Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-12-01
kRMANY's CAPITAL is
! IN SORRY CONDITION
pleased British Prisoner Says Ber-
! lin Looks a. Though Plague
Had Struck Ii.
ErTLE vEHICULAR TRAFFIC
rect Cars Crawl AIong-Building>
lin Shabby Shape Many Shops
CLOSED - Women Wear Paper
sSClothinS.

go. nv WILLIAM j. BUTLER.
,aJoNDON. November SD ~ !, =
hand picture OF pd ,hf after four 9u
Gears OF fruitlcss struggle Is oIous !.
? there by ]. Jeppson. who mas lust =
: Hreed in England after his reiGaSe len
JN6 German prison camp at kuhieneh
: Z. s.There were eighteen OF us alto
,teher and we had been released from
ss.Nhleben and were on our VA way TO tn nS
Ilntch frontier" said he. we waIkeu
Nhe eight miles from the camp to ber-
: Sin and were the first party OF prisoners
Slipwed to march through the pr'n
soipal streets OF tina; city in p3oao
Ss'I was able to mix with German men.
MSmen and children and study them
, atsclose quarters.
: PEOPLE AZ ;;HCH.I? As
.EH EVER IN HANDS OF RULERS
sE-Tt was easy to understand that they
Eere ready 10 accent peace AT a.
Siost any price. hu, il was just as cicar
Tfikt they were as docilc as ever In the
: Hands of their rulers.
20 SThere was nothing ct the spirit % or
Rebellion in the faces of these coWeo.
anteh, be the spiri, Of the army: the
civilians looked as II they had not the
Sourage to smash window.
~ sSWhen we left Ruhleben the feeling
sygas that whatever happened, the war
sHotld not las, much Longer and that
oRers were looking forward to an early
sfeJease and the guards were expecting
70! be demobilized.
n CAT this time the British armies were
sweeping forward and II was realized
Chit a disaster had befallen the Ger
h4n armies from which there was no
hope OF recovery.
1--WE left Ruhleben amid tremendous
Hheerine from the prisoners behind US
sass ragged and disreputable com
panS OF Migrants as ever left work
She Earl of Perth. AZ the head Of the
procession was myself-thc official rat
Eaycher' OF Ruhleben Can occupation
hslnsd kssP ne sane2 w'in ni
credit. trottinG along by my side and
kwo ferrets on my back.
las we entered Berlin through the
district Of the geological gardens and
the West End. we seemed TO he en-
fcring a plague ridden city. city
Whose people were lahoring under some
traffic. although ii was between 3 ana
4 Selock -, in the afiernoon.
4 compared with, the gay gay DAYS '' Of
August. 1914. when the streets were
crowded with well-dressed. we'll fed
people and swarming with automobiles
2np taxicabs. Berlin looked indescrib-
sbly desolate. l remember seeing one
ehS icab OF course it had no tires,
Sut wheels fitted With springs. and IT
moment. Very few tram cars were
flip ming and they were crammcd and
Travelled very slowly as IL almost worn
but.
4. 81 was particularly Impressed by the
Heeayed appearance OF the public build
Ings. They looked as IL they had not
heen cleaned, decorated or repaired
gnce the beginning of the war The
plaster on the walls was all cracked
anp peeltng off, giving the appearance
of@shabby poverty.
y fssIhe streets. nevertheless. were well
SSsept ana clean But tho contrast with
london, which seems TO me. after four
eSArS, buster and smarter than Ser. is
SIsei!arkable In Berlin a large num-
yer or the shops were closed and some
NJ those when were open. Judging