The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-26
TALES OF HORROR
Letters on German Prisoners
Are Full of Pitiful Details.
Famine and Disease Stalk Thru
the Land, Say Messages.
TERRIBLE LOSSES IN THE ARMY
Again and Again Men Are Ad-
vised To Be Taken Captive.
Only Men Over As or Those
Eith 6 Children Exempted.
TERRIBLE LOSSES IN THE ARMY
BY WILLIAM ]. BUTLER.

London, Spet. 26.-Germany is
weakening. Her army is dispirited.
Famine and disease stalk thru the
land. Civilians are being steadily dis
iIIusioned as to the outcome of the
world conflict. A remarkable first
hand picture of internal conditions in
Germany is contained in more than
zoo letters taken from German prison.
ers recently by one of the French
armies. which have just been made
public here.
Nearly all these letters are dated
prior to the first of the German re-
verses on the 18th of August. They
cover a variety of topics. including
civilian discomfort, the heavy losses in
man power of the Germans. economic
conditions, scarcity of food and raj
ment, the morale of the troops and
other points of deepest interest to the
entente powers.
Taking into consideration the fact
that most of these letters were written
before the big French drive, they lend
color to the belief that the entente has
but &c set an invading foot on German
soil aud the boche will be ready for "a
Senator Lodge dictated peace"
Prefer TO Be Prisoners.
Again and again there are letters
prisoners, and there are numerous ref
erences to the Spanish fever in Ger
many as being nothing more than
"hunger fever" Extracts from letters
bearing on Germany's heavy losses,
follow:
On July 8 a color sergeant W 'ote:
1.-The cursed French have already
caused us heavy losses.>
Another wrote to his BROTHER in the
Third reserve division Speaking of ter
had sustained:
"Eighty-nine men out of 12G."
A soldier in the 49th regiment has dated
entries of losses as follows:
May 16, wounded; May II, so men in
company gassed; May 20, killed, 4
wounded; May II. so men out of 20 lost In
local action; on June o after French
and men left out of the first company,
and only 20 men and myself of the second
company that lost % killed. wounded
wounded Il and killed 5, including two
company commanders"
An Oesterweg woman, writing on June
81. explained how all the 1S-year- old class
have gone and how on that day news had
regiment dead. On July a man informs 4
comrade in the 22nd reserves:
June % was the worst day of all. The
French showed OYER heavy stuff on us from
in the morning until at night. After !
II hours rolling fire there was not much
left of us. The last battalion our left
had only about 100 men. Il was the only
man to escape. All the rest were taken
prisoner. The NAattalion has been COM
pletely destroyed. but they won't have u
Only Old Men Left.
A letter from another infantry reserve
regiment on June % states:
but only those over to or fathers of more
than six children. Those under ~ have
had to go west, but We don't know where"
A letter from Lenterode states:
roli.'
A convalescent soldier wrote:
1T Is very doubtful whether I shall be |
here when you cOme>nn leave, for all time J
men are being sent off. Even the company !
convaescents have had to supply 100 men
because the other companies could not
supply any reinforcements.'
Taking Cripples to Front.
a woman in Berlin on June -. stated:
They were in tears as they left here. What |
will happen when they reach the front?"
A letter from divisional depot read: |
Yesterday the 1900 class had to leave. |
Even cripples are taken"
A number of LETTERS speak Of widespread
pire due to the Spanish fever or famine |
typhus,' they term 1t. A woman at Dan
nestatt informs her sons:
Influenza Is Famine"
many of the schools are shut. Spanish in
fluenza is raging turnout the poorer popu- |
lation. Do you know what it really is 1t
is famine. In order that no one should |,
reaiize that it is due to famine they call it |
Spanish Influenza"
From Munich there is n letter dated
July 10 which says. in speaking OF SO |
many deaths due to the disease:
',All the dead can no longer be buried |
in the east cemetery. There alone on |
Sunday were % burials. What will the I
winter be like? The future is very dark |
j.. A woman in Berlin said that on July |
there were more than 10000 cases of the /
disease in the city.