Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-08-16
English Officer
Tells of German,
'.Ku1tur" in War

Miss Marian Andrews is in receipt
Of copy of letter written by young
English officer, Second Lieut. Sydney
King, Sixth Chesire regiment, to his
father, Rev. w. L. King. Of Joliet, ILL.,.
who Is an old friend of the Andrews
family. The young officer, who. fol-
lowing his partial recovery from
wounds received in action, and being
made prisoner. has been interned at
Clingndaal, Holland.
Attic not known here, the young
lieutenants letter contains general in
formation of interest. and especially in
formation dealing with tho celebrated
brand of German "kultur' as practiced
in war. Lieutenant Kings mother went
to her death on the Lusitania and an
older brother met death in action
earlier in the war.
Doubtless with these in mind the
young lieutenant writes his father:
I'VE have given q lot, haven't we, but
for such a righteous cause as ours ]
am sure you would not want to keep
them back (referring to the enlistment
OF two younger borthers, Will and
Ray. We must win, for otherwise,
with German influence soverpowering
the world, German methods of com
merce, German brutes staggering over
Europe. life would hardly be worth
living. I have seen what men there
are in Germany during the nine months
was prisoner. ! have heard since
OF much worse experiences of others.
Can you imagine German doctors push
ing wounded British down stairway;
needlessly inflicting pain or prisoners? ?
Men are dying in Germany like flies
from bad treatment. ] saw two Tom
mics come into the hospital on stretch
ers, dying from starvation. Russians
brought in with double pneumonia died
during the night of the next day. Then.
talk OF Germany surgery! Men who
arrived here are bad examples of 1t.
And how they treat their women.
No woman, seems sacred. Two Tom
mics told me the Germans were offer
Ing them 33 marks~a week and a wom-
an IL they would work on munitions.
II am, glad America is doing all she
can. and that is not little, to hasten
our victory.
spoke English that IL man Is too bad
~ injured to be Of any further use, he
is left to get better II he can. Indeed
could write pages of truth to prove
the German spirit is bad and wrong.
and that were he to gain the upper
hand or the controlling influence on
the world. it would be very, very bad
indeed. For all his kultur' his instincts
are bad; for all his civilization his
cruelties are savage"
In his letter Lieutenant King tells
of how he was wounded. shot thru the
leg. the main artery in which was sew
cred. While floundering around in the
mud the bleeding was checked and he
crawled all night by the aid of his il
Illuminated compass, doing two and a
half miles. He and his platoon were
farthest advanced from the outpost and
were cut off. my lads died fighting"
he adds. My corporal was shot thru
the leg and still carried the Lewis gun
until he dropped. Then the remnants
of the platoon, about eight. were prac-
tically surrounded in a large shell hole.
and the boche started lobbing' over rife
grenades. One in the hole would have
put us all out. so sent them down the
road, one by one the sergeant and
last. He was with me when I got
pipped, and he wanted to stay. but
pushed him away and he got back to
our lines. I have had letter from
him since. In which he says he was
wounded in the arm Just after he left
me- He was the only one Of the platoon
who got back. But we took over ninety
prisoners that day. SO we were well
avenged"