Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-18
VERDUN WOUNDED
ARRIVE ON TRAINS
Reach Paris Exhausted, and
Sleep Quickly Seizes Ma
jority of Them.
FIGHTING OF WORST KIND
zouave, Proud of Being Injured
Five Times, Says He Is
in Luck.
FIGHTING OF WORST KIND

PARIS. June 1.-THE sight Of tho
trains of wounded continually arriy-
ing from Verdun is one that will never
be forgotten by any one who has wit
messed it, The French writer, Andrea
Niollis. says of them:
lheF arrive, as do all the others.
worn out and exhausted to death-mora
worn out and more exhausted thar
others. for they have fought until tho
breath went out OF their bodies. and
withdrawn from the fight. thev stsna
there with bandaged heads, without
thought OF time or place or OF their
wounds. They belong only to slsen.
which seizes them, closes their ewes
presses back their dilated nostrii,. ana
gives them a short, feverish and nm.
pressed breath. Ne
That is the first tableau. A f.w
hours pass and everything is changed.
The men have been given shower
bath. the lukewarm water has soothed
inc skin and softened muscles. which
were like steel springs They have
passed through the hands of the barber
and hairdresser. and clean bandares
nave been put on their wounds. A night
oil perfect rest, good meal-and if
'ney DO not say much and scarcely yen-
lure outdoors their faces have lost that;
dreadful expression. their eyes the
look Of stupor produced by the atro-5
cious hours they have passed through
Atrocious hours! Yes. indeed. There
are soldiers who have seen Loretta and
the fights in Champagne. but all this.
they say. was nothing compared to the
lights around Verdun. The fghtins
there reached brutality which defies
all description.
under hail OF shells of the largest
caliber and then with buzzinr head
and broken nerves make a stand
against the shock Of the attack of in
fantry in waves coming right on top
of each other stop them with the bay.
onet and then throw them back into.
their own lines! ~.
That is fighting such as the world
has never seen before, but they pasS
through II and come out Of It, those
who do come out, more firmly COM
WINGED than ever OF victory. and the
words you hear on the lips of all of
them are The Germans will never
break through
They all repeat this phrase. They
need nothing more to encourage ther
even those who are hardest wounded or
most completely exhausted. The Ger.
mans have been checked; there Is no
doubt about that. That Is the great.
the only thing. The hallucination OF
the battle still exists. but they no
longer see its horrors. They see moth
ing but success
Another day passes. and again am
other, and the great hospitals, which
contain these thousands OF wounded
men, resound with voices of happiness.
the voices of men who rejoice that they
have come back to life. They sing and
laugh. they romp about like gay
schoolboys, playing all sorts of boyish
games. .1791
MANY VISITED BY THEIR
WIVES AND CHILDREN
Young women have come from Paris
and everywhere. informed by telegram,
is 1t you? Is 1t really you?' Beauti-
ful eyes fill with tears OF JOY, tender
arms slip around slender waists. and
loving couples walk away into the
park. y father let's his children dance
on his knees. The little girl kisses his
lips and eyes. ne laughs and cries and
mamma laughs and cries too
Il wonder what secret force there IA
in our race? What wonderful re-
source does it possess TO be able to
hound from exhaustion bordering on
death, into happiness. strength and en-
joyment of life?
Look at that young Zouave. No.
body has come TO meet him. neither
wife nor children. But. throwing =
glance at all those who are hapny
around him. he sits down In the grass
and begins to sew stripes on the sleeve
OF his tnnic. One. two. three, four
stripes.
"'zut.' ne says, have no distinc.
tions yet
You collect wounds them
1t is my fifth since August Five
wounds. five furloughs. and five
stripes. Yes. am indeed in luckr
These are only the slightly wounded.
The severely wounded are being cared
for in other hospitals where scores of
wagons loaded with flowers bring them
their share of the summer They
honored IN every manner that thought
tnl hearts are able to conceive II
shall never he said that France Is un-
grateful TO those who have risked their
lives to save her F
Last night all the troops Of the
garrison were massed on the boule.
ward and on the balconies and In open
windows garlands Of women In light I
summer dresses were seen above the
ilGht blue uniforms of the chasseurs
a word or command from the colonel
and the entire mass OF the chasseurs q
began 10 file past in review. In honor !
OF whom" Why In honor OF five or
six wounded who stood In short row rs
hashful and embarrassed. leaning on
their crutches. howing their heads az
the troops presented arms to them III
passing" 81