Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-28
Americans Have Avenged Town Of Badonviller

cities like those of Badonviller.. They
pretended that women shot from win
dows. 1t is natural that villagers
should want to defend their hearths
Your American Minute Men of 1875.
without uniforms, did nothing else; but
the Germans claimed to recognize only
troops in uniforms. Such was the basis
, of the plot. Every French mayor knew
1T and the people were we'll warned
They had no chance to resist; the Ger
see patrol Of twenty or thirty Ger
mans coming, you might snipe them,
but when, as in 1914, an entire German
army corps has marched through the
mayor has collected every weapon and
says: You must do what the Germans
want" don't tell me that tho popula-
ton of old men, women and children
will be silly enough to fire on them"
Raemaekers grew white with indigna-
ton.
mo, the German high command need
ed francs-tireurs. They invented them.
Those whom they did not kill they
hauled through all the towns of Ger
people like wild animals in a mena-
gerie. saying, Here are the francs
tireurs! The German people looked on
them. They were sure they were francs
tireurs. because they had seen them.
So. at Badonviller, the Gefreite Sank
tus continued. his poem boasting of the
horrors done to its women:
+ DO you see them. in. the night watch,
led like herd. men and women howl
ind like dogs, thy Inhabitants. o Ba-
doHviller!"
+ Did you write that poetry?"
Numbered the Americans as each
nd bunch of German prisoners from
Baaonviller trenches were ushered into
the pen.
How make them understand what it
was all about? They stuck a copy Of
the German verses under German noses.
Wild-eyed. shaken, white-faced. the
captives' pitied themselves sincerely.
rubbering for food. Cruelty. cruelty.
isn't this cruelty, to be hungry? What
makes It. poetry7
'Eein, nein. the Gefreits sanktus is
todt. dead" finally volunteered an unc-
tuous party. who claimed to be q nu-
sicker. or bandmaster, and not q COM
blatant. He demanded special food and
treatment. and was willing to talk
about anything, because he knows
what will your German villagers
do, when our soldiers get into Ger
many?". they asked him.
= pAAASA OAe AS"cy
little booklet from his inside pocket.
Among other things, 1t contained, in
four pages, the fundamental royal
Prussian ordinance concerning irregu-
lar home troops. And its chief para
graphs run thus:
a. In case of need tit is the duty Of
the local Prussian authorities) to pro-
claim the rising in mass, supreme de-
Tense which justifies all means.
''S. The last ban, all citizens. Of both
sexes and all ages, harass and an
initiate the invader. Patriots combat
alone or in bodies, as may be.
"S9. Neither uniforms nor special in
sigma are tolerated, because they rem
der defenders liable to be recognized
and pursued by the enemy.
"51. (F1nal paragraph Such a peo-
pie and such a rigor are blessed by
God! (Signed, Wilhelm, king and
kaiser.)"
The Americans looked at one another
completely nonplused.
Here are boche francs-tireurs, real
ones. organized to shoot from every
hedge and window on our soldiers as
they enter German territory.
Big Jim Street banged his fist on
the table.
Now. can you beat it: What's the
lThe musicker had asked for cheese
and sugar.) STERLING HELLO.