Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-15
KISSES SHOWERED
ONM|H|EL SAV|0RS
People Radiant at Deliverance
From Huns After Four Years
of Martyrdom.
LIFE HAD BEEN NIGHTMARE

BY the Associated Press.
AMERICAN ARMY HEADQUAR-
TIERS. September II (Reueers).-Gen.
Pershing. Gen. Petain and Secretary
of War Baker made their entry into
ST. Mihiel yesterday afternoon over
a war-wrecked bridge, only few
rickety planks Of which were left.
They came over virtually the only
means of entry left, for it was inn
possible as rule to~enter the town
from the west except on floats, for
not only had the stone bridge over
the Mouse been blown up years ago,
but the three makeshift. bridges there
had been smashed by shellfire.
OF the three roads to the town from
the east. the one through Apremont
had to be avoided, as 1t was still In
the enemy's hands yesterday morning.
The second was blocked by wire and
gaping trenches, and on the third the
grass had grown wild with three
years of neglect, and in dozen
places it intersected trenches. The
correspondents party on it's way to
the town had to wait at these points
until the last spadeful Of earth had
been. thrown into the trench before
the road could be driven over safely.
Recapture Striking Incident"
The capture Of ST. Mihiel after its
four years of n1artyrdom is regarded
as one of the most striking Incidents
of its kind in the records Of the war.
The Germans left the town at pm
on Thursday.
They had made life a nightmare
for the Inhabitants, who had been
unable to escape when the enemy
occupied the city. All the boys from
ported and the old people forced to
work for the conquerors. The graft
tude of the remaining inhabitants to
the Americans was boundless. They
were at last free to speak without
fear of vengeance from the tyrants
that had ruled over them.
In passing through other villages
on the way to st. Mihiel the travelling
party could see that the people had
lost their ordinary wartime look of
weariness. and the drive into this
queer, wrecked paradise of gladness
was a notable experience: A French
military band had come in over the
first bridge to honor the distinguish
ed visitors. and was playing in the
square, about which all the remain
ing Inhabitants had assembled. Their
eyes were radiant and their bearing
that of prisoners set free. They were
volubly communicative. and deter
mined to treat as a. hero any one
wearing an American uniform.
Reception to Generals.
Can pofo}p opd IA, Dar.h,r-
given an immense reception, and II 1t
had only been known who Secretary
Baker was, he, too, would have been
overwhelmed.
The town was only partly ruined.
That part adjoining the river was
almost entirely gone, but there were
scores Of houses elsewhere that had
was such a surprise that the enemy
was unable to undertake his usual
work of wreckage. He laid hands,
however, on everything he could
carry of. Sheets and blankets were
torn from the beds and loaded onto
wagons. but 1t is possible that those
wagons by this time now are in allied
hands, since the. enemy had only
twelve hours to escape from the claws
closing across the salient.
The enemy did set fire to a few
houses, but the inmates extinguished
the flames.
The Germans looted both the banks
during their occupancy. The inhabi-
tants had depended largely for sus-
American relief committee.
People Ignorant as to War.
WITH THE AMERICAN FORCES
IN LORRAINE, Friday, September Is
(by the Associated Press).-Follow-
ing the American troops through the
captured villages, the correspondents
found on every hand evidences of long
control by the Germans Bills for
electric lighting and supplies had
been paid with curious currency, on
which Germans had printed French
terms.
The Inhabitants of the salient were
ignorant Of the events of
history in the last four years, know
ing only what their captors had told
them. Sad stories heard in the whole
of the reclaimed districts of France
were accentuated by the long years
Of German control which isolated the
people from news of relatives and of
world happenings.
Every American entering tho viii
lagos experienced tho same reception
Baker and Gen. Pershing and their
party. Aged men and women seized
and kissed the hands of the officers
and correspondents, crying and
laughing, the curiously aged children
initiating their elders unknowingly.
For their own compatrots. how
ever, the greeting was deeper, and
the French patrols and troops fol-
lowing we're even more affected than
those who had been delivered
Later in the evening Gen. PershinE
and Secretary Baker resumed their
journey in other sections of the re-
gained region.
U. S. NOT TOULOUSE SAVE
ONLY AS LAST RESORT
Communities Must First Exhaust
All Efforts to Care for War
Workers
The United Corpora
ton viii not spend large sums on the
construction OF homes for war workers
In any community until the community
has exhausted every other means Of
providing for the workmen.
This was announced by Otto.M- Ed