Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-10
Germans Ruin IS.
Fair Aisne Land
Continued from Page Ono

Continued from Page Ono
strangest of all, the church was practically
Intact. save that 1t had been thoroughly
sacked In Prussian fashion, even the door
OF the tabernacle having been pried open,
and the gold chalice that held the Sacra-
ment removed. In no single house Of the
eleven existed a stick OF furniture, and in
the garden Of one. among trees cut down.
lay mass Of smoldering household equip
ment, among which the remains of an old
Flemish bed were visible.
L went into the cemetery beside the
church. where my ancestors lay buried. A
communicating trench had been dug
through 1t. trench seven feet deep at
least, violating many graves, among others
those OF my fathers people, poor ancient
dead that had been buried in ancient piety
And 1t seemed to me then and there that
more bitter feeling against the Boche
rose In my heart than existed a week ago,
and week ago | would not have believed
1t possible. There were three dead Prus-
slams In the trench, lying for aught I
could positively deny In that which had
been the graves of people of my name.
They had been of the resisting rearguard.
| stood and looked upon them for mo-
ment ere turning away with thoughts In
my mind that have no place here.
I saw for the first time in this war cav
airy in action, both French and English, at
an hours interval. They entered Nesle from
opposite sides, followed by infantry detach-
ments from both armies. who, under the
glass. I could see putting out fires. For the
Boche always burns at the end. Thus he
will burn all Of still-invaded France as he is
forced out or retreats before superior equip
ment and better men. 1t was three hours
later that 1 was permitted to enter, the
first civilian from free France. L fancy
from what have written above that some-
where 1t was recorded such was to be.
Every village I saw in the triangular
journey is a wreck, either a mass of crum-
bling cold or smoking hot ruin. And that
| typifies the whole Of the territory, amount
| ing to about $500 square kilometers at this
writing. To burn Is quite the Prussian
type Of warfare, quite in line with Louvain
and Rheims. No military necessity made
essential the burning Of Peronne Chaulnes
and NesIe, or the villages between. 1t was
| just simple. plain Boche, and the Boche Is
| type of human apart
I saw tremendous broken networks of
barbed wire before each town, each SEEM
iHkly StToHkeT lHdH tfc OtHcT, anu IHOTe III
| tricate and deeper trenches than 1 had
before looked upon. Some were six and
seven feet deep and had narrow-gauge
| tracks laid within them Many of the abris
| were constructed with stone and brick cas-
| ings at entrances, and the descending steps
| solidly cemented into place. The inside lines
| Of defense at the very outskirts of each
| town were constructed among the ruins of
| houses, and were of the most powerful
nature. Fighting with the rearguard had
| constantly occurred, as the numerous dead
| testified. I saw many inhabitants and
| talked with some of them. particularly in
| Nesle. For the most part their faces were a
| composite of tears and smiles. Many were
| hysterical and spoke as 1t were with their
| whole bodies. One old man expressed 1t all
| when he said: "Ah. Monsieur les cochons !,
| Les sales cochons!" (The pigs The dirty
pigsD
Among these suffering people were naught