The Arvada enterprise., 1918-10-31


anything else picked up along the
front. aG W SD
When they are getting well. the men
learn harness making. mechanical
drawing, telegraphy. gardening. poul-
try raising, typewriting. bookkeeping
and the men teach the nurses how to
make canes out Of shell cases. and
rings Of aluminium, and clippers and
gloves out Of BLANKETS.
The nurses certainly work hard.
They always have more to do than
they ought to. but they never complain,
and are always cheerful and ready to
play games when they have the time,
or read to some poilu. And their work
II pretty dirty too: I would not like
to have to do 1t. They say there were
lots Of French society ladies working
AZ nurses, but you never heard much
about society. or any talk about Lord
Helpus, or Count Whosis. or pink teas
or anything like that from these
nurses.
A few shells landed near our hos
pital. while I was there, but no patient
was hit. They knocked a shrine of Our
Lady to splinters. though. and bowled
over big crucifix. The kitchen was
near by, and 1t was just the chefs luck
that he had walked over to our ward
to see pal Of his. when shell landed
plumb In the center of the kitchen.
and all you could see all over the bar
racks was stew.
That was q regular eatless day for
us, until they rugged up bogies and got
some more dlx1es. and mixed up some
c0rnmeal for us. The chef made up
for 1t the next day, though. The chef
was a great little guy. He was a
"blesse" himself, and guess his stom-
ach sympathized with ours.
There was 4 Frenchman in the bed
next to me who had the whole side Of
his face torn OF. He told me he had
been next to 4 bomber, who had Just
lit Z. fuse and did not think It was
burning fast enough, 20 he blew On It.
there be was.
There was q Belgian in one a tie
other wards, whom got to know pretty
well, and b would often come over
and visit me. He asked many Ques-
lions about Dixmuds. for be had had
relatives there. though be had lost
track Of them. He often ts1sd 10 D.
scribe the house thsy had lived In. %
that I might tell him whether Il was
still standing Or not, but I could not
remember the place he spoke Of. Dur
ing our talks. be told No about many
atrocities. Some Of the things hs told
me had heard before. and some Of
them heard Of afterward. Here ere
some things that b. either saw o.
heard Of from victims:
He said that when the Germans o.
tered the town Of st. Qusntin. they
started firing Into the windows a. they
passed along. First, after they had &C.
cupied the town. they bayoneted every
workingman they could llnd. Then
they took about half Of the children
that they could dnd. and killed them
with their musket butts. After this,
they marched the remainder Of the chill.
dren and the women to the square,
where they had lined up . row Of male
citizens against . wall. The women
and children were told that II they
moved. they would all be shot. An.
other 6le Of men was brought up. and
made to kneel In front Of the other
men against the wall.
The women and children began to
beg for the lives Of the men, and many
Of them were knocked In the head with
gun butts before they stopped.
Then the Germans fred at the double
rank Of men. After three volleys. there
were eighty.four dead and twenty
wounded. Most Of the wounded they
then killed with axes, but somehow,
three or four escaped BY hiding under
the bodies Of others and playing dead,
though the officers walked up and
down firing their revolvers into the
piles Of bodies.
The next day the Germans went
through the wine cellars. and shot sIl
the inhabitants they found hiding
there. A lot Of people. who had taken
refuge In factory over night, decided
to come out with q white nng. They
were allowed to think that the white
fng would he respected. but no sooner
were they all out thnn they were seized
and the women publicly violated In the
square. after which the men were shot.
A pnrnlytic was shot. az hc sat In his
armchair. and boy Of fourteen wns
taken by the legs and pulled npnrt.
At one place. man was tied by the
arms 10 the ceiling Of bis room and set
ahre. Ills trunk was completely car.
bonIxcd. but his head and arms were
unburned. At the same. plnce. the
body Of \ nftcen.yesr.old boy was
found. plerced by more than twenty
bsyOnet thrusts. Other dead were
found with their hands still II the air,
leaning up against walls.
At another place The Germans
shelled the town for . day. and then
entered and sacked IL The women
and children were turned loose, with.
out being allowed to take anything