The sun., 1918-08-19
SIGNS HINT AT
GERMAN DECAY
Impression Spreads That
Army Is Even Weaker
Than Allies Assert.
ALL FURLOUGHS ARE CUT
Wounded Sent Back to Front
Before They Have Been Com
pletely Cured.
ALL FURLOUGHS ARE CUT
~ CHARLES TOWER.


Special Gable Despatch 10 THE srS from the
London Times Service.
Copyright. 1918; all rights rsserted-
THE HAGUE, Aug. 1s.-The impression
| prevails almost universally in the CO.
logne neighborhood that the German pc
stion on the west front is much weaker
than admitted by the Germans or eve1
asserted oy the Allies This impression
is chiefly due to individuals who draw
possibly erroneous conclusions from
/, these facts:
First all leaves OF absence to men
on the west front have been cut.
Second. men are being sent to the
front from hospitals before their cures
are complete.
Third, many damaged horses are daily
being sent to the front
Fourth. letters from the front have
been entirely discontinued.
Fifth. the practice OF sending would
be deserters to punishment camps has
been discontinued.
Deserters Have Code.
Curious scenes were witnessed recently
in Cologne during the search for de-
serters There Is quarter in Cologne,
across the swing bridge, where desert
ers hide. Periodically this whole quar-
ter is surrounded by police and the mil
itary. after which every male is rounded
up. II a man cannot produce papers
he is hurried of 10 the draft depot be-
hind the front. II is a common sight
to see men chased over the roofs of
buildings
Twice lately. a correspondent tells me.
he saw men taken away ard sentenced
70 three years for throwing German
coins on the floor and stamping on them.
This practice became so common that
1t is believed to have been sort of
signal to suspected men to make their
escape
Spies are still shot at intervals. and
when a German is executed on this
charge one hundred tickets are issued
to lawyers and public officials. and it
is asserted that the families of. men to
be executed are regularly sent tickets
OF admission to the ceremony. possibly
with the idea OF impressing on them the
danger Of turning traitor to the father
land
Strengthen Cologne Air Defences.
One result OF the allied air raids on
Cologne Is that now ten airmen are sta
toned there for defensive purposes. in
stead OF three. as formerly. Captive
balloons are kept in the air at all times
to give the alarm. In spite OF these
precautions. however, several factories
have been put out OF business by the
allied sirmen.
Many foreigners are employed in the
factories, principally Poles and Swedes
and some Greeks.
In some instances the German au-
thorities stole food sent by the French
Government to French prisoners TO
give an extra ration to neutral work
men who had gone on strike. This
occurred In WestphaIa after a strike
four weeks ago, when the police broke
into a strike meeting and killed three
of the workmen. Another strike was
started within forty-eight hours and
for a time the city Of Hamhorn. where
1t occurred. was cut OF from outside
communication
There is much violence in these
towns between police and strikers and
many cases of extreme brutality. There
is great uneasiness In many towns, du.
to rowing bands Of armed men, who
pillage farmhouses and waylay carts
laden with food These bands are made
up mostly OF deserters from the army.
Bolsheviki Free French Mission.
PARIS. Aug. lS.-Gen. Lavergne and
the staff OF the French military mis-
sion in Moscow, who were placed
under arrest there at the time the allied
Consuls were taken into custody by the
Bolsheviki, have been set at liberty, ac-
oording TO Copenhagen despatch to
the Ts"D''