Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-01-18


bring these details to your notice by
reproducing textually the declarations
which have been made to US:
These deportations began towards
Easter. The Germans announced that
the inhabitants Of Roubaix, Tourcoing,
Lille, etc, were going to be transport
ed into French districts where their
provisioning would be easier
AT night, at about two o'clock in
the morning, a whole district of the
town was invested by the troops of oc-
cupatiOn. 70 each house was diStrib-
uted printed notice, of which we give
herein an exact reproduction, preserv-
ing the style and spelling.' (See docu-
ment, abOve.)
The inhabitants so warned we're to
hold themselves ready to depart an
hour and half after the distribution
Of the proclamation
Each family, drawn up outside the
house, was examined by an officer, who
pointed out haphazard the persons who
were to go. No words can express the
barbaritY of this proceeding nor de-
scribe the heartrending scenes which
occurred; young men and girls took
hasty farewell Of their parents fare
well hurried by the German soldiers
who were executing the infamous task
-rejoined the group of those who were
going, and found themselves in the
middle of the street, surrounded by
other soldiers with fixed bayonets.'
Tears of despair on the part Of
parents and children so ruthlessly
separated did not soften the hearts Of
| the brutal Germans. Sometimes, how
| ever, more kind-hearted officer yield
! ed to too great despair and did not
| choose all the persons whom he should
by the terms of his Instructions
have separated
Herded Like Cattle.
"'These girls and lads were taken
in street cars to factories, where they
were numbered and labeled like cattle
and grouped to form conveys. In these
factories, they remained u, "a or Sc
hours until a train was ready to re-
move them
villages of ROncy, Halluin, ETC., then
TourcOing and Roubaix In the towns
the Germans proceeded by districts
"In all about $4,000 persons are said
to have been carried off up to the pres
ent. This monstrous operation has
taken eight to ten days to accomplish.
"'The reason given by the German
They have put forward the following
| pretexts: provisioning is going to
break down in the large towns in the
north and their suburbs, whereas in
the Ardennes the feeding is easy and
cheap
1t is known from the young men
and girls, since sent back to their
families for reasons of health, that in
the department of the Ardennes the
victims are lodged in a terrible man
ner, in disgraceful promiscuity; they
are compelled to work in the fields. 1t
is unnecessary to say that the inhabi-
tants of our towns are not trained to
such work. The Germans pay them
1.50 m. But there are complaints of
insufficient food
"Barbarity OF Slave Drivers"
They were very badly received in
the Ardennes. The Germans had told
the Ardennais that these were ''volun.
teers" who were coming to work, and
the Ardennais proceeded to receive
them with many insults, which only
ceased when the forcible deportation
of which they were the victims became
known
Feeling ran especially high in oul
towns. Never has so iniquitous {
measure been carried out The Ger
mans have shown all the barbarity O.
slave drivers
1.-The families so scattered are il
despair and the morale of the whole
population is gravely affected. Boy
. of fourteen, schoolboys in knicker
bockers, young girls of fifteen to six
, ten have been carried off, and the de
, spairing protests of their parents failet
to touch the hearts of the German off
, GERS or rather executioners.'
"One last detail: The persons s.
deported are allowed to write hom
once month; that is to say, even les
, often than military prisoners
eve do not wish here to enter int
, the question of provisioning in the in
: vaded districts; others, better quail
+ fed than ourselves, give you, as W
know, frequent information. 1t i
: enough for US to describe in a fey
I words the situation from this aspect
1 Entire Population in Misery.
t "The provisioning is very difficult
/ food, apart from that supplied by tn
Y Spanish-American committee, is yer
scarce and terribly dear. . Peopl
are hungry and the provisioning is il
adequate by at least half; our popu
;. Iation is suffering constant privation
:, and is growing noticeably weaker. Th
:. death rate, too has increased consi6
erably.
: with all confidence in the sympath
: of the government we venture to aG
: dress a new and pressing appeal t
: your generous kindness and far-reacf
: ing influence in the name of those VIII
e are suffering on behalf of the Who'll
b country"
: paris, 18th June, 1916, 8, rue Tat
bout"
q (Signed on behalf of various spec
: fed organizations by Toulemondt
: Charles Droulers, Leon Hatine-Dazir
n and Louis Lorthiois.)
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