Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-02
"Six Months in
Hell and Back "
German Socialists Vicus after
Six Months Tracci Through
out the Empire.
Copyright. International News Bureau.

People who have money hire young
e iris or mon. or women TO stand in
these lines tor them. and make their
purchases for them. This practice,
however is being discouutenauccd by
the authorities. and families whose
members are abb" To stand in line are
compelled to make their own purchases.
notwithstanding the hundreds OF pco-
Die. men and women hay. become pro
fessionai food card purchasin: agents.
Public Soup Kitchens.
Then there al. tho public SOUP
Kitchen patrons. People who are de$-
ttutc az" given cards by the munich
palitE. emitting tho holder TO two
dishes Of soup each day. The lines be-
Tore these Kitchens are still longer, and
those who are compelled TO apply for
the municipal charity are mostly COM
posed O: former middle class men and
women. why5e business or Income has
been wiped out since The war and who
haN" II" means Of earning livelihood.
P"ssl'-; bE one OF THESE long public
soup kitchen lines. my comrades often
called my attention To men who had
been in comfortable circumstance
lawyers. educators aud small shop
keepers Three times my comrades
pointed out TO me elderly gentlemen
who had held high salaricd positions
81 banks. saw IN another charity line
an old importer nnoss entire wealth
Was wiped out since the war. and VINO
nov vas compel l"d to take his place
among tin" pcuniIess Women in
mourning oompos" half Of those VINO
are obliged 10 apply for municipal
charity.
tho prem ses Each person brings
SOUP pail. and when their turn is
reached in thn line. they receive tho
liquid which is falsely labeled SOUP"
This matter. tho inErtd OF which
arc a deep mystery. IS carried home
and eaten At their own tables Ther.
arv absolutely no fats ~ other sub
stantial materials in The soup II IS
mostly made OF vegetable fat. and re-
S"rnbics dishNater very n.Tch while
t. odor was. 10 ne. most offensive
'rhe Central Hotel. which | entered
vas still more descIatc than the APP
pearance Of tho city Itself Certain
circumstances compelled IA" To make
frequent changes. and during my stay
IN Berlin stopped in fourteen different
hotels without even one single cNccp-
ZION. learned ,hat the persons or
syndicates who controlled these hotels
had been ruined financially. Til. top
stories above tho third OF twelve out
" the fourteen hotels At which I
stepped. had been comma nde.rcd by the
military AS hospitals for IN. wounded
soldiers and officers. and in none Of
e.
10 run at all.
While the regular entrances OF these
hotels we're sun used for the guests
end patrons. the back entrances were
being used by the hospital force. The
patrons have not the sIiyhtcs, ,n.,
as "a what Is taking place IN tn
stories above the third noor This
secrecy. ,hat found icalously guarded
by the military authorities in Bcrlin
Melted me To make di!is"nt Inquiries
about the wounded. and learned :,
considerable number Of facts that bad
escaped even notice nf my average Bcr-
liner friends
y" Rcnuisi,cIy Wounded Seen.
ne authorities we're jealousy qua I'd :
ing the wounded fror' The sight Of the
people II! The streets. The government
always managed 10 bring in The
@: the night and no repulsivcly
wounded and incapacitatcd soldier or
officer is permitted 10 roam through
the streets after they arc restored 10
health. While in cities Of South Ger
many frequently saw groups of hor-
rib!y repusive looking !ncapac.,ated
soldiers and officers in the streets. bur
IN Berlin streets. for the last nine
months or 80 these sights had been
pr ibited
one night started % my hotel very
late. shortly after midnight. and on
/ reaching the corner OF The buildfnc
saw row OF vans. huge and bulky.
! walked towards where the last one
OF these stood, but had not gone very
near 1T Wh"n some one shouted 10 me
20 turn back a. once. judged tina,
there we're more than forty OF these
vans IN the row. 1t was no, until the
follow ne evening that learned the
run significance Of this row OF ugly
vans. learned mat The prussian
casualties had been So heavy during
the recent battles wiki the English
mat the government, found themselves
unable 10 proyd" vehicles 10 bring the
wounded 10 The hospitals. They had
Communicated every express wagon
and every furniture van in the Berlin
district. !, has been the custom OF
the military authorities. Whenever pos
>!bl". 10 bring in the wounded an!
carry out The dead - night.
BECOME" Accustomed 10 Hcriiu s;..h
Ihc first fnlN LuN. ~ N, .. 49,. -. -