The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-03-22

DESTRUCTION
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was traceable for fifteen miles by
such pals of smoke.
Along the road back from Tergnier
and Noyon poured an unendlnE
stream of refugees from these blaz-
ing farms and villages Nearly all
were women-pitiful in their dest-
tuition; a few scant pieces Of cloth
INK saved and strapped on their
backs, or pushing baby carriages or
wheel-barToHs with tiny tots tucked
therein. Younger children chung to
their skirts or themselves toddled
sIong under the weight Of bundles.
This was pitiful appearing
stream. Pushing afoot along road
stretching eighteen miles and con-
SANITY under bombardnent, the refu-
gees faced a driving winter rain Al
though they were homeless. and hun
ger stricken. with only the clothing
On their backs or few small be-
lrnFtnKs TO call their cxn-despite
al this, they were supremacy, radi-
sntly happy. They were returning TO
France
/ talked to many Of these today.
They declared the happiest moment
of their lives wea when French cav
airy dashed into their village and
chased out the Germans
Their stories were all alike. For
weeks before the retreat started the
Germans herded all Inhabitants from
village 70 village. When the final
moment came for the Germans to
leave, they sacked the houses. The
soldiers carried on everything eat
able-and burned the villages before
the eyes OF the refugees. Then they
departed. leaving the villagers home
less and foodless.
A few hours later, when the Ger
mans believed the French troops had
arrived, they began shelling the vii
lagos they had pillaged and left, de-
spite their knowledge OF thousands
of innocent civilian inhabitants still
there.
Seven Thousand women and chill
dren suffered this experience at
Chauny alone. The village was under
bombardment at the moment l ar
rived The French Red Cross crews
with their Iitters, had pushed for
ward afoot, were carrying of women
and children wounded during the
shell fire.
The German retreat has been
marked by insensate destruction.
Aside from the burning of farms and
villages. the blowing up Of church
doors and affairs and the like, their
wanton destruction was carried to
such an extent that walked through
twenty miles of farms and fields
where every orchard tree had either
'fxA - n ~
rived before the Job of destruction
could be completed-the trees were
sufficiently hacked to insure their
death.
The Germans stripped every village
OF all metal. They tore the tin gut
tiers and plumbing from all houses.
took off the metal roofs; pilfered the
churches of clocks and bells. Not
one escaped-from the cathedral at
Noyon to the humblest OF wayside
churches.
In the country districts all agricul-
tural implements and machinery
were either carried off or broken.
During the weeks preceding the re-
treat, the Germans followed a sys-
tematic policy Of forcing the inhabi-
tants of half a dozen surrounding
villages to gather in some larger
town where the American relief
commission had a distributing cen
ter Then the refugees would be in
formed that the American commits
sion would supply their wants-and
the Germans would sack the towns.
In Noyon, owing to the concentra-
ton of ten thousand women and chill
dren, the Germans promised to leave
the American commission sufficient
supplies to feed the refugees
Nevertheless departing patrols
hacked the American commission
store house, carrying off all eatables.
Then they dynamited the building
and finally diverted water from the
canal into the village. Part of the
city was flooded and ruined In this
fashion.
The population Of Noyon said they
had not eaten a scrap of meat in
eighteen months.
The most minute preparations
marked the German retreat Success
sive lines of resistance for the real
guard were dug every few hundred
yards from Noyon to Tergnier.
Nevertheless everywhere there was
evidence that the French arrived be
fore they had been expected. The