New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-18
A Night at Verdun
The Letter of an American Doing
His Bit for France
To the Editor Of The Tribune

To the Editor OF The Tribune.
/ Sir: ! am sending you FOR publication
very striking letter-full Of human interest
from the French front. II Is written by fhirp
o. Mills-a son OF General Mills, late OF the
United States Army. lie is one Of our fine
Americans who arc driving ambulances in the
American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps
in France. Applicants WHO wish to JOIN
should apply TO me in person or by mai.
ELIOT NORTON,
Director in America Of the American Nolun-
tccr Motor Ambulance Corps.
/ . Rector Street, New York, April Is, 1917.
Verdun.
Ny Dear Eliot:
Tonight ! am sitting in small under
ground cellar OF ono Of the public buildings
Of the town, acting ms a sort of tmekeeper
/ or starter for the cars going up to our most
dangerous post and handling the reserve cars
FOR wounded in the town itself. ] wish J
could describe the scene "a 1t Is before my
ewes for the whole world is passing here
French. Americans. living, wounded and dying
\ long. heavily arched corridor. with stone
steps leading down to It; two compartments
of to one side lined with wine bins where
our reserve men and few French brancar-
dicrs ,strotchcr bearers are lying on their
stained strctchers. some snoring; beyond, a
door that gives into small operating room
and to the left another door that leads to
I little sick ward, the most pathetic little room
7 have ever seen with four beds OF different
sizes and kinds on ono side and six on the
other. taken evidently from the ruined houses
near bv-and one tired inhrmler hospital at
tondanD to tend and soothe the wounded and
dying.
In the bed nearest the door French priest
shot through the lungs-with pneumonia set
ting in-hs black beard pointed straight up
and ybispering for water. Next to him a
little German lad, hardly nineteen, and small,
with about six hours to live, calling, some
times screaming, for his mother ana theh
for water. Next to him, a French captain OF
infantry. with his arm off at the shoulder
and his head wounded, weak, dying, but sinii-
INC. and next TO him a traileur IN delirum,
calling on his colonel to charge the Germah''
Tho infrmier il going from one 70 the other
soothing and waiting on each in turn. ne
asks me what the German is saying, ana tell
him he is calling for his mother An TINS
is sad war" he says. as he goes over to
hold tho poor lads hand.
"Vcry Serious
4 brancardicr comes in with telephone
nesage-"A blesse wounded mani at Belle
yiue-very serious" This is a reserve car
call. 50 one slides out and is gone like a
1atr making ALL
the speed its driver can-no easy matter,
with no lights. In twenty minutes he IS BACK
The brancarders go out-they come IN again.
bearing the wounded man on stretcher, and
Mace il on tho floor beside the little stove
One Of them, who is a priest, leans over him
and asks his name and town; then. in answer
70 what his wife's name is, he murmurs'
alice; while on the other side an
other brancardier is Sitting the clothes from
his body, and I SILVER with the pity of 1t at
the sight saw.
The surgeon comes out of his little operst-
ing room. Weary with the nights tragic
work, after so many many other tragic
nights he douses his head In bucket Of
water Then he turned 10 the wounded man.
He looked long at him, gently felt his nose
and lifted up his closed eyelid. Then, at his
nod. the stretcher is again lifted and the
wounded man carried into the operating
room. and soon after into the little room Of
sorrows.
In answer 70 my eager question the surgeon
shook his head. Not a chance.
A brsncarder and I gathered the soldiers
belongings from his clothes to be sent to his
wife, but even we had to stop for few min
utes after we saw the photograph of his wife
and their two little children.
An hour later. as our nights work was
Stacking down and several cars had driven up
and been unloaded, the inhrmier came In
from the little room and said something to
the brancarders. Two Of them got stretch
or. and In moment "the blesse from Belle
Vile" came past us with a sheet over him.
They laid him down at the other end of the
room and another brancardier commenced
rolling and tying him in burlap for burial. AS
you looked he changed to shapeless log
Then out 10 the dead wagon with It.
Soon after I went into tho little ward
again. 20 see how the others were coming
through the night, and was glad to see them
all ouieted down: even the little German
seemed less in pain. though his breathing
still shook the heavy little bed he lay on.
Through a chink saw that day was begin
ming to break. and as noticed 1t heard the
chiefs car coming in from the Sap" and
knew the nights work over.
PHILIP o. MILLS.