The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-04-12
WITNESS OF HORRIBLE
DEEDS WAS IN FRANCE
Grewsome Tale Told to P. D.
Mcclellan of jackson
BLOOD BOILING RECITAL
Saw the Crucifixion of Wife
While Husband Stood BY
As Prisoner
From Saturdays Daily.

Press the story told by Mrs. Violet
McMurray, the nurse who gave re-
cital of the atrocities she had wit
messed, committed by German SOL
diers in France and Belgium, P. ID.
Mcclellan, auditor of Jackson county,
Minnesota, went to Green Bay, Wis,
where Mrs McMurrg resides and OBJ
tanned from her sworn statement
of the horrible scenes which came
under her notice while she was act
ing as nurse in the war-torn coun-
tries. Her statements are sworn to,
as the following affidavit sworn to by
notary public will testify:
State of Wisconsin, Brown county-ss.
George A. Bent, being first duly sworn
on oath deposes and says that on the
27th day of March, 1917, at the request
of Mr.. Mcclellan of jackson, Minnesota,
he went with Mr.. Mcclellan to the home
of the Rev. McAEurray, and at the re-
quest of Mr.. Mcclellan in the presence
of Mr. Mcclellan took down in short
hand the statement OF Mrs. McMurray'
and thereafter transcribed the same.
That the statement of Mrs. McMurray
as told by her in the presence of Mr.
Mcclellan and myself is as contained in
the presence of Mr.. Mcclellan and my
the annexed statement, and that
the statement is a true transcript OF the
shorthand notes as taken down by me.
Mrs. McMurray stated in my presence
that the statements contained therein are
true and that insofar as to those or
which she was an eyewitness, the state
ment is true to her own knowledge.
1 personally viewed the scar on the neck
of Mrs. McMurray and believe that the
same was caused as reclted by Mrs.
McMurray 1t is well known in. this city
and vicinity that Mrs. McMurray went
through the experiences incident to the
life as a nurse on the battletelds of
France during the great war now being
i make this affidavit for the purpose
of assisting Mr.. Mcclellan in Identifying
any statement that he may make with
reference to the annexed statement OF
Mrs. Murray.-George A. Bent.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this
Both day of March. 1913.
Iemal Mueller, notary public, Brown
county, Wis.
Statement BY Mrs. McMurray.
Mrs. McMurray is the wife of Rev.
McMurray, rector of the Episcopal
church at Green Bay, Wis. 1t was
on March 27, that the statements
which follow were made by the for
mer nurse:
NV maiden name was Violet Seymour.
I was born in London, England, but was
in the southern part of France in the
town of Angouleme. J was there from
1.-The age of four until I reached the age
of eighteen. In France you understand.
as there the girls are not allowed to
do any work at ALL 1t is looked upon
as disgrace. The girls are not allowed
went out side of che house, was always
accompanied. even to cross the street
There is always somebody with you
they will not let YOU go alone. | will
bakers or purchase some cookies, but
that was not permitted. l was not even
allowed to go to the post office.
That was WHY when the war broke
out and when all of the others We're
preparing to do something for their dear
France. that 1 wanted to do something
also. At this time there was no trained
nurses in the small towns of France.
There were in Paris, of course, and in
the larger towns. but in the sma-e
All of the nursing was done by the
sisters. And SO when the war broke out,
and the nurses were needed, the French
government were very, very pleased TO
very hard to get enough and there wasn't
enough. 1T wasn't like this co,:ntr',
where there are so many Red Cross
nurses. For this reason many wealthy
women organized corps of nurses them
selves. and fitted them out privately.
The way it was done. was weaithv
woman would pet subscriptions to pur-
chase an ambulance and then she would
take charge of it and give * to the serv-
ice of the government.
How She Became A Nurse.
1t was in this way that l came to
become a nurse. There was a very
rich lady that 1 knew. Her daughter
and became very good friends. she
visiting me in England and ] going to
her house for long visits This lady was
countess and promised not to disclose
her name. She organized one of these
units. and the daughter wanted me to
come and join them. and of course I
had to come. and in that way l became
a nurse. and went to the front. / was
able to talk English, French, Spahish and
a little Latin. was tho only English wo-
man in our unit and in that way 1 was
very welcome and was able to help out
very much. took a course of training
simply assisting doctors, in the operating
rooms in different hospitals and with
different doctors. OF course Won realize
it was not very intensive training as
we had only three months training. BIT
we were trained to know what to do
with man from the time that he was
picked up from the field until he cot
to the base hospital and afterwards But
on the field.
The Motor Ambulance.
Let me tell YOU something about the
motor ambuances we used. They were
lust like a motor hospital They had
hunks inside for eighteen men in ALL
They had Ford motors. The eighteen in
Guided of course. the operating doctor.
stretcher bearer and the first aid boy We
would pick I'D a wounded man take him
to the trenches, if he was wounded in
No Mans land and from the trenches
TO the ambulance and then in tho a'nhlI-
lance to the base hospital Where he
was wounded in the trench. it was lust
necessary to take him from the trench
to tho ambulance and then to the base
hospital
Question: Were you obliged to go out
in the field and pick up a wounded man
yourself?
Answer: Yes. But not under fire.
We wouldn't dare. We would un-
der. cover of night. At that time
the Germans weren't SO mad at us
We were not in danger of being shot
down. as later Then an individual nurse
working alone or in very small groups
of two or three were not in grea2 danger
of being shot down. but if there were
ways danger of being shot down. The
Germans in that case thought if the.
saw large groups of nurses that we were
going, out to save large bodies of our
troopS and they didn't want that They
would attack us. At thar time we ddn''
fear the German Red Cross nurses, il
was the soldiers But we found out tina
it wasn't safe to go out in groups.
know now though it is unsafe for even
an individual Red Cross nurse to venture
out
Was Wounded in Hospital
/ was wounded in the hospital located
IN Rheims cathedral We had in that
hospital about eight hundred men and
many nurses. The Germans well knew
that it was Red Cross hospital located