The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-08-01
CHAPTER XVI.

Inc next cay we received orcers TO
march TO an unknown destination. We
soon arrived at the depot OF Apremont
where we were Obliged to wait. The
depot had been destroyed. The next
station was Chatei. Both Of these
places are about nve kilometers behind
the front.
The prisoners were assembled In
Apremont. Several OF them had come
from that town. Their families were
still in their homes ana many prisoners
asked permission 10 visit them. had
occasion TO witness such visit In Ap-
remont- Two reserves led one OF the
prisoners 10 the house. which he had
pointed out rs his. The prisoners
young wife wss In the kitchen with her
three children We followed them Into
the house.
The woman turned pale as she sud
denly saw her husband. They en-
braced. We went outside for We felt
out OF place there.
The woman had not had letter
from her husband for five months be
cause the Germans were between her
and her husbands army. He had been
In the trenches for month. realizing
how nearby his wife aud children were.
yet unable te reach them and with no
way of knowing whether they were
alive or dead.
How he must have felt ns the French
shells flew over his head on their way
to Apremonti
There was no way of knowing
whether the glow In the sky cnused
by the burning OF house was fur
nlshed by his home or not. Every
thing became a tortnring uncertainty
and all OF life was hell.
Home again for a few hours; then
away. a prisoneri At least he would
be able to get word TO his wife by
letter through the field posts.
Finally he xaid good-by. His wife
had nothing TO give him. no laundry.
no food.
Everything had been lost and she
lived on the soldiers bounty. She gave
him her last money and he refused to
take II. Che accepted the money back.
II consisted Of few o and 10 pfen-
mig pieces and some coppers. all she
had.
Unable to endure this we took col
lection among ourselves. We made up
more than 10 marks. which We gave
TO the young woman. She refused II at
first. then looking Mt her husband, she
took II and tried to kiss our hands.
When we refused to let her do this
she ran 10 store nearby and returned
with cigars, tobacco. matches and sau-
"a laIah ~ EN- h.r ht,a al.p
She smiled perhaps for the FIRST time
in long while.
The children were with their father
and they kissed him ms he left. He had
one child on each arm and his wife
carried the third.
With the grentest happiness the
family walked along between the two
armed soldiers. When the moment OF
parting came all began to cry.
This was the fate OF thousands OF
poor French and Belgian men and
yet unable to know who was dead or
nlive.
While we stood Mt the depot ten Ger
man soldiers arrived with hxed bnyo-
nets. Between them were three French
citizens In civilian clothing, whom they
escorted. All were elderly men. We
asked an old Frenchman what this was
about and he said:
eve receive our food from the Ger.
man military officials but II is not suf-
Hefeat TO Hive on. The people have
nothing left. All stock and food had
been seized. These three men refused
IN work any longer for the German
military oficIals because they could
not live on what they received.
'srhey were arrested and are being
sent 10 Germany. No one knows what
their fate would be there. The men
were being. taken away By the Ger