Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-04-20

trees from kOye 10 Champion and the
fine trees along the Roiglise road SUI
fered the same fate
Lust of Destruction.
The correspondent Of the London
Times with the French army tells Of
the destruction wrought in Chauny
which was excusable for military rea-
sons, and then continues to describe
that which was not:
But for the rest Of their conduct
there is no possible defense IN vii
lage after village. especially in
I Chauny itself they burned whole rows
Of houses for no reason whatever ex-
cept for pure spite and lust Of de-
struction.
House after house was pIllaged,
Z stripped as if by burglars. In every
room that was not fired they had
taken all the contents away, or more
vileIy still had smashed them to
atoms.
I have written these things before,
when myself have seen them in 9TH
{ er sections Of the line. write about
them again because I cannot impress
too strongly the rest Of the world that
the power for this particular form Of
evildoing must be taken away from
this uncivilized race. Even now, even
in England and in France itself. peO-
pie who have not seen with their own
eyes seem not TO realize what is be-
ing done here.
"One fact may bring it home TO
them 1t is the latest invention Of this
generation OF house breakers, the new
est refinement OF doing mischief. In
the fields between Noyon and Chauny,
many Of which-a sure sign that the
German retreat had not been fOreseen
until comparatively lately-had been
carefully plowed and even sown, there
were a considerable number Of fruit
trees. Every one Of them within
certain distance Of the road had been
killed. They either have been sawed
through a couple Of feet from the
ground and left lying where they fell
or gashed and hacked three or four
inches deep.
This massacre of trees must have
been carried out by at least three or
four companies acting under the or
ders of their officers just before the
retreat began, when the troops were
in such a hurry that they even left
behind stores OF old metal which they
had carefully collected. I want TO in
sist upon this point. that it is clear
that it is the officers OF the German
army who are responsible for this par
ticular crime of tree mutilation."
Burned Supplies for the Poor.
The correspondent of the Times at
British headquarters writes as fol-
lows:
"Old men. women and children, to /.
whom the British were only a myth. /
welcomed the advance guards with (
tears.
'''Are you manyT asked one woman 1
doubtfully OF a staff officer.
ave are two million now sid the [
officer.
'sThe woman's relief and JOY were I
fine to see.
What these people wanted was 4
food. They had hardly had any meat.
butter or fat for months They say
the German soldiers are getting less
to eat now and grumble a good deal
when the French troops arrived at
rergnier. where the Compaignie du
Nord had large workshops and loco
motive sheds. they found everything
destroyed by dynamite.
"A Berlin telegram which describes
he movements Of the German with
travail. says the greatest considera-
ion was paid the inhabitants. The
Dad from Chauny TO NOyon was one
continual stream of refugees from the
Tillages beyond Chauny. They had
,een sacked and burned by the Ger
mans. These poor refugees consisted
exclusively OF women, babies and
mail children. For weeks past the
Germans had expelled them from vii
age after village in preparation for
he retreat. When the final moment
anne their houses were sacked and
hen burned before their eyes. The
efugees were left helpless without
God TO await the French advance
eat Noyon. owing TO the fact that
ne Germans had concentrated there
O.OO0 women and children. they prom
ssd to leave the American relief
CmmisSion sufficient supplies to feed
hem. Nevertheless. the last German
atrols to leave NOyon completely
acsed the American relief store
ouse Of everything eatable. and then
ynamited the building. Finally they
nrned the canal water with which
hey had flooded the city into its
uins."
Eel Mhat Clothes Cost