Evening star., 1918-01-27

THE following article written by Prtncesse
di Poggio-Suasa wife Of the conseiller general
at the italian embassy in Paris. The princess Is
By birth Frenchwoman whose mother IS Amer
1can. Two Of her sons are already in the ltaiian
army and a third will shortly follow
BY TALLEYRAND-PERIGoRD. PRIN-
cEssE DI PoGGio-suAsA.
fspeeial Correspondence of The Sunday
Star and New York World.)
PARIS, January I've are going our
way on a pilgrimage to the dying land.
We are going to help those who have
kone through the Valley of Death.
Why are we in our homes? What
have we accomplished to merit our
physical and material preservation?
Why have thousands lost their homes.
husbands, children and had to suner
worse than death?
AS we hasten through this sad au-
tumn day these and other thoughts
come into my mind.
We left Paris in this early morning,
hurrying toward the Meuse on the same
road our soldiers followed during the
battle of the Marne. We are yet far
from the actual war zone, yet many
signs of warfare become apparent.
More soldiers are in the villages; we
we come in sight of aviation fields;
further we notice camp presenting
great animation. Big, fine men are
hurrying to and fro, building barracks,
and we recognize our American allies.
The days are short at this time of the
year, we have to think of putting up
for the night. which we pass in luxury,
thanks to Nine. Achille Fould's hos
pitality at Jean d'Herre, where her
lovely home is partly turned into hos
pitaL There we find two young Red
Cross nurses who were severely wound
ed in tho hospital of Vadelineourt,
shelled by the Germans aviatorS, who,
not content with that alone, continued
to fire upon the poor nurses and the
wounded they tried to get out OF the
flaming barracks.
Mourners Increase Hourly.
We all have special thought on
this day for our dear departed ones.
Since August, 1914. every hour the
number of mourners has tragically in
day as if the atmosphere were laden
with their agonizing prayers.
After hearing mass we set of for
tia headquaEteEsso Of the Ferdun army.
of the stan officers. Lieut.. Gasquet, to
On our way we stopped at Chau-
mont-sur Aire to see Mile. Sirodot, an
admirable woman, who, without any
means or protection, started on her
self-appointed mission through last
winters bitter weather. going from
one devastated village to another.
helping by her words and sympathy
many a despairing soul. She has
now found friends to help her mate
rally in her work of mercy.
We are now in the land of desolation.
Many villages were damaged by the
battle, some wilfully mutilated by the
retreating Germans Others that had not
been in the hands Of the enemy. nor in
the battle line, are still shelled by the
airplanes, for enemy aviators seem to
delight in destroying homes. This form
of destruction is most trying to the
peoples nerves. as the bombardment
sometimes lasts several hours and far
into the night.
The houses gone. the families scat
tered, the fields neglected. this is the
same sad sight we see on all sides. In
the Meuse. as in the Somme, where
was recently, are desolation and de-
struction of every kind. I have always
loved the country, and do not know a
more heartrending sight than the fields
once SO cultivated now overgrown with
thistles.
In these villages one occasionally
finds some courageous women and old
grandfather dwelling under the ruins,
who have worked to gather in their
crops. Mrs. Ostler, who represents an
important relief society of Toronto, and
Is my companion on this trip, is, like
myself, deeply impressed by all we see.
and we feel how urgent it is to build
temporary homes for these poor farm
ers.
Dry Roofs Are Needed.
What is NEEDED above all are dry roofs
for themselves and their crops. A poor
woman told US her COW was ill because
the hay she gathered had gone bad.
At headquarters we were received
ranged that We are to go on to ver-
dun tomorrow. AS We still had few
hours of daylight, he advised us to see
Clernont-en-Argonne This is situat-
spots of the Meuse; it is partially de-
stroyed. Its lovely church, situated
on a hill. classed as a national monu-
ment owing to the beauty of it's gothic
jesute. who showed US this. advised us
to call on Sister Gabrielle Rosnet, the
harbine Of C1ermont, and hear her ex-
perience with the Germans during
their occupation of Clermont
We went to see the sister, at her
hospital in Frosdos, where she is nurs-
ing contagious cases. Very small and
simple she is, under her white cornette
On her breast rest the Croix de Guerre
and the emblem of the Legion d
Honneur. We were at once under the
spell of her honest. kind. straightfor-
MY experience with the Germans
she said. was not a pleasant one
She told how they arrived, preceded
by a reputation for brutality that
made all fly before them. For it was
the army Of the too notorious kron.
.prinz-
She would also have left had she
not had charge of forty old and infirn
souls and some poor refugees witt
sick children, who could not be moved
She received the officers in her polite
and dignifled manner.
Pistol at Nuns Throat.
The barrel of pistol was put at hel
throat. she says, surely over 400 time.
during their occupation; it was theil
courteous way of proceeding each tim,
they gave an order. Why she was no
killed she does not understand, for sh,
witnessed more than one execution IL
the courtyard of her hospital for mucl
less provocation than she had given
j suppose they needed her and the TIVE
nuns who remained with her to tenl
their wounded. for that is what the,
did during those CHASTITY seventeen
days
She told me of many atrocities sh,
had learned from the victims. Thes,
] will omit out Of decency, but you an,
the world must know what happene,
to twenty-five wounded soldiers in tn,
village Of Clermont-en-Argonne. Anon,
the wounded Germans one had a con
Of twenty-five wounded French sol
y q -