The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-30

! we began to get little news of wha
, was happening up there. 1t was alb
solute chaos, the Germans had des
troyed everything before them. so thai
1t was almost impossible for the army
even to proceed and the cavalry Went
so quickly, meeting nothing in its
way that it got cut off from the
Genie and the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
There was no railroad and the Boobies
had put the roads in such condition
by every conceivable device, that Ii
was almost impossible for q motor to
go over them. The few blesses there
were came down in the most pitiable
way-they we're pushed some of them
in wheel barrows, or push carts, or
carried on stretchers to. the ambu-
lances. 1t took or 10 hours to come
II kilometers.
The French mentality is always be-
yond me-they are never willing to
acknowledge that they need anything
| On Wednesday morning, having heard
from the wounded, OF which there
were very few, who had come down,
OF the starving condition of the evils
a few kilometers beyond us, sent
our Officer Administration over to
the big Etat Major to offer to send a
| military car up that afternoon as far
as it could proceed. with rations for
600 people. The General was not
there, but one of his officers took up
on himself to send back word TO say
that the evils were quite well looked
after and refused IL. Such ignorance
is almost unbelievable.
On Wednesday went to Paris to
see If | could arrange for evacuating
the blesses by water, as they did not
dare to keep them at Noyon as it was |
in danger of being bombarded. | ]
found out that the Germans had
thrown stones and rocks in the river |
so that navigation was practically I'M
possible, and OF course, had blocked
up the canal. Their retreat is con.
sidered a most mastery thing, and
will go down in history as the most
wonderful one ever executed They
never left even a cigar or cigarette
box or anything behind them-they
pillaged all the houses.
returned TO Annel on Friday, and
Friday. Saturday, Sunday and Monday
we had groups OF different cavalry Of
ficers who begged us for nights
lodging, and whom we OF course were
delighted to receive-they had just
come from as far as our troops had
got up to then. Their tales--and this |
Is the first time have heard the facts
directly from those who have witness
sed them-are almost understandable.
One can understand the pillaging. the
destruction. in fact everything that
would impede the enemy's progress
put the massacre and cruelty to evils
hat the Germans are now perpetrat- {
ng, is beyond the widest dreams.
On Saturday. | went myself to No
ION, as the road was then open for {
conveys and military cars-it took me
wo hours to go IA kilometers. ! went
Up past Ribecourt. and saw the "poste {
lie secOurs" from which so many of
)ur poor wounded had come: and the
own that had been so exceptionally I
,retty was a devastated mass of l
uins. AS | went over the line into /
What had been the German country |
uch a short time before and saw |
low near we had really been TO these 7
'rutes for 1-2 years, my emotions y
we're almost indescribable Their b
renches. their barbed wire, their I
'ostes de commandments are perfect h
y extraordinary. There are hardly o
ny trees left-they have been des- n
Dyed by the artillery-those broken I
If in the direction we were going. t
y our shells and vice versa From o
Iibecourt to Noyon. there was one v
ncessant procession of conveys con- e
aiming all sorts and kinds of rava- 9
aillement From Ribecourt TO No. a
on, / never saw a cat or a dog or a p
in any of the ham h
cts through which we passed. We n
aw groups of soldiers trying to make a
themselves shelter in the houses, g
lost Of which were like pieces of lace. Il
logon is not so very badly damaged, \
ut as was on a very big business r
rrand ! did not have much time to 7
)ok around me, but shall go up again il
,ter. All over the little town were Il
roups of refugees, for all the inhab- a
ants of the towns beyond, between | p
I. Quentin and there. had come pour o
~ into Noyon. The Germans had | Il
vacuated most of them by cattle h
'ains to or near Noyon, and. there ii
hey were--homeless and without any a
hing but what they had on their g
acks | went straight to Mr. Noel | "
ne Mayor, who himself had been le
prisoner in Germany for a long
me-and who with his wife and v
aughter are now doing excellent re- "
eff work in Noyon. While talking, W
rench woman Of about 72 came in, il
nd Mr.. Noel asked her to tell me her Il
istory. She and her husband had Il
we'd near st. Quentin-had their own h
ouse with electricity and baths Il
rench bourgeoise-and had not been A
hla To nscn no hefnrn tho German in. c.