The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1918-09-17

Three hundred and odd German pris-
oners marched down The shadcd road
which leads from the Bois de Belleau
toward a town "a the Marne. They
we're caught BY tho famous fighting
outft which cleaned the wood OF
Germans. The censor no longer per-
mits me 10 use this ORGANIZATIONS
name
Hello. American" several called ne
they passed.
Othou laughed. Oshers called un-
Ineligible thinFs In Herman u stll
others laughed. IL was tho cheericst
most lIviai, jolliest bunch Of prisoners
one could imagine. They looked as
prisoners always do in their wTinklcd
SUITS Of faded E~ray.grcen and their
ftapeloss fatigue caps. but thcy Wcrc
nappy. They smiled and nodded rs
they. passed along. Perhaps half OF
theui looked back az us, and per
laps a half of that half grinncd.
what's the answer
Tho answer is that the German sol
dicr is thoroughly sick OF the war.
lilo ~ tired to his very soul. We ants
tC quit fighting and sleeping IN mud
and aoing hungry - being shot ai
by an enemy hat refuses to Quit.
Ahead Of these non marched the iiV-
ing symbol Of d force that keeps
their comrades IN line and fighting.
IIf WIS a hik 7 hNNNNh NAANN'NF
shouldercd and arrogant. Two men
guarded him, white half . dozen were
Sufficient TO nerd the three hundred
along the road.
He Will not walk with his men"
said n OF his guards. He says they
smell badly"
Ready to- Surrcndcr.
They were not fragrant anu that's
n fact. An odor Of earth n sOiicd
clothes and dirty bodies on which per
SEPARATION had dried and broken out
and dried again day after day came
from them. When ] tried 20 take q
Photograph OF him he anBrily pro-
tested TO his guards. When they In.
sisted that ! had that right he
marched toward me, his face avcrtcd.
every limo expressing not only his
hatred OF the canaille American. but
the brutal arrogance OF his caste.
such men as he have Kept such men
~ followed him IN the line OF battle.
II this were only IA story Of n prus-
sian officer and an American CORE
rpondent and three hundred dirty
men. happy 10 be relieved from dis
comfort and death. II would not be
worth printing. But the incident ~
typical oi h condition which beyond
any ques"on oxists IN The German
CImy. The German soldiers TOOK q
heap OF whipping IN the Bots de Bel
leau. They rarely surrendered unttl
II Seems TO them a choice between
surrender ana Death and then the Of
ncers-very rarely the men-wcrc
prompt TO seize the first opportunity
20 -trcaCntrousfy ossall the men who
have trusted them.
II il were lett 20 themselves the
German soldiers would end this wal
in jag time. OF that ] am convinced
several hundred were captured by the
for the present anonymous night
Ing organization that took and clean
er and held the Wood OF Belleau. The
American Intelligence officers QUEEN
toned them very closely. OF the
whole lot of unwoundcd men not one
has failed 90 say that 10 far as he
was concerned:
Il am glad the war In over. ! am
thankful to he through. | a peace
ind TO 40 nck home"
That might not be significant. for
the morale of prisoners is always low,
but for tho name In which they
surrender. / mid above that they
rarely surrender until IL seems n
choice between surrender and death,
hut that statement needs definition.
II their officers are AZ hand TO hold
them 10 their work they stay at the
machine gun butts until the Ameri-
can are upon them. but II they have
a chance TO make a private and per
sonal peace they are apt TO do so.
VIII he Good.
American called n German from
o shell hole The other day. II want
so rome in. III he good"
Tho American addressed could not
understand any part of this address
except the word gut" but he told
tho Hun 20 come on III. a dirty.
ragged, half starved being thrust his
head above tho art rim OF the -holl
hole and smiled in what he hoped was
an ingratiatins fashion. The Ameri-
can beckoned him on. behind Tho
dirty nun three other dirty men APP
pearcd. likewise dosirous OF capture.
Another American rtiIted from the
front with four prisoners and when he
got 10 the Y. g. he had six. Two tx
tius smiled n twisted their hands.
They seemed afraid Of being sent
back.
Private Albert Lennart Of Chicago
same in with fifty-siX men. all cap.
uves OF his bow and spear. lie had
got lost In the woods. had been found
ana taken prisoner by "A German ma
cine sunner-whO first snapped out
81 his hop and tried 20 shoot me"
Lennart reported Northumberland
had been led 10 the captain IN com
tnand. There the captain and the
N"lfhhF Ahh nv ihHh Wv NhAllN"A ~
sHrottes.
Il told him he was surrounded,
said Lennart. $50 he asked me u To
take EN- 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 n that captain
"nd Hindenburg ever meet after the
war tho captain wlll have an un-
happy hour Lennnrt cot lost again
in the dark woods as he led them IN,
and n was tine German captain Who
found the way Lonnart i%nReniousiy
admits that the captain seemed 20
know an ahont the disposition OF tbs
American troops
Their Reserves Wasted.
That man and his men were
mighty anxious 20 get In out Of tho
vet" was the conclusion OF an inteli-
pcnce offcc who examined thCm.
-Four other officers accompanied the
captain. Before surrendeung tho fave
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
nm.