Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-01-05

! tie near ke1m, on the User canal
! 1t will be a long time before I shall
! feel cheerful again. Such wholesale
! murder one cannot forget. On Sat-
.urday, at 1907, a shell fell into our
trench, quite near the Captain. His
servant was killed at once; the shell
hurls him out Of the trench. The
others were scarcely recognizable
for dirt. The same thing may hap
pen to me at any moment, for death
stands always before us. The same
God who they say, created men-He
can also murder them. That Is all a
part of his divine ruling. That is
what you, silly people are told. Sad
for him who believes it. When the
people realize how they are deceiv-
ed with this God OF the Capitalists
such murder will no longer be pos
sible.
October &C.. Sunday evening we
again advanced. The evening and
the night were fearful 1t rained so
that in half an hour we were wet
through. Then we crawled into a
Belgian trench. / was perishing with
cold. 1 don't think l can hold out
much longer. for ! have rheumatism
in all my limbs. It is time that peace
was made, otherwise in this wealth
er some epide mic will break out. The
battle RACES again today. | was on
the watch last night for the fifth
time. The night was very cold. l
was perishing with cold. October
q. The wrestle of the worlds pro-
ceeds. We lie on the User canal. We
have a bad position. If the French
shot better it would BIS all up with us
b,1f 10
on the bodies of our comrades. That
agitates me always very much On
the User Canal the bodies of the
dead-German and Belgian lie IN
heaps; l have had to go by them al
ready several times. That chills
you to the marrow. The smell of the
corpses is awful. If they are not soon
buried there must be an outbreak OF
disease. We sleep BY. the canal;
have slept well. October %. Today
we again advanced. This is already
the twelfth day the battle, and
no decision yet. We have been un-
der a fearful shell fire today: It was
more fearful than anything I had
known before. 1t was as though the
world was coming to an end. I have
desired death that this horror might
end. Butt as though a miracle our
company had no wounded only our
artillery. am already quite worn
out. can enjoy my food no longer.
Oh how happy were I could I see !
wife and child once again.~But I no |
longer believe that possible This !
murder is&something hor- |
rible. We r. are fighting French |
men now, and theyRshoot well. The
l think, is tbetter than ours. |
If the Governments would only make |
peace. There is enough breaking OF !
hearts already. It was very cold last |
night, for there was frcst on the
ground. In the trenches it Is very |
wet. How long shall yet hold out. |
On~the 27th, got the first news
from home. ! Wept in my excite
ment Frfehd 3 anti comrade Peters
has sent me- some cigars, chocolates,
and peppermint drops. How thankful
am for them. I am fearfully cold
as I write this. I am wanting |
warm underclothing. have changed |
my shirt twice, but my pants are |
quite worn out. Perhaps may find
scme on dead comrade. Need for |
ces one to such deeds. October 20.
The battle gees en-. This is the thir-
teenth day; how will it end? .-.
So the diary ends, for the thir-
,eenth day brought to Josef Jablon-
ski, the German gardener from the
little village in Western Z, Prussia,
he death that he so longed for, the
'elease from all the horrors Of tie
conflict. and the French
soldier who buried him took from his
pocket this record of his .sufferings,
md gave it to our Belgian friend,
Ind l have passed it on you.
.t EDITH F. NORTON.