Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-10-05

French fronts. He was especially for
tunate in starting on this tour of OBJ
servation at the time the German re-
treat began, in March. For a week he
followed the retreating enemy as close
ly as possible considering the condition
of the roads.
The department of Picardy, in France,
was the section of country over which
the Germans made most OF their retire
ment, and the desolation spread behind
them was beyond description, Maj.
Boehm says. This was garden spot
of northern France" lc0 miles long and
fifteen to twenty miles wide. consisting
principally of very fine fruit orchards.
Practically every one of these trees in
the finest bearing stage was sawed
off several feet above the ground, and
in many instances the roots were even
blown .out with dynamite. \ number
of fine old elm trees set out by Napo-
leon were similarly destroyed.
Young Women Carried Off.
The Germans had evidently been pre-
parins for this retreat for two months.
Mai Boehm estimates, and here and
there a village was spared. into which,
as GASES in a great desert Of ashes and
debris, the old men and old women and
the small children were driven. The
off into worse than slavery, and the
bows TOO young for military service
ware also taken along by the retreat
ing Germans.
he found in ruins. Not only were the
buildings burned down, but the very
foundations blown up, and filth every
where, Each place had beer SO thor
oughly looted that rag picker would
have had difficulty in filling one small
sack in an entire village
In the city of Bapaume, for example,
which Maj Boehm reached two days
after the Germans had Withdrawn.
there was not a roof in the entire city
and the walls of the buildings had been
toupled over until they blocked the
streets fifteen and twenty feet high. So
thoroughly had the shops been looted
and destroyed that the CANADIAN o1ncer
ness they had been engaged in. The
Australian troops were the first to en-
ter Bapaume. and they met with scarce
" any resistance. but their progress
was impeded by the way in which
buildings had been hurled in piles OF
1 Shattered stone across their path.
The damage done i'll the destruction
! of fruit trees alone the French esti-
mate at more than s5o,ooo.oeo'
Germans Poisoned Wells.
i Wells were poisoned by throwing ma
| nure into them. all livestock was killed
or driven off. the bridges were dyna-
| mited. as were also the banks of the
| streams SO that the water poured over
! the lands. The railroad roadbeds were
blown up, embankments everywhere
| cut away. in order TO delay the onward
| march of the British and French infan-
| try and artillery.
| Mai Boehm explained that while in
many ways the Germans show that they
hold no hatred toward the French peo-
pie, considering that they are doing
| their patriotic duty to defend their
| country from invasion, they do enter
| tain very bitter hatred toward the Brit.
\ tsh and the American forces. which
/ they believe have thwarted them in
their purpose of conquest. He points
| out that while not bearing resentment
1 against the French. and yet wreckine
| the French territory over which they
| pass, the Germans are showing some.
/ thing Of what a terrible fate may be
:, expected by Great Britain or the United
| States IL the Germans ever are able Ia
| get onto their soil.
| In emphasizing this disposition toward
the French. Maj. Boehm tells of what he
witnessed in several cemeteries In the
town Of Nesle which the Germans ha6
evacuated after two and one-half years
occupancy following the retreat from
the Marine. the Germans had made Z
burying ground for their own dead IL
an old French cemetery, surrounded bs
a brick wall. This was laid out very
symmetrically with nicely kept walks ant
Iplots. Over each grave was carefully
tended place In which ivy similar to thai
grown In Washington and shrubs were