unending line of soldiers o all
sorts went through the Kitchens and
took away all the victuals.
Occupied Houses Respected.
an the city the houses where the
inhabitants had stayed were respected.
but j. ali the others systematic pill
lage vas done. | have seen two Ger
man oldiers going through the streets
to the station. one carrying cradle
and the other q candelabra. At intervals
we would seda crowd Of women Red
Cross nurses. They would come some
times by hundreds. and stayed one or
two weeks. Then they would take the
train back to Germany with such
load of PACKAGES that each had TO be
escorted by two soldiers TO carry the
booty. Moreover, no shame anywhere.
If German officer had TO stay IN
house where he didn't find all modern
comforts he would order whatever was
lacking electric light, for instance
at the prOprietOT's expense. Some
times they would do it with some
formality. J IN so sorry to cause you
any inconvenience said an officer to
friend Of mine, but | have orders TO
visit your cellar The visit vas made
and the cellar emptied!
"Herc is a Characteristic trait OF
their straiohtforwardness This was
in Lille. There was no more grain, so
the 'layor was compelled By necessity
to treat with the Germans. Ii was
agreed that they would deliver to the
city 0. Lille so many bushels of four
at a very high price tunhappily ! do
not .'emeUber the price, o. condition
that at the ,!me time the LIilOis would
buy as much rye at the same rrice.
SO the ty OF Lille paid in advance;
the rye came pretty quickly. AS to the
-four they are still waiting for 1t, and
the Lillois continue to eat black bread,
and verv little of it.
Something else. When ! passed
through Lille about Christmas time
new imposition had lust been put on
the city S0.0 GOO francs a triAe. com
pared with what they had already paid
to pay for the defensive works. The
poster announcing this new contribu-
tion said words worth 10 be handed
down to posteritv: IL is only right
that he Lillois should contribute TO
the orks undertaken for their own
defence
In the three cities. Lille, Roubaix
and Tourcoing, the Germans requ-
sitioned in the beginning Of December
raw cotton valued at 100000 francs,
which has been later carried to Ger
many. As rule they respect the ma
teral Of the manufactures, but they
take away all new or interesting ma
chimes. In fact, they take away all
that can be transported rails from
the railroads unexpected by them,
kitchen utensils and all copper pieces
from factory machinery. Everything
is good TO take as long as they
can make money with il. In the
beginning OF the occupation. having
found in an empty house in Cambria
one Of those stupid pamphlets sold at
times on the boulevards. entitled
the Testament de Guillaume," they
made il an excuse 10 make upon the
city a new imposition of 10000 francs
Cambrai is little place OF 2S,000 in
habitants.
Men Sent Into Germany.
"ln all the occupied country they
have taken the men between fifteen
and hfty-tve years Of age, and they
nave sent them into Germany. In Brus-
sells | have seen one of these sad