Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-06-04
BOMBS MISS
HOSPITALS;
KILL BABIES
Attack By Enemy Squadron
On Red Cross Refuge of
Wounded Americans Fails
of Its Purpose; French
Nurses Slain.
GIRLS FROM STATES
BRAVE UNDER FIRE
[By Associated Press Staff
CorrespOndent1

y. ta. .
[By Associated Press Staff
Correspondent
~ With the American Army in France,
May observation-disclosures airmen
made a pretentious raid on the area
behind the American lines In P1cardy
last night. Bombs were dropped on
all sides of one of the largest, hospit-
ais In town many miles to the rear
of the front. American and French
wounded soldiers were carried to
cellars and caves by American nurses
and members of the American Red
Cross.
Only few persons were injured by
flying glass as most of the windows
In the hospital had been shattered by
bombs dropped the previous night.
BABIES ARE SLAIN
Several private houses were
wrecked and a number Of civilians, in
GLIDING several babies, were killed
and injured.
That the raid was planned on a
much larger scale than recent ones
over this territory, is evidenced from
reports made by many Americans in
villages over which the raiders
passed. The Germans came in wave
formation and then scattered widely.
One squadron dropped bombs few
hundred feet from an American field
hospital and at the same time one Of
the long range guns shelled a village
few hundred yards away.
FRENCH NURSES KILLED
The first alarm was sounded at IL
o'clock. The dropping Of bombs and
the firing of many anti-aircraft guns
began almost Immediately. Later
there was brief pause after which
the raiders returned, to remain al
most until dawn.
In some instances the bombs fell
within thirty or forty feet of a hos
pital building but, fortunately there
were no direct hits. A French nurse,
her mother and two little sisters were
killed in house short distance from
. hospital. Another nurse was stand
ing on the upper floor OF the hospital
ministeri1g to patients when piece
Of bomb struck her, piercing her lung.
PATIENTS ARE UNFRAMED
Five American nurses we're in the
same hospital. They were Miss Ma
talie Scott of New Orleans, Miss Hell
en- Spalding of Brooklyn, Miss Mary
McCadlish of Atlanta, Miss Blanche
Gilbert of Cleveland and Miss Con.
stance Cook of San Francisco.
While the raid was in progress they
went about cheering the patients.
Although many serious cases of sick
and wounded were aggravated be-
cause they had to be moved the
nurses had to carry them to the lower
floors and cellar.
1T was an exciting time" said Miss
Scott, "but there was no panic.
Some Of our boys actually slept
through 1t ALL although their beds
were showered with broken glass"
ONE AMBULANCE DEMOLISHED
Three American ambulances were
caught in the raid. Sergeant Ethan
Wells Of San Francisco. who was
driving the first ambulance said:
Our three ambulances were hurry.
Ing to hospitals with patients when
bomb wrecked building directly in
front OF us, in narrow street Our
ambulance was perforated by flying
missiles. We were hurled out but es-
capped with few scratches"
The second car apparently received
the full force of the explosion and was
wrecked completely.
WORSE THAN TRENCHES.
Private Roscoe Wiley of Madison
vile. Texas, was driving the third car.
Sergeant ]. w. Nodler of Altoona. Pa,
and three patients were with him.
"There was wreckage all around
us," said Sergeant Nodler. injured
civilians in the shattered houses near
Dy were begging for help. We all
pitched in as soon as we had recov-
cred from the shock and assisted in
the work Of rescue. We had to dig
many persons from the debris, by the
light of small pocket lamps Mean
while enemy aircraft were buzzing
overhead. The barrage was deafen-
ing. Bomb continued to fall 1t was
worse than anything in the trenches.
/ would rather have been in No Mans
land "