, 1918-07-18
GERMANS ARE LOSING HEART.
Prisoners Tell of Diminished Morale
and Rampant Disease in Ranks
of German-Austrian Army.

w. H. Johnston of Saratoga a day or
two age received a letter from his son,
Morgan, who was one of the first sol
diers from Carbon county to land on
French soil and who is still serving in
h trenches. Morgan states that he
has been at h front during the great
er part of the time for several months
past, but has not been wounded nor on
the sick list since he left Saratoga. He
requested the address of Angus Eng
land, so that he might look him up at
the first opportunity. Angus nae also
recently written here for Morgan's adj
dress, and it is likely that the two boys
will locate each other whenever either
a obtain a furlough. They left here
at about the some time, but have never
met since their departure from the
United States.
Morgan sent his father a clipping
from a French newspaper, written by
one of the correspondents with the
American army, which gives an inter
esting insight into the German army
situation, as obtained from interviews
with German soldiers captured by the
French and American troops. The clip
ping is reproduced in full herewith:
To-day 1 visited, among other parts
OF the line, the>sector held by the Amer
lean division and heard most thrilling
stories which came from prisoners cap
tured by this unit, the first of the
Americans to get in the big battle line.
Most interesting details concerning the
situation in Germany, in the Rhine
towns which have been bombed by the
British, n the morale in the German
army were furnished by the German
prisoners. Inasmuch as several of the
prisoners are officers and many Of the
others men well above the average of
German intelligence, the data thus ID
tanned is regarded as very important.
$40 begin with, the Germans say the
morale in b army is not good because
of the growing belief among the SOL
diers that the French cannot be defeat
ed, no matter how far back the line is
pushed. The soldiers were told-it
seems from the prisoners information
that the present offensive would
bring the war to an end, but the sol
diers realize that this is impossible.
"All these things, the prisoners say,
are causing dissatisfaction In Germany
and are causing a bad spirit to develop
among the German soldiers, who now
feel that they are being driven in the
present offensive and are being sacri-
ficed regardless of all the cost to the
rank and file of the army and the Ger
man working population.
Furthermore, the prisoners have
stated-and it should be said that the
statements 1 make. here are based on
b summarized statements of "a Of the
most enlightened German captives-
that disease is becoming rampant in
Germany, that hygienic conditions are
execrable, that the death rate of in
fants and children under ten years Of
age (this the prisoners say is true and
documents found in their possession
bear 1t QUIT, is 6S per cent. This is
alarming the country, the captives say;
In fact, 1t has caused such ar agitation
that within the last two weeks there was
a conference in Heidelberg of the lead
ing professors of science and the most
eminent physicians. They issued a
protest against hygienic conditions and
a warning against the dangers which
hover over the nation If the physical
standard of the people, brought to the
lowest ebb by scant food, is not i'm
proved quickly.
Assesses are one of the epidemics
of the country. Undertaking and re-
duced blood-resistance are held respon-
sible.
at is stated also by the prisoners,
and supported by documents found on
some of the officers, that the wheat ra-