New-York tribune., 1919-07-03
H0rrorLQnd
By William C. Dreher
Stat Correspondent of The Tribune in Germonu
Copyright. York Tribune Inc,

cut off and he was thrust back into the
stream to drown
In April the Saxon Minister Of Defence
was hauled out of his office and thrown into
the Elbe and fusilade of bullets sent af-
ter him-all upon silly suspicion
AT Frankfort-on-the Main, on the night of
March 81, spontaneous food riot and
grand pillaging bee broke out, in which a
number of persons were killed
4 Food Riot Victim
Here is one incident of the night. taken
from the "Volksstimme," a Socialist papor
OF that city: THE first victim was man
named Roethel, of the Marine Security Ser
vice. Four sailors, who were trying in the
afternoon to establish order, were so hard
pressed that they had to fee; but Roethel
was held fast. The beasts beat and shot
the unfortunate man, then tied his feet tof
gether and threw him into the Main. where
they still bombarded him with stones as he
wrestled with death. A comrade who wanted
to swim out after him was threatened with
death and prevented from effectlng the
rescue"
Just now Minister Nqske, the energct:.
Socialist administrator of military affairs.
is constantly in hot water by reason OF the
atrocities committed by the rather monde
script troops left to him as an estate in
bankruptcy by the war. Only Yesterday an
officer was telling here privately of the
great dliilcultles the officers have in con-
trolling their men operating against the
Bolsheviki. Every village they take he
said, is pillaged to the utmost, unless the
officers take the precaution to stay by their
men to restrain them. He pointed out that
the present troops are recruited chiefly from,
the unemployed, among whom there is
strong sprnkling of criminals set free by
the well-meant amnestics of the new So
cialist government.
The Lusitania Medal
In this connection it may be mentioned
thaS the stories of the "Lustania Medal"
have been revived. Within the past few
months street pedlers have done an active
business in selling it. American soldiers
and officers, a score of whom are CHARTERED
here, began to scour the city as soon as
they arrived-so the story goes-to buy
Lusitania medals. Of course the medals
very soon appeared in the market.
But what is to be understood by this?
How much does it signify? When an Amer
lean hears of a medal he naturally imag-
ines that it has been made and offered to
the people by some public authority. in this
case by the German government But. as a
matter of fact it is strenuously denied here
that Lusitania medal was ever struck bv
the national or any other government. 1t
is admitted, indeed, that there was a medal
of the kind put out soon after the Lusitania
horror; it was evidently this medal that ex-
Ambassador Gerard mentions in one of his
books.
According to investigations made here it
was struck by private parties at Munich but
as soon as the German government ran
do"n the makers it put q stop to their
work and issued a general prohibition to
sell it. The medals were confscated-so
far as they could be found For some roa-
son the confscation was annulled last de-
cember, and the selling again begsn. As
was to be expected, the Americans have bid
up the price to giddy height; at first
twelve marks was paid, but later ten times
as much. 1t is reported however, that the
police have stopped the trade again. I. NV
self, have never seen the medal or anv
trade in it,