The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-05-29
Thursday, May 29, 1919.
"Now I Know What a German is.


time in Germany as a hostage, one OF
200 taken from that city Tor that
purpose, has recently been able to
communicate for the first time with
relatives living in New Jersey. In
the course of the intimacy of family
letter addressed to one of his Amer
;can kin. this Frenchman has given,
with no thought that his words would
ever reach the public, some account
of the hardships endured. From that
letter, omitting the purely family
norton, we are permitted to publish
a brief account of the barbarism OF
the Germans. In the course of his
letter. this Frenchman said:
"There has been nothing and there
is no language able to tell all the
barbarism that the fierce enemy has
made us endure. They took our sup
plies such as rice, coffee, lard, choc-
olate and flour and they gave us in
return filthy, Shiny, sour cabbage cut
fine like tobacco. When member
of our supply committee rebelled for
the people, he was put in prison and
when he was given any food to eat
or drink it was always piece of hard
bread and some water. The bread
that they gave US has no name; it
was terrible. The Germans had taken
all of our flour. The cabbage they
gave us had to be cooked for long
time before we could eat it, but they
did not give US any coal to cook 1t
with. One time we had been for
seven weeks with only raw cabbage.
1t was terrible.
"We were not able to go from one
city to another to get any provisions
without penalty of prison or punish
ment. If one was given special per-
mission to leave Roubaix he was CIV
en- a pass which he had to turn over
to the police upon his return. The
use of meat was forbidden under the
penalty of two years in prison and
10000 marks of fine. The recovery
of all this deprivation and cruelty is
almost impossible. In leaving our
poor country devastated the Boche
took and destroyed the bridges, all
the railroad lines and all the water
ways, making it impossible for us to
reach our neighboring cities, and
here and everywhere is always the
same system of destruction. In the
newspapers the Germans demanded
the inhabitants to form their habits
and their ways under penalty of pun
ishment in prison. One could not
have more than two pairs Of shoes
one pair on their feet and one pair
in reserve. The leather had all dis
appeared entirely, and one wondered
where there was any to be had. Many
times during the day throughout the
occupation of the enemy each squad
of soldiers had to demand different
things at time, in manner that
the taking of the things from the
people was absolute uncertainty.
They took the rugs from our floors,
and after that the linen, then the un-
derwear, and the balance in success
sion. The metals nickel,
silver, lead, zinc, etc.-are all gone.
At one time they would come and
take away the works Of our clocks,
and later the clocks. For $50 worth
of copper they did not hesitate to de-
stroy things that were valued at 81
900. From the inhabitants they de-
manded all the objects Of art. One
time it was all the ornaments of the
parlor, the artistic objects of bronze
or copper; another time it was the
candlesticks, the religious articles,
and all the heirlooms of the family,
large and small. Just to satisfy their
wishes to get handful of copper
which were found on our furniture,
pianos, on the doors, on the win
dows and other mountings, they de-
stroyed everything. The excuse was
made that they cut down the fruit
trees for fuel, and they took and cut
down even all the trees in our gar
dens. One could not have any chick
ems without being obliged to furnish
the enemy almost all the eggs. Horses
had to be taken care of and kept in
good condition under penalty of pris-
on. They did not give us during
period of six months any food, grain
or straw for the horses. All this and
what I have written is nothing,
nothing, nothing.
ttBesides this, they came at 2
O'Clock in the morning and took away