Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-06
CIVILIANS ARE SLAIN
BY GAS AND SHELLS.
Many Great Human Dramas
Being Enacted as Allies
Press Forward.
OFFICERS RETURN HOME

By the Associated Press
WITH THE ALLIED FORCES IN
FLANDERS. November 4.-The boche
has been throwing gas and high
explosives Unfortunately into ham,
lets and farms. causing the death OF
many civilians. A most distressing
feature of this unqualified warfare
was seen yesterday when German
machine gunners turned rapid firers
against civilians with household be-
Ilongings seeking refuge behind the
allied lines.
Individual Dramas Pile Up
Dramas involving the individual
element are piling up along the front
| these days and bring home forclbiy
what the world war really means to
! the hundreds of thousands of civilians
directly or indirectly concerned. 1t
was the correspondents privilege to
take a small part in one OF these
The correspondent was motoring
along the highway leading to the re-
Gently freed city of Denain when a
French officer beside the road asked
he leaned out and began to inspect
| the surroundings eagerly. Occasion
ally he would wave to civilians and
shout greetings.
Returning to His Home.
Asked if he lived in the vicinity, the
officer said that his home was in
his wife to join the colors. Just after
his departure his first child, daughter,
was born. Then came the German oc-
cupa tion, cutting off his loved ones
Now he was going back after these
| long years to his wife and the baby
no yiSih1v
wrought up to the highest pitch. as
well he might be. 1t was quite posi-
BILE he might find his family dead or
gone and his home in ruins.
| Denain had been the center Of a bat
tie that had cost civilian lives. Neither
| the officer nor correspondent mentioned
! this fact, but undoubtedly both were
thinking it as the car sped over the
shell-shattered road. Entering the
city, the officer directed the correspond
showing the cruel marks Of the In
vaders' hate. Turning into his street,
the first house was in ruins. He gave
| a nervous start, but said nothing. A
few doors farther on was his home and
the car stopped across the street from
it. The officer climbed out slowly and
with an effort, his eyes fixed on the
place.
Sees No Signs Of Life.
| There "cTc S1ShS u hAC. hO
windows were shattered and on the
door was a sign showing that German
officers had been living there. Cross
ing the street. the officer pulled the
bell with shaking hand. No one
answered. He backed away like a man
in a trance and leaned against the car
trembling.
Suddenly the door opened and an
aged woman servant appeared in an
swer to the bell. She was leading by
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wealth Of golden curls. The officer
took one step toward the child and
then halted He was q stranger to
his own flesh and blood. The child
hid behind the skirts Of the nurse,
peering out in fright. Undoubtedly
during the boche occupation that men
| in uniform were bad and that she
must avoid them.
Uniform Meant Nothing.
The horizon blue uniform of France
meant nothing to this tot. The half
blind eyes of the old nurse had recog-
nized her master and she held out her
hands to him, repeating, Monsieur!
road and grasped her hands, but the
baby drew back sti1l farther.
A door opened at the end OF long
hall and q comely young matron came
through to see what was going on.
when half way down the hall she
caught sight Of her husband. She
stopped, her hand dew to her breast
and she swayed for . second. as
though about to fall With q sobbing
cry Of JOY she hurled herself into his
arms.
The correspondent car was already
moving away, for outsiders were not
needed to complete the scene. And
thus they were left, the nurse beaming
on the happy couple and the curly
headed youngster looking with round
troubled eyes at this strange man who
had appropriated her mother 30 COM
pletely without q word.
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