New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-27

OF letter Wnlcn mas Just been receiv.A
the family Of the writer, and which 80
would be Of interest to you and possible -.
readers. IL was written by one Of the -
did corps Of American women who ara -.
such wonderful work for France and yi,s,
an account Of what Nine. CarreL n. r.,
Of DR.. Csrrel, found upon reaching n. 49,,
ity Of Noyon. BARTLETT H. HAYES
New York, April 10, 1917.
There is a canal in Noyon, and tbs. 49,,
mad been damned by the Boehes tn !.
overAowed and the outlet stopped. "a a..
when certain parts we're blown Up the VII
town was inundated, which was the orI,
son that it is not heap Of ruins. a. 49,.
reached the mines that were placed .v...
where before they were blown I'd.
Most Of the houses are DESTROYED. A. ,.,.,-
so, and every stick Of furniture Ia. ~
taken out, and that which could not be 49,,
has been destroyed or made useless
A city OF some seven or eight thouss,5. :
habitants, they found over twelve tbop,,,s
there. as all the inhabitants Of the ,.;..
boring villages had crowded in. Tbo,. -.
were in the cellars came out graduailv ,,1
tale Of horror was unfolded that bar, ~.
that We have heard since the BEGINNING
Girls Carried Away
Every girl between the ages Of fourteen ,,s
thirty was carried away by the Boebs, =.
days before the retreat began. ana :.
younger women left are all about 10 hs.o,..
mothers of Boche babies. One case after -.
other was more pitiable than the last. On,
woman was asked if the two little ehild,,,
who were clingng to her skirts were -,
grandchildren, and she answered: 81
maman, a etc emmen6e par les Boche, ..
leur pere est sur notre front, ct Giant M,
voisins je voudras pouvor lui montrer g,
enfants a son retour, mais je ne sails pa, a,
il est"
Those who were crowded in cellars nav,
hideous tales to tell In the first place. non,
of the French civil population have had sny
meat of any kind for seventeen months. An
they have lived on has been bread. Bsek
bread and rice. In the cellars many have
died, and the mortality among the children
has been terrific. Those who died were ken,
for five days among the living before they
were allowed to be buried.
In the orphan asylum in a small room the
beds were crowded together, touching. AMI
on those beds the children slept without mat
tresses or pillows or coverings,
since the month of December last in
their clothes, and they were not allowed to
go out or wash and the condition
they are in now can scarcely be imagined
such was the vermin.
The French wounded. still in hospital.
had not been cared for and have been Slowly
evacuated into the Carrel Hospital, at Con.
piegne. and the twenty-three kilometres took
them nearly twelve hours, as the roads M
all ploughed up from the old front to N'yo,
The men brought in at midnight had net re.
ceived any sort of care and were reduced 70
the last gasp almost, only skin and bones
and their open infected wounds were filled
with vermin. Their condition was such that
Nine. Carols infrmieres could not stand the
stencil, and she had to do the cleaning Up
herself She had on rubber surgeons gloves,
and even then the vermn crawled up her
bare arms. and she added that even she could
scarcely stand it.
There is not a pane of glass in the town.
When the Troops Arrived
There is not stitch Of clothing nor a
household utensil Of any kind left, and the
army is feeding the population as best
can. And their JOY at seeing the men in blue
was TOO pathetic TO speak Of. On Monday
at noon. in Noyon there was in every window
a small tricolor flag that somehow each IN
habitant of the town had managed to seers's
for the day of delverance. or had put TO-
gether from scraps of red. white and blue
Most of them had idea that they would
not see their soldiers in the famed red irou'
sers, and when at last they did come IN 'hG
did not recognize them at first.
This was all told me quietly and cslnL
but with a tragic voice and gesture ss'i !
never will forget Nine. Carols couragsna
resource of mind and brain are well NOW
but even when she won her Croix de Gusns
she did not do anything finer or more Dsa1,
tiful than when she brayed the lines ana
brought succor and words Of love 10 u0s'
poor martyrs She was the first womsh
the town from France.
March 22-This afternoon the bales s''
boxes gathered together for Noyon were 'e
ing piled high at our doors, and laIe T"
the afternoon the military camions reg
uisitioned for the purpose we're losdsa
Twenty soldiers moved in and out tl w ~
clothing, blankets, pillows, condensed NM
dried peas, lentils, soap, farina, Quaker osl'
500 pounds Of rice, coffee, tea, Jam, m'
caroni, etc, were neatly packed away o..
The trucks went off with a salute from the
men. 49,,
Nine. Carrel is our distributor at Noyon'
and will personally give out everything !"
tho ripht direction