The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-10-04
RETURNED FROM TRENCHES
KANSAN TELLS HIS STORY

The Topeka Capital prints the fol-
lowing story of youthful Kansan
who is just from the blood-drenched
battlefields of France.
William A. Hart, son of ]. G. Hart
of Fostoria, back from five months
service in a Canadian regiment in
France was in Topeka yesterday and
called on Governor Capper. He was
accompanied by his father and an
older brother. Young Hart is just
past his nineteenth birthday.
Hart's story of the suffering on
the battle fronts of France would fill
page He was in a continuous bat
tie almost the entire time he was
fighting with the allies. For five
months, until he was seriously
wounded, he faced the German fore
es in the trenches almost night and
day. In one of these fierce battles
which had ragged and roared for
thirty days, young Hart was the only
man of squad of forty-two men who
escaped with his life. He lay for
two days and nights in "no mans
land" before he was rescued by his
comrades. His father secured his
release as disabled Amrican citizen,
through the consul general at Lon
don. He tried to enlist second time
but was refused bcause of wounds
in the hand, leg and arm.
William Hart suffered all the tor
lures of trench life in France. In
these trenches he stood all day, and
when heslept it was on bed or
bunk in water or mud. For an en-
tire night he stood on the crook of
his gun stock with his head just
above the water.
81 saw 5000 dead men at one
time" he said, "and on the battlefield
of the Somme | saw where 100000
men were slaughtered on both sides.
These were buried in long trenches
and in holes dug in tht ground large
enough to accommodate hundreds of
bodies. In some instances where the
soldiers of the allies did not have
time to bury the dead they were
burned on the battlefield"
Asked about the feeling among the
people of France and of the soldiers
of the allies, Mr. Hart said: Ger
many knows it is licked. When
American troops get over there it will
be short time only until the central
powers give up. The German sol
diers we captured all confessed that
their country was fighting against
hope and could not hold out much
longer. Every German soldier who
cam within our range of capture was
glad TO be made a prisoner and to
get out of the awful struggle. They
said to us that they knew they were
gone, their arms depleted and their
food supply growing desperately
short.
"The allies are beating Germany
in our airplane campaign at every
turn and our troops are sending ten
shells into German trenches for
every one Germany hurls at the
allies.
"At Vimy Ridge, where the battle
line was thre miles long, we drove
the German forces back fourteen
miles, slaughtering thousands. We
literally walked on the dead bodies
of men all the distance. Every
Canadian soldier is worth ten Eng
Eshmen. That has been demon
strated in countless battles"
Young Hart said it was only a
question of few months when Ger
many will have to surrender. The
American troops will make short
work Of it, he said, as soon as they
eros the Atlantic. 81 wish / could
go back and help clean up the Kaiser
and his minions of hell" he added,
as he left for his home.