The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-09-26
THE GERMANS IN FRANCE
Eye Witness to Effect Of Deeds Of
Frighfulness Tells OF Condl-
<inno


Andrew L. Walsh of the field hos
pital service, American Red Cross, in
the Brooklyn Eagle: 1--WE have been
on active service now for just week,
having picked up our cars at this lit
tie town, which you would recognize
Immediately were allowed to tell you
the name OF its far-famed cathedral.
can see we are In northern France.
near where the French and English
lines join. Yesterday / went to sol.
emn high mass at the cathedral, and
never felt nearer to heaven In all my
life. AS late as March or April Of this
year the town was in possession OF
the Germans, who had held 1t since
the beginning Of the war. This was
the first mass said in it since the Ger
man occupation early in the war, and
the girls in their white festival clothes
and wreaths, receiving their delayed
first communion, were indeed too
touching and most of the French, high
strung as they are, wept for the joy OF
it ALL
When the Germans left, just few
hours before the vanguard of the
French had reached the gate Of the
city, they took with them all the cat
tie and food supplies that were NOV
able, and had taken out the best of the
oil paintings in the cathedral, as well
as having destroyed the works of the
fine old clock, for it's metal, and also
took the organ pipes and seven pieces
of bronze bells in the steeple.
1.-THE cathedral itself had been min
ed. but the charge failed to explode
and so the building remains standing
as It has since the eleventh century.
OF course all the fruit trees were chop
ped down, or mined, and what could
not be destroyed were poisoned. The
wells and streams here are impossible
to use on this account. Houses, and
whole streets, were destroyed for the
mere vandalism Of IT, But the crown
ing insult to the inhabitants was most
bitter. This town in peace time has
5000.
During the Germans stay here
they were billeted in the houses. and
many were the indecencies practiced
on the poor people. Time and time
again they threatened the women
with death because they refused to
sing or dance at the German drunken
parties. There was not a single fe-
male between Is and 35 who had not
been violated by tho invaders. This
is no exaggeration. One does not see
women of these ages here now. This
was done under the orders of German
officers, who with system terrorized
the women. Crime ran rampant and
unchecked. Just to show an example
mot extraordinary, but rather like the
majority of the cases:
ACROSS the way from the chateau
in which we are billeted there Is
home all shot to pieces. In the ruin
Lives a woman herself the victim OF
German soldiers. She had two daugh-
ters of 16 and Is, who were known as
the bellies Of the town, for their beauty
was the talk Of the countryside. On
this account they We're taken to wait
on German officers, who shortly attack
ed both girls. When the time came
for the Germans to evacuate the town
these two girls, with numbers of 9TH
ers, were taken down to the college.
At a M, with 700 or more other girls
and all the youngsters Of IL to IS
years, they were taken on trains off to
Germany. The Germans do all their
dirty work at night. When their moth
ers tried to interfere or even tried to
embrace their children for the last
time, they were beaten off and some
Of them even fired at by German off,
GERS.
From that day to this not single
word has been heard from these de-
ported girls"