The state herald., 1919-03-28


| anything slss picked up along tho
front.
When they are gsttihs well the men
learn harness making mechanical
drawing. tsaegraphy. gardsnins, poul.
try aislns. typswFitins. bookkeeping
and the men teach the nurses how to
make canes out Of shell cases, and
rings Of aluminium, and slippsrs and
gloves ont. Of blankets.
The nurses certainly work hard.
They always have more to do than
thsy ought to. but they never complain,
and are always cheerful and ready to
play games when they have the time.
or Rad to some poilu. And their work
y pretty dirty too: I would not like
70 have to do It They say there were
loeD of yrsnch society ladies working
- nurses, but you never heard much
about society. Or any talk about Lord
Helpus. or Count Whosas, or pink teas
Or anything IKE that from these
nurses.
4 few ahells landed near our hos
patal While I vas there. but no patient
was hit Thsy knocksd . shrins of Our
Lady 10 spaintsrs. though. and bowled
over big cfucinx. The kitchso was
near b., and It was 5ust the chsrs luck
that hs had walled over 10 our ward
10 ~ . pal oe hi. whsa q shsli landed
plumb IN the esuter Of ths kitchen.
and an you could ~ Ill over the bar
nc0 Waa 0esW.
That was Q regular satlsss day for
~ untfl they fisgsd up bosies and got
some more dlxlsa. md mixed up some
coenmsal for ~ Ths chef made up
for It the next day. though. Ths chef
was Q great little guy. He WAS q
'blssssr himself. and guess ~ stcm.
ach sympathissd with ours.
Thsre WAS q Trsnehman In tAs bed
nsxt b me who had he whole 80 Of
his faes torn %. He told me hs had
been nsxt b Q bomber. who had just
1t . fuse and did not thiak 4 was
burning fast snougA, % he blew o. II.
II burned fast saougA after that and
there ~ was.
Thsrs was q Belgian In ons e the
other warda. whom I cot to know pestty
well. and ~ would oftso cone over
and Wit ne. He asked many Ques.
lions about DimudA for hs had had
relatives tAsra. though hs AAd lost
track q them. He oftsa trisd b Dc.
scribe ~ hoase theg had lived b, %
that ] m1gAt tn him Vhethae e vas
still standing o. not but I could not
rsosnbsr tie place ~ spoks Of. Dur.
Ing or tAlks. hs told me about nany
atrocities. Some Of The things be told
me ! had heard before and some of
them I heard Of aftsrward. Here are
some things that b either saw or
heard Of from victims:
HSSaid that when the Oermans -u-
tered the town Of st. ousntin. they
started firing into the Window as they
passed along. First. after they had oc-
cupied the town. they bayoneted every
workingman they could nnd. Then
they took about half Of the children
that tAsy could and. and killed them
with their muskst butts. After this,
thsy marched the remainder Of the ehll.
dren and the women to the square,
where they had lined up . row Of male
citissns against Q wall. The women
and children were told that II thsy
moved. they would al b shot. An
other dls Of men was brought up. and
made to kneel in front Of the other
men against the wall.
The women and children began 10
beg for the lives Of the men, and many
Of them were Knocked In tho head With
gun butts before they stopped.
Then the Germans fred at the double
rank Of men. Aftsf three volleys, there
were sighty-four dead and twenty
wounded. Most Of the wounded they
then killed with axes. but somehow,
three or four escaped By hiding under
the bodies Of others and playing dead.
though the ofiieers walked up and
down firing their revolvers into the
piles Of bodies.
The next day the Germans went
through the wine cellars, and shot all
the Inhabitants thsy found hiding
there. A lot Of people who had taken
refuge IN Q factory Over night decided
to come out With Q white dag. They
were allowed 10 think that the white
nag wsuld b. respected, but no sooner
were they all out than they were selsed
and the women publicly violated 10 he
square. after which the men were shot.
A paralydc was shot q b at IN his
srin.chaiF. and . boy d iouftecn was
taken By the lsss and pulled apart.
At one place. . man was tied By the
arms TO the ceiling Of his room and set
aare: HlR trynk vas completely car.
bonised. but hls head and arms were
unburned. At the came. place. the
body Of . Aftesn.ysar-old boy wSs
found. pierced By more than twsnty
bayonet thrusts. Other dead were
found with their hands still u the cir,
leaning up against wails.
~ another place ths Germans
shsllsd the town for Q day, and then