The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1918-12-12
By EDWARD w. PIcKARD.

The triumphant march to the Rhine
by the armies of the allies has been
going on steadily all week. At last
these brave troops move forward real
Iy with bands playing and banners
flying" and as they pass through the
cities, towns and hamlets of northern
France and Belgium the people OF
those places, released from years OF
barbarous slavery to the Huns, give
them hysterical welcome. From holes
where they had been hidden since the
summer of 1914 their national flags
are brought forth to decorate the
buildings and streets and the ruins
left by the invaders, and everywhere
homemade specimens of the Stars and
Stripes fly with the other banners.
The wild joy of the. inhabitants is
pathetic in the extreme, and especial
ly in Alsace and Lorraine, which is
occupied by the Third American army
together with the French under Cen
eral Mangin Those 'lost provinces"
now regained, have ever remained
loyal at heart to France and they wei
coined the Poilus and the doughboys
with open arms.
For Lorraine the great demOnstra-
ton took place in Metz, which was
entered by Mangin's army on Tuesday.
That general was injured the day be-
fore when his horse fell, but Marshal
Petain was there and, standing before
the statue of Marshal Ney in the main
square, reviewed the troops. The in
habitants had overturned the German
statues in the city and made the place
gay with the allied flags and with
their own national costumes. Similar
scenes were witnessed in Strassburg
and other cities of AlSace. Near the
Swiss border the French troops first
reached the Rhine.
The American army of occupation,
commanded by General Dickman, and
about 100000 strong, marched across
the old German frontier into Lor-
raine and swung to the northward
into Luxembourg, the marines on its
right passing into Belgium. In the
grand duchy no less than elsewhere
the Yankees were enthusiastically
greeted. Their advance was made al
ways with due caution, however, and
the task of moving so large an army
forward steadily and keeping up. its
supplies and communications was
performed in perfect manner.
Meanwhile the British and Belgian
armies of occupation were keeping
pace with their allies, advancing
through Belgium close on the heels of
the retiring Germans.
Ia
Everywhere the victors found vast
stores of weapons and materials
which the Huns left in accordance
with the stipulations of the armistice,
and in general it was said the Ger
mans were carrying out the terms i'm
posed on them. There was pillaging
in some places, and occasionally a
storehouse was blown up, but these
instances were comparatively infre-
quent. The worst charge against the
conquered foe related TO the released
allied prisoners. Many of these,
usually sick and half starved, were
merely turned loose to make their way
to their friends as best they might.
England sent to Berlin stern pro-
test against such violations of the ar
nistice terms.
The allied fleets have passed through
the DardanelIes to the Black sea. and
allied troops have been landed in Con-
stantinople and on the Gallipoli PENN
sula. In what was Austria-Hungary
the process of occupation also goes
on, French troops having entered
Budapest.