Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-05-30

ted regions, 1 found the Germans hat
cut down the fruit trees on their re-
treat in 1917, and this seemed to i'm
press these French women more thar
anything else, for these old womer
loved their fruit trees and vines anc
when the Germans deliberately sawed
down their apple, pear and plum trees
they could not understand it. There
was no military value in it ct all, II
was pure deviltry to ruin France. OF
course they blew up every bridge, cul-
vert and switch for so miles or more,
but that was war. They certainly
! made complete work Of it, too. They
blew up the railroad at every joint
with a small charge Of INT. complete
ly wrecking it.
1 have no doubt that stories Of Ger
man atrocities have been exaggerated,
but if they had been true in only one
instance it would have been enough.
At Dinent they lined up and shot 500
men, women and children in the first
three weeks Of the war, and that was
enough to condemn them. Such war
fare is different from the civilians who
have been killed by bombardment,
which naturally happens on both
sides. I went up to Louvatn, near
Brussels, which was partly burned by
the Germans in August, 1914. 1t was
a city Of $4,000, pretty place, univer-
sity town; the university there had
about 5000 students and fine build
ings. They burned the colleges and
most Of the better portion Of the town.
The place is still riddled by machine
gun fire, and a woman told me her
brother-in- law was in the party assem-
bled to be shot, but they counted them
off and shot only every fourth man
and he was number "3", much to his
delight.
The king Of Belgium is a democratic
fellow. 1 was introduced to him last
week, when he was making visit to
the Anglo -Belge-American Y. M. c. A.,
in Brussels. He does not look like
Belgian, being larger than the average
there. He is 6 feet inches in height,
fair haired and looks like Dane. He
speaks good English, was dressed like
an ordinary soldier in khaki, wrapped
leggins and had no insignia or rega-
liza. The Belgian cannot understand
why President Wilson did not come to
visit them, since he visited the other
countries. 1t takes only six hours to
run UP from Paris. However, the
peace terms which were published yes
terday, seem satisfactory
When 1 returned from my leave, I
got the first mail 1 had had for two
months, for in moving around my mail
had been held. It seems that the SOL
diers will all soon be home. for the
shipping is going on faster now. 1
think I will move myself in day or
two and may beat this letter home. 1t
is needless to say that every one is
looking forward to getting home ana
it is a pity that all could not have got
ten home sooner for the life OF idleness
is not good for one, and many of the
men have had to stay in camps In lit
tie villages in the concentration areas.
I had five weeks in one little village,
and the men slept in stables and 1t
rained every day, but since the spring
has come it is not so bad. The A. +.
F. is clearing out though fast and l
can tell it is in going over the coun-
try. No one need complain OF hard
ships now, for the men spend the aft
ernoon in baseball and other games,
there is plenty of good food and
show or movies every night. Both the
Y. M. c. A., and Red Cross are doine
good work in looking after the comfort
of the boys. All the criticisms about
conditions at Brest were true last year,
but not true now, for they have made
great improvements there.
went to General Headquarters at
Tours to look up the graves of some OF
nv friends who had been killed in ac-
ton, for 1 wanted to locate them for
their relatives at home. The Graves
Registration is now well organized and
they give every attention to all inqui-
ries and can locate the grave for you
on a map, or if the body has been
moved to q military cemetary they give
you the number of the grave and the
location. To the relatives OF these
brave men who lie here in France you
can say that all the graves are now
nicely arranged, marked and sodded,
the collection of the bodies and OF
identification marks is done by experts,
and this disagree cable and sad task Is
performed as we'll as it could be If
done by the hands of their own loved
ones. There will be over 10000 in the
cemetery at Romagnes near the Ar
gonne Forest. Our own cemetery here
at the hospital continues to grow nat
urally, for some of the men get this
far on their way home and yet have to
rest here forever. The German dead
are marked as our own. There is a
cross at the head of each Christian
grave. For the Jew there is the Star
of David, for the Mohammedan there
is the Star and Crescent, for there
were many Algerians Of. the latter
faith in the French army. l am in
clined to think that if people could
understand one another there would
be fewer personal quarrels and fewer
wars, for however unlike men may be-
in their habits and beliefs 1 have no.
ticed that in their birth and death they
are all the same.
To travel the world over now it Is
necessary to visit only France, for ev-
cry nation is represented here. The
French alone had 100000 Sengalese
from Africa in their army, and l have
seen these big black fellows, savage
still with their earrings and tribal
scars GU on their faces, just as they
were in Africa Some speak French
and strange to say, 1 can understand