The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-02-26

! from an air raid is never dropped
within a mile OF one of these camps,
| so we'll do the raiders know the path
\ they take on these night raids. And
! at that the treatment the English
/ and French accord German prison
ers is not appreciated. The Germans
think they are we'll treated because
| the Allies fear the Germans are go
ing to win and that they will get re-
venge If the prisoners are not well
/ treated.
I'VE visited a ruined city which
had once been behind the German
\ lines, where the enemy before leav-
ing had placed a mine in every
house. They had taken away every
thing from the houses that could be
carried and had taken It back to
| Germany in violation Of all the rules
| OF civilized warfare. The able-bod-
led men and women were taken to
Germany also to work in the mum
ition plants. The old folks and
young children were herded together
outside the city while the mines
were touched Off Not a house in
the place was left standing. The
homeless people were then sent back
to the French lines to be cared for
and they were cared for, for the
French will have none Of their people
homeless.
Bombs In Cupboards.
THE Germans left bombs I'm the
cupboards which would explode
when the cupboards were opened.
They left things lying about that
children would pick up and be
MANNED by the resulting explosions
arms or legs blown off or their
| faces mangled. / saw cemeteries
where the Germans had taken even
the tombstones back to Germany
with them to place in their own
cemeteries. You know the French
worship their dead. Their tombs
| are beautiful things and you will
| ind in them Crucifix and an image
| OF the Virgin and chairs where they
may sit and commune with the
memory Of the departed. The Ger
mans entered these tombs and with
| true German efficiency removed the
lead lining of the collins to be used
| in making ammunition. That tells
you what kind Of an enemy our boys
are going to fight and they're going
| to win.
I'VE went through the great Chi
| cago base hospital where we saw
hundreds of boys cared for-some
with arms gone, others with a leg
|
| health by the Red Cross nurses. The
nurses lived in constant terror of air
| raids. The hospitals extend over
| large areas and are so plainly mark
| ed with the Red Cross that they can
be distinguished from great heights,
4 but they are constantly being at
/ tackled. The boys lie there helpless
strapped up in the apparatus used
to aid them to regain the use Of in
jured limbs. They cannot rush from
the hospitals when an alarm is
given. Some of them cannot even
| adjust the gas masks to save their
lives when gas bombs are dropped
| Consequently when the siren gives
warning of an air raid they are in
a state Of panic. Then the nurses
have to play the Victrola and sing
to them and in other ways quiet
them until the danger is past. That's
4 where the money goes that you
are giving the Red Cross.
Il saw a wife sitting beside her
husband in a hospital helping in his
| fight for life. The Red Cross ar
ranges to bring the wives or mothers
| Of wounded men across to be with
| them in critical cases. In this case
it saved the life of a man whose
case had been given up as hopeless
and within a comparatively short
time he was able to go back to Eng
land. He would fight no moro. but
he was alive.
Our Boys Are There.
''They are English. Yes. But our
boys are there. There were 10000
of our boys in the British army be-
i fore we entered the war and TO-
600 more fighting under the banner
OF France.
1--WE passed through miles OF farm
| ing country; saw where fruit trees
had been destroyed. They were not
needed for making munitions. They
were just chopped down or broken
| off and left lying. We saw farm
machinery bent and twisted out of
/ shape so as to be utterly useless.
That is part OF the German war
policy - to leave the unoccupied
territory so devastated that the peo-
pie will not come back. Then they
coIonize it with Germans.
"This story ! checked careful
Iy to assure myself Of its truth.
A nurse had brought a German
officer through. He had been
horribly wounded, but she had
nursed him back to health and
strength. When he was leaving
the hospital he asked the nurse
If she would shake hands with
him to show that there was no
enn1ity between them. lmpuls-
lively she stretched forth her
hand and as she did so he
snapped her arm across his
knee, exciaimina as he did so,
'Therel 5ou'II not be in shape
to nurse anyone else for a long
while
A shudder of horror went through
the audience and as Reed added,
"'They took him out and shot him"
there was an outburst of applause.
Another wounded German, as
the nurse bent over him to give him
some medicine or some broth, jab-
bed a fork he had concealed, deep
into her eye.
Cut Prisoners Throat.
an one Of their barrages, the
/ Germans captured an American boy.
| Under all rules of welfare he was
entitled to treatment as a prisoner
of war. but they took him out into
/ No Mans Land and cut his throat
| left him lying there to show their
| contempt for the American swine,
as they call us. A savage Indian
could have done no worse. Since our
bows heard about 1T they can hardly
wait until they can get into the
| trenches.
I'm the city Of Baronne, Of some
| Is. 600 population, they mined every
house before they retreated and
poisoned the wells by the most des-
picable method imaginable.
n saw a printed requisition
there for pretty girls of . GER
] tain ace TO act as orderIies for
the German officers. That's
where the young girls 90.
"Tn two other cities we visited
fhara vyare vnunfcfDaI dupOtIts where