The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1918-05-01
LIFE BEHIND GERMAN
LINES ALMOST SLAVERY
Civilians, Men, Women and Children
Forced to Work for the Invaders

France has become almost slavery. |
The oppressed people have to submit |
to restrictions deprivlng them of all /;
the usual amenities of human exist
ence. Details of the terrorizing pro-
cess introduced by the Germans, which !!
ls daily becoming more severe, have !
reached the correspondent of the AS |
soclated fress from number of CEN
ters where the German army holds !
possession.
According to some of these commu-
nlcations everybody-that is to say,
men, women and children-is forced
to wor!. :: the German t3rouerors. |
especially in the country districts and !
towns near the front. One young wo- !
man-and she is only one among
many-tells how she was made to !
fell trees in the forest of Saint-Go- |
balm, which was under constant gun. |
fire, while in the same vicinity ali the !
supply columns for the troops in the !
most dangerous parts Of the line were
formed OF French civilians ~
In the neighborhood of Cambrai alY
agricultural work is carried out by
the peasants under the surveillance Of
German soldiers, and when the pro-
duce IS ripe it is all requsitioned by
the military authorities. The factories
IN the city itself have been robbed of
their machinery with the result that
large numbers of workers have been
reduced to semi-starvaton and conse
quent sickness. At the end of 1917
there were still 1000 inhabitants in
the city, all of whom were compelled
to take refuge in the cellars.
In most parts of the country the
Spanish Dutch relief, which has taken
the place of the American Relief Com
mission, goes on normally, but it is
asserted that the German authorities
manage to obtain possession of por
tlon OF the provisions. In Lille the
prices OF food are extremely high and
the population, already impoverished.
has great trouble to obtain food. Eros
cost them thirty-six cents a piece.
meat is from $3.50 to SO pound when
1t is available, shoes are $25 pair,
cloth costs SIG yard, and there is no
Deer. milk, or soap to be had, while
coal is distributed at the rate Of fifty
six pounds per head of the popula-
ton per month, at the price of thirty
SIX cents pound, or S720 per ton of
1000 pounds.
In Charleville matters are even
worse. The people have not had any
1resh meat for two and half years
and for other provisions they have TO
rely on the relief committee. which
makes distribution twice a week
Each person is given in the course
of every fortnight the following ar
ticlcs: Half pound of bacon, half
a pound of lard, half a pound of salt
meat, half a pound of haricots, four
f!tths of pound of salt, sometimes
fifth of a pound of coffee, two-f -fifths
of pound of biscuit flour, a quarter
OF pound of sugar, and small quanti-
ties of corn residue. Besides these
things each person receives once
month can of condensed milk. In
the stores coffee costs about ST
pound, sugar nearly 50, chocola
nearly Sd. The sale of potatoes IS
forbidden.
: q Nearly all the men work for the
Germans, who forbid them to leave
their houses before seven in the morn
ING, and they must return by eight
in the evening
At Denain French prisoners have
been employed in the destruction of
the factories, from which all the ma
chlnery has been taken and sent to
Germany, while at Saint Quentin ali
the statues have been taken down and
specialists from Germany have re-
moved everything of value from the
basilica.
| Even children Of school age, most
OF whom have not had the opportu-
nifty to go to school three years, are
made to work along the roads and in
the forests.