Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1918-03-15
A WORD FROM
THE FRONT

speak upon the German war atrocities.
This man was Sergeant Vincent Col.
hinge, a member of the Royal Gordan
Highlanders, a Canadian regiment re-
cruited at the very commencement
Of the war, later more Familiarity
known to the Germans with whom
they met as THE Ladies From He'll.
an appellation that their short kilties
and fighting dispositions aptly earned
them. The talk was delivered to men
only and was supposed to be along
a line that must fill the heart of ev-
cry man. regardless OF country, with
a supreme hate for the perpetrators
OF the outrages detailed. The Ser
geant, however, was n little too boyish
to make his theme really as big as its
possibilities offered. He was but %
years old, tail and of slight build. He
had been a bomb thrower and in car
rying out some of his grewsome work
had lost his right arm.
His untold suffering could be dis
cerned somewhat in the lines of his
face while the frequent shock result
ant from artillery fire was reflected
in his odd. nervous little gestures.
He carried six reels of motion pictures
with him which were interesting in
the extreme, being the official Cana
dian government war films being used
throughout the country as stimulus
to recruiting.
In the first place it was not hard
to gather from the soldiers talk that
there is not a Canadian upon the
west front who does not hate and de-
spise his German enemies to the last
ounce of poison in his system. And
after what they have suffered at the
hands OF the Boches far be 1t from us
to blame them. Sergeant Collinge re-
lated his experiences generally, giving
very few individual cases, but you
were able to get the horror of each in.
dividual happening as clearly as
though names, places. dates. etc, for
each were given. In the first place
it was frequent thing to find the
bodies of Canadian soldiers crucified
upon barn doors or upon the sides OF
buildings, wherever the sun was hot
test to scar their dying moments
with the curse Of hell's heat and tor
turing flies. In many instances these
men were stripped, nailed up by
hands and feet and great chunks o.
flesh cut from their bones, left to die
a horrible death in the hot sun
scorching winds and flying dust. II
other Instances hundreds OF Canadi
ans were castrated because of thei
refusal to disclose important militar.
Information. Instances were cite
where a charging Canadian regimen
had come upon number of the enc
my IN the attitude of surrender ant
passing on to later return for thei
prisoners, received n volley in tn
back from the scoundrels who ha,
just shouted "kamerad! kamerad!
Canadian physicians searching TO
wounded on the battlefield on NOR
than one instance discovered wound
ed men lying on their stOmachs, who
upon being commanded to turn owe
upon side or back made II understood
that their pain was such they wer
unable to do so. The physician, vi
on STOPPING over to assist such case
invariably received shot in the V
tails from the pistol concealed by tn
attitude Of the wounded man he wa
trying to help. Outrages of wome
were common occurrences, in case
as high as fifty men violating tn
body OF one woman without stoI
Little children's hands, feet, arm.
legs, were cut off upon merest pre-
text, babies brains were dashed on
upon the pavement before the mott
er's eyes; and so on won the line {
horrible happenings that must stir
~ D'cOu ihtO q must uubOhiJ SDlI
OF hatred and revenge. But Canadian
COPIED with the problem and cope
with II 10 the everlasting sufferln
of the fiends opposing them. Cal
ada's slogan became I'VE ask an
give no quarter" And Canada toda
fighs under that slogan. No wounde
German gets another chance at
Canadian physician. II there Is an
doubt about his chance of life an
death II Is resolved against him by
crack over the head with n rifle but
like you or I would kill a rattlesnak,
Germans never fool Canadians by &c
ling upon their knees and shoutIn
"kamerad! kameradd!" They ar
never passed by. A Canadian linger
Just long enough TO make sure tina
no treacherous bullet comes at hi
back. The German knows that whe
he opposes the Canadian he mus
fight TO win or die. There is no mid
die course. And death al the hand
OF a Canadian Is n little worse thai