Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-17
TELLS SERBIA'S
SERVICE IN WAR
Sergeant Ruth Farnam
Stirs Poor Richards at
Luncheon
TALES OF HORROR
Asks Why Bulgarian Minister
Is Permitted to Remain
in L. S.
TALES OF HORRO R.

Il don't understand why the Bulgarian
minister sits in Washington and does
"ermany's dirty work, nor why Ameri-
ca Is not at war with that country
Bulgarians are ficnds out of hell and
ought to be sent back there"
Such was the declaration of Sergeant
Ruth Farnam, American woman soldier
in the cavalry of the Royal Serbian
Army, who addressed the Poor Richard
Club at luncheon today
BY concensus of opinion It was one of
the most notable addresses the club has
ever heard. Every seat was taken and
men stood two and three deep about
the walls. intensely interested for more
than an hour.
Born in "A little Long Island town.
Mrs. Farnam was married while i'm her
teens, and travelled with her husband all
over the world. 1t was because she
had become interested in Serbia when
there on pleasure trip that she re-
turned to lend any aid she could during
the war against Austria. Utterly in
experienced she was drafted into hos
pital service because of the great need
for workers.
Only News from Enemies
THE only things we have known of
Serbia" said the sergeant, were
through the lips and the press of her
enemies. and consequently only. such
things as the enemy chose to give out.
That is why the little country had no
! friends when the final blow was struck.
The Austrian Crown Prince won dis
favor in his country because of his
sympathy for the Slavs Austria joined
Germany in having him put out of the
way He was murdered by "A Serbian
boy brought up in an Austrian military
academy, but not because the Serbian
people wished it. Then Austria said the
Serbans had revolted and had killed one
Of their nobility and Serbia was invaded
again and again"
Sergeant Farnam was forced to pause
several times to sovercome her emotion
while telling of some of the atrocities
witnessed by her. Men who listened to
her narrowing tales bit their lips to
keep from expressing their sorrow,
while women wept.
/ IL saw boys horribly abused" Ser
geant Farnam said. Il saw childrea
roped together and fired upon till they
were a bleeding. broken heap. One
mother, who was standing in a doorway
with her babe in her arms was kissed
by an Austrian soldier. She slapped
him as hard as she could. The soldier
grasped her infant by one leg and with
his sword slashed 1t in pieces which he
threw into the pig sty. Serbian soldiers
later found the little body almost de-
voured, and the mother a raving maniac.
She died shouting: There Is no God
of all the people who have committed
excesses on the battlefield none are so
cruel as the Bulgarians. | have seen in
the hospitals men who had been hor-
ribly mutlated as they lay wounded on
the fields men who were men no longer,
but quivering heaps Of suffering flesh.
Some with their eyes gouged out some
with their mouths or noses cut so they
would ever be deformed some with
tongues torn from their throats and
others with limbs torn or cut from their
bodies. who would not die but would live
to suffer.
Only Minor Atrocities
These are only minor trocities There
are many others that / could not tell
even my sister they are so utterly hor-
rible. | have seen young girls mutilated
young mothers ttacked by Bulgarian
soldiers. Bulgaria has sold 10000 christ
ian girls of Serbia, ranging from ten
years old on up, as slaves to Turkey.
"Serbia's army slogan is: Serbia sur
TtHueTS OHl ylO 'Ou iltI SOlultfS nave
fought till crcified and her people with
stood the Austrian hordes as long as
they could hold together, then went into
exile. And there the martyrs fight to
keep the life within them, ever hoping
that by some miracle they will SINE
day win back their country.
u have been asked If Serbians have
suffered as much as Belgians, | tell you
they have suffered vastly more. Belgium
was invaded, so Germany claims
through military necessity Serbia was
surrounded by enemies who hated her
with a deadly hatred
America and the Allied nations owe
! a great debt to Serbia for her stanct
stand during these invasions. She held
| the foe till the Allies could muster
| their forces. We all know that Ger
many's ideal was to conquer the world
] The Kaiser's aim was not only against
France and England. ~ against Amer.
! lea and other nations as we'll And we
| though we did not know il at the time
were being saved by the little country
of Serbia.
We Americans should be very hum,
BILE in this war" the sergeant declared
I'VE should not vaunt that we are go.
| ing to win the war. We are going &c
help the allies win ting war
|