Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-12-14

months much too much for my peace
of mind of how the Germans treated
the unfortunates under their control
after the occupation.
1t would be an Unnecessary repeti-
tion to describe again the scenes In
Louvain. Dlnant, Wise, Audenne, Ia
mines, Aerschot, and the rest Of the
familiar long list Of the ruined Bel
'gian towns. But too little has been
said fof the many. many ruined villages
all over the extent Of the occupied
French territory from Lille in the
north OF Longwy in the south. and
from the eastern boundary OF France
to the fatal trench lines Of the ex-
IRENE western front. 8
As chief representative for the COM
mission, It was, my duty to cover this
whole territory repeatedly In long mos
tor Journeys In company with the Ger
man officer assigned for my protection
and for the protection Of the Ger
many army against any too much see
ing, As / had opportunity also to
cover most OF Belgium in repeated
trips from Brussels into the various
provinces. necessarily had opportuni-
ty to compare the destruction wrought
in the two regions.
I could understand why certain
towns and villages along the Meyse
and along the lines of the French and
English retreat were badly shot to
pieces. There had been fighting In
these towns and the artillery Of tirst
one side and then the other had worked
their havoc among the houSes OF the
inhabitants. But there were many
towns in which there had been no
fighting and yet all too many OF these
towns also were In ruins. II was not
ruin by shells, but ruin by fire and
explosions. These were the famous
punished" towns. Either citizen or
perhaps two or three citizens had fired
from a window on the invaders or
We're alleged to have. Thereupon a
block. or two or three blocks, or half
the town was methodically and cfsect-
lively burned or blown to pieces. There
are many OF these ''punishcd- towns
IN occupied France. And between
these towns and along the roadways
are innumerable isolated single farm
houses that are also In ruins. It is
not claimed that there was any snip
ing from these farm houses. They
were lust destroyed along the way
and by the way one, may say. When
the roll Of destroyed villages and de-
stroyed farm houses in occupied
France Is made known the world viii
be shocked again by this evidence Of
German thoro,ighness. Z
Hsartlsssnsss q German Rule.
The rigor OF the control over the In.
habitants Of the occupied French ter
ritory 10 almost inconceivahle. The
lines delimiting the regions occupied
by the various distinct German armies
are lines Of impossible steel for the
Inhabitants. II member Of 4hs
family in one town was visiting friends
or relatives In another town a few
klometers. away ut the time Of the out
break Of the war that family has re-
NAMED separated thru All the Ions
months thar have since elapsed. No
messA<sp can pass except by danser-
GUS ssubterranean ways from town to
town.
The requisitioning Of everything
from food to furniture. from farm AMI
mails to blankets and mattresses from
the beds has been carried to such an
extent that the people live on nothing
amid nothings These regulations in
Ethe earlier daysthad more or less OFF,
cial seeming In that quartermaster's
hons were given for the things taken
Even then the German sense Of humo,
too often made the bon a crude
jeat. The bons were written
IN the German language script
ille9ible and beyond the understanding
Of the simple natives. A bon might be
Igiven for chicken when 1t WAS a pair
Of horses that was taken. But later
when these tests palled on the German
soldiers. the requisition was simplified
by the omission Sof bon giving. Where
the villages and peasanta had tried t.
save something that could be buried
or concealed. the,seArchins out OF thes.
pitiful hiding places became q grea,
game with the German soldiers. on,
Ingenious Frencfiman had secreted g
few choice bottles OF wine In . famou.
tomb on heights above the Mouse. But
these bottles found their way to specia
tables at the Great Headquarters.
In the. spring OF 1915 the army au.
thorities devised the plan OF deportins
number of men and women from
Lille and The Industrial towns near II
to the AGRICULTURAL regions further
south. These French were to work il
the fields and help produce food fol
the German army. As a matter OF fac
this plan had OF bottom something Il
recommend it, The congestion in tn,
industrialissd northern seK,on mad,
the food problem there very difficult
Our commission had more trials il
connection with the provisioning OF tn,
sreat city of Lille and the, lesser bu
crowded towns of Valenciennes, Rou
balx, and Tourcoing than with ali tn,
rest of the occupied territory. Alst
these people had no work to do, as tn,
great factories were still, TO com,
qouth and work in the open air in tn,
fields and be allowed a fair ration
would have been a real advantage I,
these people. 1t would have helped
in the whole food supply situation.
/ But the horrible methods of that de.
lportation were such that We, althe
trying to hold steadfast TO a rigorou.
neutrality, could not hue protest. Mr.
Gerard, our ambassador to ReRlin, hap.
!.pened at the very time Of this prOtes