The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-10-08
INVENTOR OF''BIC
BERTHA"IS INSANE
Ghosts of Victims of Huge Gun
Have UnSeated His
Reason.
SUCCESS BRINGS EEM0RSE
Men Whose Minds Failed to Stand
Up Under Strain and Horrors
OF War His Only Com
panions.

DeTllu.- Inventor OF lne big
Bertha" which first shelled Paris on
March %, 1918, from a distance of
nearly so miles, now is an inmate of
the German state asylum in Ander-
mach. Men whose minds failed to
stand up under the strain and horrors
of war are his only companions.
The inventor does not associate
with the other inmates. At rare in
tervals he speaks with the doctors Or
nurses in the hospital, but then only
a few words. But, once when an
American soldier entered, the Ger
mans face lighted up like that Of
child with a new toy. To the aston
ishment of the hospital attendants he
at once approached the visitor and
began to converse with him in Eng
lish.
AS he talked his interest in the
young American seemed almost pathet-
ic. He asked of America, Americas
part in the war, what America ex-
pected to do with Germany, and par
ticularly was anxious to learn what
America thought of the German air
raids during the war and the bonn
bardment of Paris by the big Ber-
tha"
Tells Story of Life.
Then. as if afraid that the young
soldier from overseas was about to
sentence him to some horrible punish
ment, he suddenly began to tell the
story of his own life.
AS a young man he had studied at |
the greatest universities in Germany.
Chemistry and mechanics had been
his favorite subjects, and in these he
showed great aptitude. AS was nat
ural in Germany at that time, his re-
searches soon took him into the field
OF perfecting weapons of war. His
work In this line attracted the atten-
ton of his government. They gave
him every opportunity for study. He
was sent to England, America and
France. In those places he studied
at close range the guns used by the
armies, the chemical composition Of
explosives and the methods of manu-
featuring great shells. When he re-
turned to Germany he was given stock
n the Krupp works, at Essen. Profit
ng by his studies and what he had
earned in other lands, this man set
lbout to develop what would event
tally be the mightiest cannon in the
world.
Then came August, 1914, and the
var. According to the inventor, his
fforts were redoubled. The big guns.
which destroyed the forts of Belgium,
we're not sufficient For years, the
inventor said he had dreamed and
damned weapon that would reach
'aris, and when the war came he,
ogether with the greatest scientist of
'ermany, began working upon the
annon.
Success Brought Only Remorse. {
In the spring of 1918, the inventor
aid, they believed their plan had 6
cen accomplished. The great gun 6
as finished and moved to a spot in
lie lines from which it's shells could '
each Paris. Finally came the day :
hen it was fired on Paris for the '
rst time. Apparently it was a sue
elebrated, the inventor said. For !
i'm, however, this Joy was short y
we'd. Hardly had the celebration end I
when the allies seemed to take on d
new lease on life. Instead of dis !"
them the great gun ap- r
cared to have driven them to great
efforts.
"Then came the stories of the suf- &
rings caused by the gum" the in
,ntor said. "Instead Of killing sol C
ers we had murdered women and
lildren. My nights became Sleep
SIS. When I did drop into doze my
cams were terrible. I became sick
it'll the thoughts of my work. HI
st weight. I could not face my S.
mily, and the sight Of women and te
ildren on the street made me faint. al
len something snapped" CT
N
IL nj