The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-11-05
WORSE THAN DEATH
Dangers Of venereal Disease at tho
Army Camps.

Army Camps.
Boston, Nov. 1.-The story OF how
a Massachusetts boy jumped to his
death from transport into the har-
| Dor of French port rather than be
| sent back home TO face his family
and friends because he was suffering
from loathsome social disease is
| told by Miss Lille Z. Sheppard, a
nurse in the Royal Army Medical
Corps, who is In Boston visiting her
brother after serving in hospitals In
France since the outbreak of the war
Broken in health and her nerves
shattered from the long train OF three
years in the midst OF death and ter
rible suffering. Miss Sheppard. who
is an English girl, is here with the
nope OF regaining her health. Ne
phase of the war, she says Is more
terrible to unrses and medical men
than the thousands upon thousands
OF young men that are herded int
ospiLals In France and England ali
suffering from diseases worse than
Ieprosy.
Il recall very vividly the last time
| saw this boy who committed suicid,
ather than go home. 1t seems TO me
that he came from small town in
Massachusetts. He told ME the
name but it has gone from me- saio
aiss Sheppard, happened to be III
The ward when he approached the
loctor and asked how long it would
AXE TO cure him
II can't do much FOR you my boy
|. said the doctor We are going tt
hip you back to America in a. fag-
lays.'
Why doctor. can't go home this
way. come OF good family. Thel
here is father and mother and the
girls-and- and Mary he repeated
softly. | can't go home!
with many others he was put on
board q transport for America. The
boat left just at dark. The next
morning his bunk was empty. He
couldn't so home that way you see.
For three months was assigned
to a hospital in Paris where hundreds
OF these boys were suffering. 1t was
all SO different.
In other hospitals the soldiers like
10 have the nurses near them. We
remind them OF their mothers, then
wives, sisters and sweethearts. But
In this hospital the men are ashamed
Of their lives, ashamed OF their
disease and didn't want good womer
near them. They were morose anu
despondent. The blackest despair
was in their eyes and hearts.
America is training the flower Of
her youth and ! hope to God that
your wise men will take the neces
sary precautions to keep the environ
ments OF their camps in wholesome
condition. Clean up the communities
around your training camps. That Is
where enemies abound. Drive ou
the vice and give the men.a whole
some substitute for it.
mo wound received at the front is
so frightful as the wounds of these
men In the hospital where l was or
duty Out at the front the wound
are ghastly and awful but when thes
are washed and their wounds are
dressed the boys look sweet and
clean and wholesome.
II they die, they die with honor.
III they live. they live with honor
But these boys that have told
YOU about suffer from disease worse
han ieprosy II they die. they die in
ioathsome horror. II they live the
are curse to those who love them
These are the spoils OF the brothe
and the harlot."
Miss Sheppard had not seen hel
brother for seven years until Satur
lay. When the war broke out she
was assistant matron OF the Charrint
Cross Hospital, London. She i'm
mediately volunteered for service al
the front
- started in at Paris. When the
wounded soldiers came in was ap
g.uied. but Paris was a good way
| from the front and only those who
could stand the Journey were brought
| to u.s. says Miss Sheppard Later
| was sent to a hospital few miles
| back Of the trenches where only the
desperate cases are brought. God
and the doctor and the padre and tho
nurse do what they can, which, is
| often nothing"
Efforts are being made to persuade
Miss Sheppard to lecture for the War
| Camp Community Fund which opens
its drive in Boston for 100000 next
Monday. The story related by Miss
Sheppard is exactly the condition
that the war-camp community work
ers are striving to clean up. Secre
| tary Baker says that it is a matter
| of Military necessity.