The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-02-27
HE WENT MAD
DURING RETREAT
Serbian School Boy Lost His Mind
From the Horrors of the Re-
treat Of His
Regiment
STORY BY A STUDENT
Article Written by One Of tho Boys
Who Fought Losing
Fight for His
Country.
from VIM. G. Shepherd United press

NASSSC jail, ~. ID
mail.)-In the Servian refugee camp
at Salonica today there is a schoo
boy of fifteen year who lies on a cot
weeping most of the time. and wht
cries out: My country is dead. VIII
did 1 ever learn to love the Serviar
mag" This boy became dementet
from the terrors Of the Servian re
treat He was q member OF tbs
Fourth Students regiment. The fol
lowing article, describing the condf
tons which wrecked the mind Of thu
young Servian, was written especially
for the United Press at Salonica by
d. Maritch, another school boy mem
ber OF the same regiment. The article
Is printed as he wrote 1t, in Serviar
school boy English:
by D. Mar1tch.1
On the evening of October "a we re
ceived an order to be ready every
moment for march. Where and in
what direction we are not told because
soldiers Eve know where thew are
going Or ever, sometimes where they
are. We were only to fill our up sack
good with bread for the journey will
be a long and hard one Early in the
morning of November 26 you could
see the battalion of student boys
lined UP on the field at Pristina. Soon
we r marching toward Stimlie. So
we are going to Prizrend. then. for
this is the road. We do not worry.
The weather is very nice and our
stomach is filled up. which is the one
good thing for a soldier.
At last we are in Prizrend and that
night we sleep in the Turkish bar
racks. How comfortable it is to have
a roof to sleep under. We did not
know that night that the Germans
were only two days away. We thought
that we to stay in Prizrend for
many days and be warm and comfort
able. But the Germans were behind
us and the mountains OF. Albania were
before US to freeze US and starve US
and drive us crazy and almost kill us.
We got orders that we must march to
Albania. This created excitement
among us all. Everyone had to figure
out how long our food will last and
how much we can carry. Then we
started all to look for shoes. There
were no more shoemakers in Priz-
rend. Perhaps they were dead from
work, for many thousands of people in
Prizrend, before they started walking
toward Albania, tried to have their
shoes fixed. On such a walk you may
fall by the roadside and die If your
shoes fall to pieces, like a sailor dies
If his ship leaks. Blu the thought that
we we're going away from the thunder
of war cannons encouraged us with a
hope that we can stand the journey
even barefooted.
October % about five in the morning
OUT battalion of school boys started
its march toward Nonastir. None OF
US feel pleasant. 1t is raining but we
are many II we all have the same
fate. After several hours Of march
ing where dead stiffness prevails we
come to the border Of Albania. The
regions r becoming more wild and
beautiful but we are hit by some
apathy and cannot enjoy them. We
felt that we foresee the hardship and
that we have to endure but
We must keep N with no thought Of
stopping or turning back. The wind
is roaring, the rain is beating when
stop at five in the evening beside
q river. God has given us nearby
of wood and after half an hour
we build a great fire. Wet all through,
shivered with cold. But We must
not despair. To have wet clothes is
die. If you could see us, everybody
barefooted in the mud, behind the
drying out his boots and holding
his socks to the blaze you would see
life depends on dry things. 1t
took all night to dry things especially
with the rain falling. We start In the
morning after we have eaten pieces
Of bread. The trail Is very narrow
rough. We do not march but walk !
inc by one, the best we can. Up one
mountain we go and there is always
another mountain beyond 1t. We
thousands of war prisoners. If
with our bad shoes are unhappy.
how are they? They are pitiful. all
oarefccted; some are naked in the
ain and cold. A man can be so mis-
that he is nc longer your en-
but only & poor unhappy man.
5hivering from cold, they had no food
or days and the dead men we
saw by the road were Austrian pris-
'ners. n Austrian cried to me from
he road. His foot was terrible. It
have been cut off. | gave him
piece of bread. "T do not want
he screamed. IT want a bull
Kill me. Please kill me. 1t is
'lmost night time and I cannot en-
lure to lie here in the nieht and die
slowly" We found a little Alban-
an farmhouse nearby and We made
hem take the Austrian in; they had
'efore turned him away from the /
because they were afraid to
are for a prisoner.
Our food is short two days after
ard. Still we must walk. Still we
must sleep in the rain and the cold.
shoes are falling to pieces. Our
eet are sore. The fourth night we
it beside the fire. 1t is too cold and
ret 70 sleep. The hours are tedious. .