The Cordova daily times., 1918-02-13

! Lille, etc, were going to be transport cd Into French districts where their provisioning would be easier At night, at about two o'clock in the morning, a whole district of the town was invested by the troops of oc- cupat.On. To each house was distrib- uted printed notice, of which we give herein an exact reproduction, preserv- ing the style and spelling (See docu- ment, above.)
 The inhabitants so warned were to hold themselves ready to depart an hour and a half after the distribution of the proclamation
 Each family, drawn up outside the house, was examined by an officer, who pointed out haphaZard the persons who were to go. No words can express the barbarlty of this proceeding nor de scribe the heartrending scenes which occurred; young men and girls took | nasty farewell of their parents-a fare well hurried by the German soldiers who were executing the infamous task -rejoined the group of those who were going, and found themselves in the middle of the street, surrounded by other soldiers with fixed bayonets.'
 Tears, of despair on the part of parents and children so ruthlessly separated did not soften the hearts of the brutal Germans. Sometimes, how ever, a more kind-hearted officer yield ed to too great despair and did not choose all the persons whom he should by the terms of his instructions have separated
 HeFded Like Cattle. "These girls and lads were taken in street cars to factories. where they were numbered and labeled like cattle and grouped to form conveys. h these factories, they remained F, "A or 36 hours until train was ready to re- move them
 "The deportation began with the villages of Roncy, Halluin, etc, then TOurcOing and Roubaix In the towns the Germans proceeded by districts
 Tn all about 30,O00 persons are said to have been carried off up to the pres ent. This monstrous operation has taken eight to ten days to accomplish. 1 It is feared, unfortunately, that it may begin again Soon,
 ""The reason given by the German ] authorities Is a Humanitarian CD one. They have pat forward the following 1 pretextSf provisioning Is going to l break down In the large towns in the north and their suburbs, whereas in the Ardennes the feeding is easy and l cheap.
 "1t is known from the young men and grls, since sent back to their tamIHes for reasons of health, that in the department of the Ardennes the 1 victims are lodged in a terrible man ner, in disgraceful prOmisCuity; they are compelled to work in the fields It is unnecessary to say that the lnhabi- tants of our towns are not trained to such work. The Germans pay them I.50 Tn. But there are complaints oi insufficient food
 "5arbarity of Slave Drivers"
 ""They were very badly received ir
 
 the Ardennais that these were "voIun teers' who were coming to work, and the Ardennais proceeded to receive them with many insults, which only ceased when the forcible deportation of which they were the victims became 1 known
 Feeling ran especially high in our tgNE measure been carried out. The Ger mans have shown all the barbarity of slave drivers
 The families so scattered are in despair and the morale of the whole population is gravely affected. Boys of fourteen, schOolbOys in knicker- bOckers young girls of fifteen to six ten have been carried off, and the de spairing protests of their parents failed to touch the hearts of the German off cers, or rather eXecutiOners'
 One last detail The persons so deported are allowed to write home once month that is to say, even less often than military prisoners.
 Such are the declarations which we have collected and which, without com mentary, confirm In an even more striking way the facts which we took the liberty of laying before you.
 "We do not wish here to enter into the question of provisioning in the in- vaded districts; others, better quail fled than ourselves, give you, as we know, frequent information. It is enough for us to describe in d few words the situation from this aspect:
 Entire Population in Misery.
 'The provisioning is very difficult; food, apart from that supplied by the l Spanish-American committee, Is very l scarce and terribly dear. People are hungry and the provisioning is in- l adequate by at least half; our popu- lation Is suffering constant privations and is growing nOticeably weaker. The | death rate, too, has increased consid- l erably.