Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-29


NO one could come into 1t or leave II.
We were ordered to take Off our
shoulder straps and ny'distinguishins
marks. for no one was to know wnu
We were or where We were going. 1t
as an excellent precaution TO avoid
espionage.
At 10 o'clock we left Sedan. and the
next morning at o'clock We passed
through Sarrclouis, where coffee wa.
distributed The day before every
thing around us was in ruin and DESC
lation. To-day VIC were in n civilized
place. Tar from war ana the roar or
cannon We could hardly believe our
pitted Us very much when we toid
them that NO had come from Cnain-
payne. The coffee was excellent. anu
mo soldiers drank all they wanted
or It, At o'clock we were winding
through kaiscrslautcrn. We were sure
now that VIC were gong to Russia. or
lighted. for they knew that on the
eastern front the ngntIng was not
80 severe as in France. They sang
and seemed to have forgotten ali
about the horrors OF war What
secmed the strangest OF all was not
TO hear the whistling or shells above
At II o'clock we reached Kaiser
lantern. where the paymaster. Her-
bert. Rieckert and had charge or
panies. This Ven, of Quickly and Veil
Tor everything had been prepared In
advance. and We knew just where TO
get , IT: AS for us. meal had been
ton. There was not morsel LETT
when We were done.
After the dinner we walked up and
down the station platform Tor little
while TO stretch our legs. There were
many wounded there who had come
from the ArGonne or the VosGes re-
Giona. who were suffering terribly. 4
mob was forming around stretcncr
i was Just going TO investigate, when
a Red Cross nurse told me. 1t is "a
wounded French soldier VINO does NOT
understand German"
went up TO the soldier and spoke
To him in French. telling him that
there was nothing for MIN TO be afraid
of. for il was only the English that
We hated in Germany. The man told
me that every one in FRANCE was CON
iident they would win the war and
get back Algace and lorraine.
From Klein Steinhcin, to Hanau the
soldiers were merry at the thought or
passing through, their own town. They
hoped TO hatn RSchance to see ana
embrace their parents or their wives.
All along the way there were GROVES
OF civilians gathered to see the Second
knew tina, We were coming Tine ira in
pulled In very slowly. while the soi-
diers and civilians cheered Justify.
AT the station the wounded officers
OF our battalion were waiting ror us
The parents and friends or the sol
dic-s had been admitted to the plat
form OF the station. Everything was
joyful. The meal served TO the soi-
diers was excellent. the best OF the
whole journey. The civilians hcapco
dainticS and presents on u.
We left Hanau at O'Clock on
May We passed Ch-mnItz and Ger
litz. In this last city. wncrc our stop
was quite long. the station was sur
rounded by soldiers Of the Landwenr
so that no one could so out TWO or
our men decided. however, to sneak
OUT They were arrested by tEi
I.a-dwehr and brought pack TO the
sta. ion by six guards with nxcd bayo-
nets in their guns Eager ASKED the
men:
we wanted to buy come Things"
IA, And you were stepped by ,:ase
Blatant troops "civilians'") Have you
no more pride in my battalion tnan
TO allow yourselves to pc arrested by
these fools. who have never been in
a battle?"
Eager sent , the two soldiers ou,
hated the men OF the home guard.
there was UNIT TO eat The men
started TO grumblc, and threatened 10
destroy the kitchen in the station II
they were not allowed to go out into
the town TO eat The officers threw
out the soup and told the station COOK
that IL was only fit Tor swine, anu
who were just coming back from the
front in such manner.
In spite OF that, no one was allowed
to go out. for we were 10 leave Al
10 o'clock.
AT Wadowice we were served by the
ladies of the Austrian Red Cross, VINO
in Germany had been. They told US
TO hit the Russians hard. SO that the
war would soon be over.
We met a train bearing Russian
prisoners. In some of the cars tho
sick and wounded were piled peli-mell
on little straw. No one was taking
care Of them.
PILES or MUNITIONS LEFT
BEHIND by RUSSIAN TROOPS
On the 7th OF May We came to Neu
Sandec and on the Sth lert our tram
at Biezo. From NeuSandec to Bic 1.
the train went very slowly, for lii.
Russians had damaged the road dur.
ing their retreat.
About the station at Diezo there were
enormous piles OF ammunition. ma
chino guns and considerable other ma
during their retreat We understood
then why we had Russian guns TO use.
Bezo was in ruins: Fighting began
Our trip across Germany and Aus
tria had taken us five days. The FIFTY
sixth Division WAS to assemble here
and to await further orders.
We knew now that 1t was up TO us
to pull the Austrians chestnuts on,
OF the fire, for they, as we saw later.
did not even want to fire on the Rus
SLAMS.
We had no chance to rest single
minute at the staff headquarters. for
we had To study the maps and get our
orders. We were to camp al Jablonica
We went ahead to find lodgings our
wagons were not bad, but as the Rus
slams had constructed new roads since
the beginning of the war, we were
overturned twice during the journey
Tho people OF whom we demanded
lodgings answered us nothing but
they had an air OF scorning us. our
dear allies refused even TO give us
water. The roads were terrible and
we had TO carry our bicycles and walk,
sinking into the mud most to our
knees.
AS a battalion OF the One Hundred
and Eighteenth Infantry and one am
bulance had preceded us. II was al
most impossible to find place for
the men to stay. 1t was all we could
do to find a place to put Eager. who
did not like to go upstairs. The place
we found was but n howell OF undescrib-
able dirtiness, where dozen people.
men, women and children. slept, nell
mell, on two miserable beds OF straw.
a terrible odor met you and turned
your stomach. 4 number OF hens ran
freely about the room.