Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-12-05
SCENES OF HORROR
IN WAR HOSPITALS
Constant River of Wounded Sol
diers Flows Through Their
Wide Doors.
MANY ARE DRIVEN INSANE
Physical and Mental Wrecks
Come Increasingly From
Fields of Battle. !

PARIS, December Al have lust re-
turned from visit to Lyons. formerly
a town OF silk factories, and now a.
town of military hospitals. of prisoners
of war and OF schools where young
men who have lost arms and legs are
taught TO take up again the battle for
their daily bread.
To Lyons come the soldiers whom tho
fortunes of shell fire have robbed OF
their reason, some temporarily, but IN
most cases forever. Lyons is the great
center through which pass all the
thousands of gifts which loving hearts
have gathered for the French prisoners
OF war in Germany. and in Lyons arc
the archives of the war. which tho
world Will later read with admiration
ard horror.
Before the war the city had six hos
pitfalls. Now there are more than 300,
corntinE number of private ones
The huge halls of the City Hall, nearly
always empty before the war, except
at great municipal festivals. arc now
crowded with myriads OF bustlng
human beings.
RIVER OF WOUNDED
FLOWS NECESSARILY
telephone message has been sent
ahead. and the great military hospital
opens its doors TO us. 1t is an i'm
mensc colossus in gray stone. Here Is
the only school in France for nom
commissioned officers of the sanitary
troops, and into this huge and broad
building n river OF wounded flows in
ccssantly. day and night
outside silent crowds arc gathered
around scores of green ambulances
Surgeons in uniforms resplendent with
gold braid are standing in the entrance
hall receiving and directing this cur
rent of stretchcrs, flowing in through
the wide doorways, with their loads OF
pale men.
Along tho walls are some stretchcrs.
temporarily held up, until it is decided
where to send them. Cheerful young
faces. tanned by sun and wind. with
big. wondering eyes They look as II
they do not understand how, just in
the middle of the game, they were
bowlcd over and are unable to rise
again.
Here is n negro lie is grinning
Here are Arabs with proud acquiline
features and black boards. a poilu
from Brittany is placidly smoking a
cigar. What is the matter with him?
He has had both les crushed by
shell.
do YOU want TO see tho German
wounded:" an adjutant asks. An Gle
raior swiftly carries us to the fifth
floor. In the huge rooms is a world
OF beds, and in each or these n German
soldier. You expect to find another
race, OF tall. fair Teutons, very much
different from the sons of France. But
many of them are dark. There is no
difference.
The food is being carried around in
immense pals, from which issues an
appetizinE odor. These patients are
given wine or milk 10 drink. The
choice Is left to them.
My mother has only, me-" says one
young German 10 me. 'but She thinks
have fallen. When 20 you think she
viii be told that | am here"
readily promised him to inform his
mother. y young corporal teacher
III civil life, asks me TO write his wife.
who also thinks he has been killed.
They have been married only one year,
and this strong and robust soldier. who
has perhaps killed more than one man
with his bayOnet. is moved to tears
when he talks about her.
HUNDREDS OF INSANE
SOLDIERS IN ROOMS
The soldiers who have gone insane
are the first floor There are hun
dredS OF them in the immense rooms.
Some arc lying absolutely motionless
with closed eyes. and the doctor tells
me they are firmly convinced they arc
dead. In ~ corner two soldiers are sit
ting, both talking inccssantly. one OF
intrenchnlent and the other of majors
and potatoes. shoes and shells in n
chaotic measure. y handsome young
fellow with red checks and n brown
mustache is hopping merrily about
from one chair TO another. lie believes
lac is dead and that he is now an angel
In heaven. Many are deaf and dumb.
and others walk about in constant
state OF anguish. whic', prevents them
from getting a single moments sleep.
In a padded cell sits a soldier on the
edge Of his bed. At the sight of us
he jumps up and shouts, sadly: For
Gods sake, take the cursed bread
away
The doctor tells me he was sitting III
a trench eating crust OF bread when
1t shell smashed the head OF "A man
next to him, sp!ashing his brains all
over The crust. Now he cannot bear
the sight OF bread any longer.
In the city hall. where myrads OF
busy hands arc working, immense piles
OF clothing. parcels OF food and little
presents for the soldiers are every
where. 1t is all to De sent 10 tho
French prisoners in Germany, and IL
has all been made by the women work
ING here
In a small ofllce a Young woman /.
arranging n stack OF typcwritten
sheets, while in adjoining rooms n
number OF helpers are busy with docu-
ments and letters. These women ara
endeavorng TO find out the fate OF
French families in the provinces occu-
pied by the Germans. 100000 persons
living under German military law
More than 60.00o-odd people and
childsen have been driven out" saya
the young woman, and pointing to the
pile or typewritten sheets, she adds.
'lnI flNI4 L. IN.