Evening journal., 1917-03-26
BY HENRY WOOD.
1fnlted Press stan Correspondont.


United Press STAFF Correspondent.
WITH THE ARMIES IN THE
PATHWAY or THE GERMAN RE-
TREAT, March &c. More than 300
women, children and aged men are
known TO have succumbed to the
hardship. the exposure. tho brutality.
the starvation which the Germans im-
posed upon the French civil popula-
ton immediately preceding and dur
ing the retreat.
In Chaung alone I learned oflic.allyl
today the victims number $50. They
were buried cotlinless in a corner
of the village Deaths are still occur
ring daily among the refugees now
under the French care.
Along the roads leading from Ham,
GuisCard. Chauny. Tcrgnier and La
Fere to Noyon. where on Tuesday
personally met only refugees fleeing
afoot from the German bombardment'
encountered today long automobile
conveys After taking munitions and
supplies to front points where fighting
is going out, these automobiles were
returning laden with refugees too SICK
or too exhausted to proceed afoot
These were mostly the aged. Many
we're dying from hardship, exposure
and starvation but as they declared
diving hapnily. knowing their villages
wore redeemed and surviving loved
ones freed from German domination
Every one OF the refugees with
whom / talked declared the grsates'
/, mortality resulted from a barbarous
system of inspection which tho Ger
' mans employed Immediately preceding
, tho retreat The civil population ol
tho entire district TO be evacuated
was concentrated In great camps. Al
wero ordered TO present themselves n
d n axed date for a final census OF iden
1 Although the temperature range'
from zero 20 nine degrees below II
tho various concentration centers
y everyone was forced 10 gather IN al
t onen souare. The sick we're carried o.
,, atretchers. tho exhausted and hell
% less were borne by their less hoiples
y, friends. a.
y Prom o'clock IN the mornlng-th
y hour set for the inspection-th lll
81 clad ui-nourished refugees were tor6
y cd 10 await in this freezing cold
~ without shelter. without food-tor nv
or six hours before tho German on
~ GERS arrived. 49,
10 A. Chaunv whoro 5000 women. chi
i dren and aged men underwent sue
O. nm ordeal. three died In the ope
~ etreet before the inspection was co
le cmded Thirty died the folloWir
IS nirht from pneumonia, lung congo
IN ton and pleurisy ..,,,,
deaths reached so. Others were 81
n diving today from similar ahectlons'
ho This was true not only or Chauu
in hut OF other concentration centers
re well-the number of deaths dependl
M ON the degree Of cold and length
1c- In tho larger towns In the path
AT tho German retreat like Ham, Chau
40, ond Terqnier refugees said today
i'm destruction of houses and prope
Of continued for three weeks before
i've retreat was actually begun. Nc
. time the population was masseo
- the poorest districts Of the cities.
~. ton twenty or thirty persons v
,a. forced to occupy a single room-N
=. :, lout heat and almost without 1000
REGULAR crews OF dcstroyers sy
ho matically burned and dynam
g houses In other parts OF tuo
o.. moving vans carried of 70 Germ
,,e. furniture and valuables.
.nV some officers from General
leuV Fleck down-carried OF furniture q
III rooms which they personally occup
on burning what remained. some ono
apologized to the population acc
tu- ing they were forced TO carry out
'ipu Kaiscr's orders.
the srbe citv OF Ham was left 40 deN
f. or furniture. J was told by one relul
, in General Won Ficck wished TO writ
ned Gnal order. he was obliged TO s
officers and men hunting for On
der one was finally found in the city
ing after half an hours search"
me. The mining OF Roye, Ham and oil
by