The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-29
ON GERMAN SOIL
Pickups of Interest Written by
Lieut.. e. w. Wingart.
Topeka Officer Says There Are
No Signs of Hunger.
STREETS CLOGGED WITH YAhKS
Huns Eyes Open When They
See Men and Motors.
Has Visit with Lieutenants
Erickson and Ferguson.
STREETS CLOGGED WITH YANKS
By Licut. p. w. Wingart.

Formerly with the State journal and
the Associated Press in Topeka; TO France
first lieutenant in 12Jth field artillery.
Now connected with general headquarters
A. Z. F. and the official a. +. f. newspa-
/ per, the stars and Stripes.)
Treves. Germany.-One thing is
certain in this German city of 1000,
which holds some troops of the seth
| division, and that is there are no I'M
derfed Germans l looked for signs
| of uEdernourishment in every German
| that saw on the streets the other day
| but none OF them seemed to be on the
verge of breakdown. On the contrary
! they lnulzed well fed. Which brings
up the question as to Just what there is
/ behind this ''pitifuF' cry the boche are
\ making about not being able to pay
an indemnity fu-the terrible ruin they
/ caused with their war machine. Prop
| uganda pure and simple to get out of
what is coming to them. l saw candy
| displayed in shop windows, 1 saw Ger
mans drinking their coffee with white
sugar and cream in the cafes and
there was evidently nothing which dis
| turbed them. The black bread seen
| in the bakery shops did look like odd
buff-colored> bricks and there ap-
peared to be a scarcity of fats and
rubber, but outsid~ of that nothing
4 gave signs that Germany had been at
war. Unless conditions are radically
/ different in other parts of Germany
| they do not need food SO badly as they
make out.
While waiting for dinner at the
! Red Cross hotel 1 saw Lieut.. o. L.
Erickson and Lieutenant Ferguson of
Topeka They are with the artillery
of the seth and are stationed in
little village not far from Trier Gin
English and French it is Treves).
! Erickson was just back from a two
weeks leave in southern France and
he said at last he had seen the Won
derful sunny France he had heard so
much about. His sunburned face was
| added testimony that he had been
that he had seen Lieut.. Kenneth
Lewis at Cannes. Lewis was playing
tennis in the ~ L. F. tournament
down there. They are all ready to
come home. but will have to wait UNI
til June, according to the schedule
for troop movements. 9
One thing about Germany that
makes the Frenchman very mad is the
amount CT tobacco they have. Cigars
and cigarettes are very plentiful in
Germany while France has been hav-
ing a hard time getting a sufficient
supply. Won Hindenburg cigars sell
for a mark but you have to pay two
marks if you want to get one that car
ries the name of the crown prince.
Hindenburg evidently is in disfavor.
Perhaps one of the best indications
ering in value of the mark. The day
1 was in Trier- you could get two
marks for one franc. Before that The
exchange had been 100. And it was
rumored that the mark was due tc
fall even lower. The only kind OF
money you see practically is paper.
I'd like to be able to see the innel
l workings of the Germans mind wher
he sees his streets clogged with Amer
/ lean automobiles, motorcycles, anC
/ trucks. He must think it very funn!
that the United States could get 81
many men and vehicles across thu
1 ! ocean when he had been made to I'm
I derstand that America was joke ant
could not do anything even if pro
voked into war.
I The German is doing his best Il
put over on the Yankee doughboy tn
propaganda that Germany is bette
j than France. In one of the cafes
saw four soldiers, who had just fin
ished- their beer, get up to leave. TIL
dress-suited waiter helped each on
with his overcoat and was all atten
ton. 1t makes you mad when yol
think that this same waiter woulC
kick these men in the face If the!
were down. But they are part of TIL
victorious army and the German i
, subSerVient. Before the fraternizins
: law went into effect 1 am told by al
officer that the German people jus
fell over themselves inviting Ameri