The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-08-29

IN Berlin vhDn the great war broke OUT
and has re1natnod there until recently,
when ahe haS succeeded In reaching
Switzerland, and from that place sho
sends these chapters exclusively for
this psper.)
During the first few months OF the
war. the German people had been syS-
tenatically melted against the hated
England" but utter while. when
Britain began to tske German prison.
ers Il became evident that lii-treiltm"UI
OF the British war prisoners would meet
with immediate repriSals BY Tho Eng
l!sh. The French. knowing the Cor
man better than any one Of her aiheS'
had made It plain to the German bully
tthe big coward) that earhariSu' IN
f1icted on the helpless prisoners Of war
would at once br;ng retaliation two
fold.
But the Russians and lat"r Italians
Jared badly And then came the -tuncri-
cans. When the first American prison.
ers reached German territory shc news
WIS flashed everywhere and the pco-
pie were made to belly" tina; / large
number Of Americans had oH"n taken.
Although the original number was
about ITO or SO. the people Of Berlin
for a ionE time were told that lo.""o
Americans had been taken.
For nearly three months this S'nat'
number were made To travel from citF
to city. and. the occasion OF the Wis"
Of this same group was each ''''e
heralded rs though new group Wis
9ust captured Thus the German Of
ncIals care the impression to the peo-
pie that ATTY times as many Americans
wore captured as they had actualt!
taken But this fraud soon was cN-
posed People who had visited the
cities through whose streets tho Nneri-
cans had been paraded had occasion TO
see tho same group several times.
Amer1canS u-Treated.
Then came the i1l-treatmeut OF the
Americans. 7 was told by moro than
ono officer that the treatment me'eo
out 70 these Americans was shaneIul-
Another German official whose nome
often visited remarked to me ono" thae
tho terrible treatment handed out 10
tho British prisoners early in the war
cannot be duplicated to these Ameri-
cans with IMMUNITY. He bitterly COM
planned to me that many or these
American prisoners were Of German
blood and that it was difficult. 10 dis
tlngulSh them from Americans or nom
German blood. and that If the military
authorities insisted in their brutal treat
rnert 4 would certainly tend TO bring
tho men Of German blood in America
closer with the native and ron-'Iorr'an
elements I was amazed 10 "oScrEe
that even this friends protest against
tho cowardly !l!-treatmrnt Of war
prisoners was based on prr"iy Se''iSn'
immoral and material considerations.
German Official Statements contra
dtetory.
During home propaganda lecture.
conGucted by ~" Pan-Gcrnlan party. an
officer on leave from the front al
teruotrT "a prove TO his hearers thas
very few Americans had been able ;"
far 70 crosS TO France. and that ire
German submarines had already &C
counrcd tor moro than 3n.hhp american
sclIicrs. This remark met with Dc
rision hero and there. hut the great ma
ic-it;- OF the audience behaved as thouEh
they believed thr speaker. Then n SOL
der stood up and as he faced 'h'
sneaker everyone noticed that n" was
one-arned and wore the war cross LII
his oalv hand he held IA hunon OF news
paper. Clippings and Informed the lee
+urer that those were from the othcia'
announcements given out by h'''''1
newsoapers since Ans ricaS entrances
into ;he war. II" r"HG on" ai'"r an
o,hcr Of them According 70 the or
1i.ve that no NOR" than """"" Amer
co,s have reached France. but accord
i,o TO th, same official statements We
ora ureed 70 believe. that our armies
huye "a n.ured 60 hhh Americans. We
90 no, fools. II you cannot tell M:
truth YOU better hold Your Sp'"'h:
Then a terrible connection followed.
The shouts from tho audience. answer
answer him truthfullE": could be nc -. y
above all other angry /remarkS. ne
n,an-Gernran party had eight o!nN
meetings arranged for that week "h'C"
Ala not take place after this disturb
800 7 learned afterwards that tie
so1die- who broke UP that 1an-GHrrnat'
,,a.tint, had been imprisoned TOT =
t,,rhnr a public meeting and Spcak'nN
tr, aerogasory manner against ihs
government.
rb,n. Peace on Their Own Terms
Theirs for the Asking.
r,,+ rn NOT wis III: readers TO thihh
that the German people arg Nv Nv, t,'a; =
into making moral protests aSaihsN -,
governments inrcf la:iSu& policy.
Earn,an people are thinking oul th'E *
- ,er conable Of thinking about tte
MORAL issue. Their one thought II ~
end the war Us soon As possip1r. Ht.
tiers not how the goFcrhinen; .rt,.
n.ace aS long us they oot'iti a.. 49,
ore not concerned how anu by M"'ls
tbeir rulers would secure 1t II
+hav only return back To conditions OK
former days. They seem |" lh'hn '''i|S
r. * IN the power Of their rulers |" ''"-
min nt.,c. Whenever :ucE ar: Wilma
-. nh,ain IL They have been frd 50 con
s,s,ently With map victories INT
mink that their enemies would ~, ga"
10 accept any peace "tterths' an" Wy
only crilic:Sc their svNsFnl'i"ht l"' 10y
Inak.ng 1t easier Tor rance '-"u i'''"
land ~ accept terms or peace
I always believed. until iooE up NY
studies in Berlin. lnat my ptppic ''l';
rurps n,r.. ;hc most h"lplcS>ly lSnor-
ant people IN the world. but Slticc
,auu TO know the German pcopl" real
iz,. that tn. ticr-rrnt: masses nrr inc nhIy
p.oui, that t.,k' Tor granted cH'tytitihS
their rulers tell th'iu. tlrr" and there
foun,; pcuplc VIII" doubted The huitctIhs
anuuuncrd by the -"N"rnthcnt. uUl HIN
ty-niue ,-.t cent Of the Grrfiiis'S look on
',hrr p,.orl.. IS - low and uuGultur,d
thar they ,au not UNDERSTAND hos II
is that they are not Yet SpnEltcco "t
l;err,lanyS superiority. The so-calteu
educated German men and women are
the most dangerously .'Nu 'tEr"SahliF
icruranc .,buut other p'"1I'S lev 81
culture. The unsdu":':tu "'k up |"
;h,,S,. clements anil thus r"'rntit tn'ul-
selves 20 b.. ruiSi"d. H"r'' ~ an tN;tm-
pic VI 4 hundred .rsianG'"S observed
during my f:y, Years r"tit;ict with inns
class OF German prupl". one or my IN
struc,u-S who had never been outside OF
Is.rtnarr--ur frum licrlln Tor tat mat
r.r--;uld tuc. on" dA: duTlt'; Tn" first
week of the war. th;ts thr ""r'hasl
ARMIES would march across iH:lgiuin un-
nnr,o...t Franc. wnGlu Ia brought to
h.r kurrs Russia would b. crushed
Within two months. I.nSlard Would be