New Britain herald., 1917-10-15

as a member of the Yale Unit of the
 American Field Service, has returned
 to his home in this city. His term
 of enlistment was for six months and ! has now expired. He is going to Yale ! today to make arrangements to re-
 sume his studies immediately.
 While on the other side he was sta
 tioned at Alsace, in a mountainous
 district where there was no fighting.
 In this district the French forces
 were lying in wait. Daily reports
 were received of coming attacks by the Germans but they always failed ! to take place so he saw but little ] lighting in this section. However, he did see many airplane engagements. A Hock of airplanes on scout duty came every afternoon and battles ir
 the air were frequently staged in full view of the French soldiers. He was a member of the 64th section in the
 field service.
 In speaking of the cleverness and efficiency of the spy system he told
 of one instance in which the French
 received information of an attack which the Germans were preparing to launch on September l. The scouts brought in the news that the attack was coming and also that the Ger 1llo11o "Clo SOIll6 CO use d HeW hlHu of gas Being forewarned, the French prepared for the coming at- tack. It came and with it the new gas. It is all the more terrible. he said, because it is practically odor- less and cannot be detected until the men begin to fall The new gas acts
 somewhat similar to ether, causing no
 pain but kills in slow and steady
 manner. The Germans have also
 used another gas with deadly results that is composed of burning 1ngred- ients.
 A bomb is thrown which, when it
 lands, bursts and sprays the gas high
 into the air. In coming down it settles on trees. stones, fences and
 the ground like a cloud. This gas
 acts like carbolic acid, eating through
 cloth and burning the flesh and MT.
 Axelson relates one incident in which
 an ambulance driver lay down to
 rest on the ground where some of this gas had fallen. The end of the tale is that the soldier was burned
 severely, necessitating his removal to
 the hospital.
 German Cruelty Not Exaggerated.
 "German cruelty is as bad as you have heard" said MT. Alexson. "A
 school has been erected on the Marne to teach the children to use the stubs of hands which are the result of the slashing and cutting of the invading
 Germans. In compliance with their
 "Kultur' the Germans cut the hands off the young children to render them
 useless for military duty when they
 grow up. The hands of girls and even in some cases the breasts are cut off the women. The French never theless are going to beat the Germans by teaching these cripples to use their hands as they are.' He also told of one case of German cruelty
 which he knows to be fact. The Germans captured two Canadians and
 one failed to answer questions to their satisfaction. The Germans inn
 mediately crucified him and left him to die in horrible agony. At another time two Scotchmen received similar treatment by being carved, tortured l and crucified.
 Reports that have been received here concerning the horrors of trench
 warfare and the life that is led i'll
 the trenches have not been enlarged
 upon, according to what MT. Axelson | says. As a rule the French soldiers | are assigned to trench fighting for a I stretch of two weeks at a time but | at the end of two weeks if reports | are received of an attack to be made or that the enemy has suddenly de- cided to advance, there is no time off,
 Life in the trenches is so terrible that it is almost beyond description, that is, in the trenches that are locat- ed in the sections where there is active fighting. Reports from other sections showed that upon many occasions it was @ common occurrence to hear a soldier calmly say that he deliberately exposed his hand to be wounded and sent to the rear.
 Americans Give Trench New Spirit. The arrival of the American troops worked a wonderful change on the al- lied forces Six months ago when Axelson first arrived in France the conditions were close to open rebel lion. Old men and young were in the conflict and the manner in which the