St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1918-07-06

me and said, Let is go to the camp
and try to sleep so that we might for
get all this"
We were hungry and on the way
home caught several chickens. We
ate them half-raw and then laid down
in the open and slept until four o'clock
in the morning when we had to be
ready to march.
Our destination on this day was
Suippes. Before the march started the
following army order was read:
Soldiers, his majesty the emperor.
our supreme war lord. thanks the SOL
diers of the Fourth army and sends to
them his full appreciation. You have
saved our beloved Germany from the
invasion of hostile hordes. We will not
rest until the last Enemy lies on the
ground and before the leaves fall from
the trees we shall return home vic
torious. The enemy is in full retreat
and the Almighty will bless u arms
further"
After this talk we gave three cheers,
something which had become routine
for US. And then we resumed our
march. We now had plenty of time
and opportunity to discuss the graft
tude expressed by the supreme war
lord. We could not make out just what
fatherland we had to defend SO far in
France. One of the soldiers expressed
the opinion that the Lord had blessed
our arms, to which another replied:
"A religious man repeating such silly
sentiments is guilty of sacrilege, if he
speaks seriously"
Everywhere, on the march to SUPP
pes, in the fields and in the bitches,
lay dead soldiers, most of them with
notwithstanding open wounds. Thou
sands of huge flies sWarmed on the
corpses, partly d~ecomposed, and Civ
ing off a fearful stencil. Among these
corpses. unsheltered under a blazing
sun, were encamped wretclled fugi-
tives, because they were forbidden the
use of the roads while the armies need
ed them. which was practically all the
time.
In the evening, after a long march,
we reached the town of Suippes. Here
our captain told us we would find nu-
merous frank-tireurs. We We're or
dered to biyouac, instead of being as
signed quarters, and all going into the
village were obliged to take guns and
cartridges with them. After d brief
rest we entered the village in search of
food. Dead civilians lay in the middle
Of the streets. They were citizens OF
the village. We could not learn the
reason for their having been shot. The
only answer TO our questions was q
shrug of the shoulder.
!. The village itself had not suffered
to any noticeable degree as far as
destruction of buildings was concerned.
but never in the course of the war had
seen a more complete job of plumber
ing than had been done in Suippes.
That we had 70 live and eat Is true,
and as the inhabitants and merchants
had flown there was 10 opportunity to
nay for Il necessities. Therefore we
simply entered d store. put on stock
ings, laundry, and left the old things,
then went TO another place, took what
ever food looked good TO us, and then
proceeded to n wine cellar. there TO
seize as much as our hearts desired.
The men of the ammunition column.
located In the village as Well as the
sanitary soldiers and cavalry by The
hundreds. searched the houses and took
whatever they liked best. The finest
and largest business places In Stiippes
served a very large rural district sur
rounding and therefore were stocked
up on almost everything. Within a
short time these places. had been
cleaned out. The munition drivers
and train columns carried away old
pieces Of silk, ladies' dresses. linens.
shoes, dress goods and every other ar
ticle imaginable. and stored them away
in their ammunition cases. They took
children's and women's shoes. and
everything else they could lay their
hands upon. although many Of these
articles had to be thrown away short,
III afterward. Later, when the fell
post was developed and gave regulaI
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