The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-02-14
HORRORS OF THE
EUROPEAN WAR
Verne Marshall, of Cedar Rapids, Tells
Editorial Association Experiences
While in Ambulance Corps.
MIND CANNOT DESCRIBE SCENES
Bodies of Dead at Verdun Were Fiji
teen and Twenty Deep Between
Lines-"No Mans Land"

Inc writer WAS Ill DcS IuOIllcS 1doC
Thursday and Friday in attendance
ct the annual convention of the Iowa
Press association, which was attended
by some three hundred publishers OF
the state. The program arranged for
the entertainment of the editors was
exceptionally fine. One Of the features
was the banquet rendered the editors
by the Greater Des Moines committee
at the Chamberlain hotel on Thurs
day evening. ,- ,..-
Verne Marshall, editor of the Cedar
Rapids Gazette, addressed those pres
ent for over an hour, telling of his ex-
periences and of the horrors Of the
great war in Europe as he found them
while driving an ambulance in the
American corps of the French army.
His story was so interesting that the
writer believes Review readers would
be interested in a summary of it.
Mr. MarshalHs address was the clos
ing number Of the banquet and for
more than one hour he held the strict
attention of every one of the 400 per-
sons who crowded the big banquet
room. Mr.. Marshalls talk, was a
graphic description of actual condi-
ticns III the warning zone and especial
ly around Verdun, where the greatest
battle in history has ben fought, as
he personally observed them.
In his Introduction he declared that
the people Of France are fighting for
the very same things that the United
States flag stands for. He said that
when he decided to go to France and
join the American ambulance corps
he received anonymous letters warn
ing him against going, stating that
the boat would surely be torpedoed.
He sailed on the steamer Lafayette
and with sixty other persons had the
upper decks Of the great boat to them
selves.
The boat sailed directly for Bor-
deaux, France. When the vessel was
nearing the submarine zone life pre-
servers were given to each person
with pamphlets Of instructi iOns telling
them how to acquit themselves until
&c Nccsy ystt = on Ne Me
steamer wereT put out and passengers
sat on the, decks with the life preserv
ers on fearing that any moment the
ship might be struck by torpedo and
sent to the bottom. However, Mr..
Marshall said. the boat reached Bor,
deaux without sighting submarine
and he went right from there to Paris
where he joined the ambulance corps.
Soon after joining the corps Mr..
Marshall was injured by carrying a
kit weighing 1876 pounds up a stair.
way, and was confined for twenty days,
ten days in bed and ten days hobbling
about watching the operations and
manner in which the institution was
conducted. ..-s I'll
He said that a gruesome sight al
ways caused him to be sick and think
ing he might make himself accus-
toned to such sights he secured per-
mission to watch the operations. The
very first operation he witnessed was
the amputation of mans leg and 1t
affected him. However, he said. at the
end of ten days he found that he could
endure most of the sights and was
sent to hospital only twelve miles
from Verdun, where the bloodiest bat
tie of the war was in progress.
IN speaking Of the battles at Ver-
dun, he said that human mind could
not describe them Before that now
famous place 100000 allied soldiers
were pitted against 100000 picked
troops of the crown prince. The equip
ment of the allied soldiers, he stated,
so filled the space for a front of eight
miles that the hospital camps could
not be pitched nearer than tewlve
miles from the actual fighting lines. In
this place eight miles wide and twelve
miles deep were men, horses, tents,
artillery, etc. t
The killings in the great battles be-
fore this town we're enormous, he
said. After each battle the bodies of