The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-08-31
American Officer in Letter Home
Tells How Enemy Deeds Fan
Vengeance Flame.
DECLARES YANKS ARE BITTER
Says U. S. Soldiers Feel That Only Ex-
Termination of German Race
Should Be Peace SIogan-They
XIII Huns in Cold Blood.


opments following the testing of the
virus Of pro-Germanism which threat
ems to disrupt the Chicago Symphony
and recalls with satisfac-
ton the fights that resulted in the rip
ping of the "kaiser page" from the
school spoilers and the dethroning or
the German language from its super
man position of dominance in the
school curriculum, there arrives in this
Hun-fghting city a letter from an
American artillery captain, depicting
the German menace as few have de-
picted it since the rape Of Belgium or
the Lusitania murders.
The letter tells the story Of the
hate Of the horrible Hun and the
avenging anger and hate it has inspired
In the hosts of the allies. 1t was
written by captain of a Chicago ar
tiilery regiment and was addressed TO
n friend living in Chicago.
Yanks Learn to Hate.
According to this letter, the Amerl-
cans have learned to hate the Hun
with a deeper hatred than even that
which moved the Prussian military
rule to attack the rest Of the world
DISCRIMINATION Of the German race,
men. women and children to the last
one" Is what this Chicago cavalry cap
tain advocates, and here is his latter
In which he explains why;
81 am having a hard time trying 10
drop you line, but here goes Tor
tixs how 49,.
"The last two weeks (seems ike
two years. have been more or less OF
n nightmare to us and until today
didn't know the day Of the week or
the date. However now that the Boches
are on the dead run, we are having a
breathing spell which Is well earned
7 can assure you. One sure thing Is
This. what Sherman said about war
don't mean a thing any more. Hell
is prayer meeting compared to TINS
one. You have heard Of the WORD
anger and hate but you can't know
the true meaning of them unless you
have been in a modern battle. Fear Is
unknown by the American soldier, and
the Roche knows now that the only
feeling that he has Is that described
by those two words.
Has Strong Hatred.
"I never knew the feeling before
but I'VE got IT now, and | tell you IT'S
awful. Do you know how we feel
now? We feel that nothing but eX'
termination of the German race-men
women and children, to the last one
should be the only peace declared. II
should be a forgotten country and q
forbidden Language. If you could see
the things I've seen, you would never
sneak TO German as long as you live
orr men kill them in cold blood, de
liberately, and with pleasure laugf
about it-like killing snakes or rats
they will not take prisoners, II they
can help it. Now, I'll tell you why
personally saw men, Germans, chain
cd to machine gun pits, chained b!
their officers so they couldn't run
The ones they don't chain fire every
ronnd of ammunition they have, ant
then boiler kamerad' with a grenade
in each hand.
"Our men buried four French WON
en- and two German women who wore
German uniforms and were chained
in machine gun pits. | did not SCI
them hut I do not doubt the authen
ticity of the report. In the dugout | &C
cupied night before last removed sew
erol articles of women's wearing ap
pareh and the dugout had been occu
pied by a German officer a few hour
previously. l saw any number o
such dugouts containing the sam
thing. Some had children's clothes II
| them. babies, mean, and the clothe
are all of French make. Those are
! few Of the things, and do you wonde
| that we feel the way we dot
Written on Battlefield.
~ am writing this now right on tn
battlefield, where the American soldie
has made himself famous, and put tn
fear Of God into the heart OF tn
Roche. so probably my letter reflect
nv feelings, but l can't commence t
write what / feel, and there are
good many left in our old division VIII
feel the same, way. We have bee
Mt It since the 18th of July, and tho
seems like 20 years ago, instead of 2
DAYS. determination is the onl
equitable peace that we know and
/ think we would feel better Il we kne'
| those were the terms to be asked fc
i