Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-17

800 along the road. III
He win not walk with his men" said
badly"
Ready to Surrender.
fact. An odor of earth and soiled
clothes and dirty bodies on which per-
spira ton had dried and broken out
and dried again day after ray came
from them. When l tried to take a
photograph of him he angrily pro-
tested to his guards. When they In
sisted that I had, that right he
marched toward me. his face averted,
every line. expressing not only his
hatred Of the canaille American. but
the brutal arrogance of his caste.
Such men as he have kept such men
as followed him in the line of battle.
IL this were only a story of a Prus-
sian officer and an American CORE
spondent and 300 dirty men, happy to
be relieved from discomfort and death.
the incident is typical of condition
which beyond any question exists In
the German army. The German SOL
diers took heap of whipping in the
Bots de Belleau. They rarely surreh-
dered until it seemed to them a choice
then the officers-very rarely the men
were prompt to seize the first OPP
portunity to treacherously assail the
men who have trusted them.
If it were left to themselves the
German. soldiers would end this war
in jig time. OF that I am convinced.
Several hundred were captured by the
- (for the present anonymous
fighting organization) that took and
cleaned and held the Wood of Bell
eau. The American intelligence Off
GERS questioned them very closely. OF
the whole lot Of unwoupded men not
one has failed to say that, SO far as
he was Concerned: -
81 am glad the war is over. ] am
thankful to be through. I want peace
and to go backbone"
That might not be significant, for
the morale of prisoners is always low,
but for the manner in which they sur
render. I said above that they rarely
tween surrender and death, but that
statement needs definition. If their
officers are at hand to hold them to
their work they stay at the machine
gun butts until the. Americans are
upon them. But if they have a chance
to make a private and personal peace
they are apt to do so.
Promises to "Be Good.''
American. called German from
shell hole the other day. II want to
come in. I'll be good"
The American addressed could not
understand any part of this address
except the word gut" but he tod the
Hun to come on IN. A dirty, ragged.
lhalf-starved being thrust his head
|above the dirt rim of the shell hole
and smiled in what he hoped was an
!ingratiating fashion. The American
beekoaed. him on. Behind the dirty
imam three other dirty men appeared,
likewise DESTROYS of capture. Another
A mo OF a Rod from front with
four prisoners. and when he got to
the P. c. he had six. Two extras
smiled and twisted their hands. They
seemed afraid OF being sent back.
/, Private Albert Lennart of Chicago
came in with flfty-six men, all cap
|tives of his bow and spear. He had
got lost in the woods. had been found
and taken prisoner by q German ma
chine gunner-who first snapped out
of his hop and tried to shoot me"
Lennart reported indignantly-and
mand. There the captain and the
captive had hot rum and snapped
cigarettes.
T told him he was surrounded"
said Lennart. 80 he asked me IL I'd
take 'em all into the American lines
and save their lives"
Lennart was undoubtedly sincere in
believing that he had persuaded the
German captain that he and his force
were surrounded, but II that captain
and Hindenburg ever meet after the
war the captain will have an unhappy
hour. Lennart got lost again in the
dark woods as he led them in, and it
was the German captain who found
the way. Lenpart ingennously adj
mits that the captain seemed to know
all about the disposition OF the Amer
lean troops.
F Their Reserves Wasted.
"That man and his men were mighty
anxious to get in out Of the wet"
was the conclusion Of an Intelligence
officer who examined them. Four
other officers accompanied the cap
tain. Before surrendering the ave
officers talked the proposition over.
The men were not consulted. The
officers seemed certain that no iron
hearted patriot could be found among
them who had rather die than give up.
Now and then one strikes a small
the soldiers. Ordinarily It Is Prus-
sian who owns the vein. Unless the
evidence OF the prisoners is mislead-
ing, this Is "Prussia's war;" just as
the world was told when It arst be-
states have never had their hearts
in the effort to dominate the world
as Prussia has, and less than ever
since four years have gone by and
the world stu refuses to accept the
Prussian rule. The other day : Prus-
sian officer came to an American hos
pital. He had been slightly wounded.
With him came an officer from Sax
ony who was dying:
Denied by Dying Man.
I'VE know there are hundreds Of
thousands Of Americans in France"
said the Prussian. stimy. but what
do we care? We are harder and
drawer than you are. Besides that.
You cannot get as many men over as
we have unused and In reserve"
That statement was repeated to the
dying man.
at is lie." he said weakly. Nov
tell the truth. Our Feserves are
n It il urged that the conclusion
that the morale Of the German atmH
t. a.