The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-30
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LEFT. REAR Of
G[RMANRETREAT
Horrible Devastation in France
Described By Mrs. Depew
PEOPLE DRIVEN FROM HOMES
Deprived of all Belongings and Com
PEELED to Sleep in Barns on
PEOPLE DRIVEN FROM HOMES
The following letter has been re-

Celyed by Mrs. InOrnLOn L. iuiHo
from Mrs. C. NJ Depew, who early II
the war converted her chateau, neal
Compeigne, France, into hospita
and who has ever since been actively
engaged in caring for the wounded
French soldiers:
Annel, France, March 20. 1917.
shall try to give you description
of these last few days--it is to be re
membered for life time.
On Thursday, March 18th, / return
ed from Paris, leaving Frances, who
was too busy with her home to come
with me. / had only been gone from
Annel 48 hours, and before | left, or
ders had come to evacuate all blesses
who could stand transportation-dur'
ing my absence these orders had been
executed and 55 were sent of in fve
days, those left being really not trans
portable. On my way home, / stopped
at the headquarters near us to see the
General who is a personal friend OIL
mine. and / learned from him that
was not to be nervous If we had Dit
of noise the next day. For ten days
past we had been hearing vague ru-
mors that the Germans were retreat
ing in front of us, but nothing was
confirmed, and in fact, that Thursday
when | was in Paris and spoke OF 1t,
people smiled in a manner as if to
say: You must be losing your head.
We have been prepared for a long
time, as you know, both English and
French. for the spring offensiye--seV-
eral times we have been ordered to
get ready, but each time it has been
put off.
On Friday, several officers came in
and we learned from them that the
reported getreat of the Germans was
a fact. That week we had in some
blesses VINO were most horribly
wounded and our death rate was
higher than 1t had ever beehive had
four funerals in one day.
Friday was a very still day. but at
IL o'clock that night bombardment
mmenced--naturally artillery-that
was terrific and it never stopped for
one minute for twelve hours. There
was no sleep for anyone that night,
and l passed my time between the
hospital and the house-talking to the
nurses l made the remark that / had
not heard one German gun and that
was sure that there had never been
one that answered our artillery. About
$3.50 | threw myself on my bed, when
| heard a noise that / thought was a
very big avion--could hear the shells
going straight over the Chateau
what with them and the bombardment
there was some noise" | went into
the hall and there opened window
on the courtyard and just over the
Chateau the shells were breaking
around thing that looked like sill
yer cigar--it was a Zeppelin. A
second after, she'll struck it and in
moment there was an enormous
cloud of flame. Shouts and hurrahs
went up from the chauffeurs, infirm-
iers and nurses assembled in the
courtyard and | found myself shouting
with them. Then the mighty cloud of
fire broke into three pieces, two big
and one little one that fioated down
like punches of flame. It all seemed
to fall behind our hill, but in reality
it fell in Compiegne-at such height
distance is very deceptive. 1t was a
marvellous and horrible sight, but one
could not realize at the moment that
a number OF men were being hurled
to death. About an hour afterwards,
one of the military chauffeurs brought
me in a large piece of aluminium
frame stained with fresh blood.
Col h1
quiet day-we really heard nothing.
On Sunday, all sorts of rumors that
our troops had entered Noyon, but
this was not really confirmed until
Monday, although we knew that the
Germans were retreating.
On Monday morning, ! went down
to headquarters just near us to see if
could get some news, and found that
lNoyon had been entered on Sunday
morning, and on Monday afternoon.
the General who entered Noyon came
to see me. He told me that he had
only been able to get within three
kilometers of Noyon in automobile, as
the road had been completely destroy
ed-he had taken to his horse. There
were very few people left there, only
old and infirm and only with enough
food--such as it was-for two days.
That same day, three officers came
down from the British headquarters
and told us quite frankly THE Ger
mans have really tricked the French
and ourselves as all the artillery that
has been used has been a perfect
waste" 1t seems this retreat has
been going on for three months and
(C0ntinuad on paCa Eourl