Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-18
my Tweluemonth
at Krupp Plant"
Dutch Engineer amazing Story
Of Starvation and Cruelty
in Essen.
DY VAN DER LINDEN
Copyright. 1917. International News
Bureau

Ono poor fellow. a guardaman. stand
Ing we'll over six feet, had become de-
mentcd by the shock Of his experiences.
Once clear from the compartment whore
he had fought with his comrades. he
rushed madly away from the scene OF
tho disaster. and was making OF to-
wards u field. when Il young officer.
typical specimen of the Prussan bully,
called upon him TO halt. The poor mad
man paid no heed to the command. but
continued 70 rush blindiy away from
the wrecked troop train.
Then II was that the Prussian spirit
asserted itself. common soldier had
dsobeyed tho command OF an officer.
and the iron discipline OF which the
Germans are so proud had TO DC en-
forced. Livid with passion. the officer
drew his revolver and taking QUICK
aim. fred three shots. The third passed.
It was afterwards discovered. clean
through tho guardsrnan's head. Fling
ing up his arms. no fell forward onto
his face and never moved again
This act OF cool brutality on the part
OF the officer was moro than many or
tho dead soldiers comrades could stanh.
Defying all discipline. they cursed the
of1icer loudly, and rushed towards him
Quickly he turned and covered them
with his weapon. Others Of the officers
ran to his assistance. drawing their re-
volvcrs as they appoach
But II was too late. fine. upstand-
ing young soldier. who. ] vas informed.
was a brother of the puardsr1an who
had been killed. sprang forward. ana
with n loud oath plunged his hayonet
into the officers body. bullet from
the revolver grazed his check. ana ne
had marvellous escape from death.
For moment II looked as though
there would be a bloody conflict be-
tween officers and men. but the former
were wise enough to realize that shoot
to- 1r
order. None OF them fred and the hot
temper OF the men subsidized when they
saw that their comrade had been
avenged. Within few moments con-
neighbor!ne barracks arrived upon the
scene. and the soldiers from the train
were formed up and marched away be-
tween ranks OF the new arrivals.
what happened TO the young soldier
who avenged his brothers death I
the kind OF punishment which the Ger
mans would mete out to him. mere
especially In view OF what l was told
by one OF the soldiers who remained
behind 70 guard the wrecked train
This man. Saxon. was quite frank
and open In regard 10 his hatred OF
tho war and the Prussian domination Of
Germany.
Damned good Job tina. the young
fellow killed him." he said TO mo.
who was the oiicer?" I asked
speaking In German. which language
l know almost es we'll as my own ma
tive tongue.
"one Of those damned Prussians." he
returned Tho son OF Won Emmith. who
is looking after things for himself in
Belgium. He Was promising youth.
that dead officer. one OF the best Prus-
SLAMS. and worthy son OF his father.
They gay that he has made a fortune
out Of Belgium, for the young one had
a
his father there. but got !ato disgrace
owing to killing affair. in which he
shot his colonel"
Suddenly the soldier broke OF his
going 10 be over7 We're al! fed up
with IT,"
1T would take better man than
to reply To that" l answered and to
my amazcmcnt the soldier said
We'll. shall l tell you something?
know when it viii end. and so do
other Saxous; when the Pruss!ans arc
finished on They wanted the war, and
sa" they ought to be made 20 finish
Il on their own without dragging US in.
Have you ever been TO England. herr?"
Yes" replied. I was there quite
recently"
Then" he said. you can :elI me.
are these yarns true when they tell:
Is Britain breaking up ana starving?"
Saxon soldier that the true state OF
affairs was very different from tho
picture which ho drew. and he seemed
TO be quito satisfied, for he added: II
never did believe the tales. Before
the war ] was in an Office in London
a good Job 1t was too-but, like a fool.
] came back to Germany. knew that
!. would take more than Germany ard
these 'half-baked Austrians to smash
the Lion up"
Further conversation was impossible,
an oflcer arriving on tho scene This
man had evidently noticed tho fact
that the soldier and l were talking.
and had marched up to interfere. The
man drew himself riGidly to attention.
but the officer did not speak. Instead
he stood nearby.
The first three coaches OF the troop
: ain were almost completely destroyed
before the firemen reached the scene
and succeeded In eXtinguish;nG the
flames. Not a man escaped and about
800 German soldiers hound for the
front. to oppose the attack CT the Brit
ish perished miscrably.
The widest rumors were in circula-
ton as to the cause OF the disaster,
one OF the most sensational being that
enemy agents had placed some sort OF
jgniting charge beneath the train, but
the most probable cause CT the acct
dent was that tho bearings Of tho
coaches became heated owing to the
lack of lubricants in tho axleboxes,
md thus set fer to the woodwork
found afterwards that the Germans,
owing to the great scarcity Of lubricat-
ing oils. using substitute fer