The Washington times., 1917-05-01
WARS HATRED ENDS
AT HOSPITAL DOOR
p, o. Mills Writes of Watch by
Wounded Near French
Trench Front.
NEW YORK. April 80.


phiIip O. Mills, son Of the late Gen.
Mills, u. s. A., tCho Is one OF the young
American college men driving an am
buIdnce in the American Volunteer mo-
tor Ambulance Corps. Hop seruinO on
the tcesteTH front, has t1TttteH fhe Ioi-
cffv. t1ho is the director iH America Of
the corps:
NV Dear Eliot: Tonight am sit
ting in a small underground cellar OF
one of the public buildings OF the
town acting as a sort OF timekeeper
or starter for the cars going UP 10
our most dangerous post and nan
ding the reserve cars for wounded
in the town itself. 1 wish l could
describe the scene as 1t is before my
eyes-for the whole world is passing
here French, Americans, living
wounded and dying.
A long heavily arched corridor
with stone steps leading down to 1t;
two compartments OF to one side
lined with wine bins, where our re-
serve men and a few French BRAN
cardiers (stretcher bearers) are lying
on their stained stretchers, some
snoring; beyond a door that gives
into a small operating room, ana 10
the left another door that leads TO a
little sick ward, the most pathetle
little room I have ever seen, with
four beds OF different sizes and KINDS
on one side and six on the other.
taken evidently from the ruined
houses ar by-and one tired innrm-
n
soothe the wounded and dying.
Dying Priest Asks Relief.
In the bed nearest the door a French
priest, shot through the lungs-with
pneumonia setting in-his black beard
pointed straight up. and whispering
for water. Next to him, a little Ger
man lad, hardly nineteen and small
with about six hours to live, calling
sometimes screaming, for his mother
and then for water. Next to him,
French captain of infantry with his
arm off at the shoulder and his head
wounded; weak, dying, but smiling
and next to him a tirailleur in delir
ium calling on his colonel to charge
the Germans. The inf1rmier is going
from one to the other, soothing and
waiting on each in turn. He asks me
what the German Is saying and 1 tell
him he Is calling for his mother. "Ah
this is a sad war" he says, as he goes
over to hold the poor lads hand.
A brancardier comes in with tele
phone message, "a blesse (wounded
mani, at Belleville-very serious
This is a reserve car call, so one
slides out and Is gone like a gray
! ghost down the ruined street, max
ing all the speed its driver can-nc
easy matter-with no lights. In TWEEN
ty minutes he is back. The brancar
diers go out-they come in again bear
| ing the wounded man on a stretcheI
and place it on the floor beside tht
little stove. One OF them, who Is q
priest, leans over him and asks his
name and town: then, in answer tC
what his wife's name is. he murmur:
Alice" while on the other side an
other brancardier is Sitting tht
clothes from his body and l shivel
with the pity OF II at the sight saw
Last Hope Il Gone.
The surgeon comes out Of his littl'
operating room. Weary with tn,
nights tragic work. after so many
many other tragic nights, he dousei
his head in a bucket OF water. TheI
he turned to the wounded man. H,
looked long at him. gently felt hi
nose and lifted up his closed eyelid
Then, at his nod, the stretcher il
again lifted and the wounded mai
carried into the operating room, ant
spon after into the little room of soT
rows.
In answer to my eager question tn
surgeon shook his head. Not a chance
a brancardier and / gathered tn
soldiers belongings and his clothe
to be sent to his wife, but even W
had to stop for a few minutes afte
We saw the photograph OF his VIII
and their two little children.
An hour later, as our nights worl
vas stacking down and several car
had driven up and then unloaded. III
infirmier came in from the little roor
and said something to the brancaI
diers. Two of them got a stretche
and in a moment "the blesse fror
Belleville" came past US with a shee
over him. They laid him down at tn
other end of the room and the bran
cardier commenced rolling and tyin
him in burlap for burial AS yo
looked he changed to a shapeless los
Then out to the dead wagon with Il
Soon after | went into the littl
ward again to see how the other
were coming through the night. an
was glad to see them all quiete
down: even the little German SCENE
less in pain. though his breathin
still shook the heavy little bed h
lay on.
Through a chink l saw that da
was beginning to break, and as
noticed II / heard the chiefs car CON
ing in from the sap" and knew tn
nights work was over.
PHILIP q. MILLS.
MAGISTRATE IS FINED