The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1919-04-10
BY CPL. L. j. PARRY.
Chimes Reporter with army {
occupafion.l


occupation.)
osANN Germany. March 16-You
ask me about souvenirs Well. there
amt no such thing here that is war
"souFies, You've got them all over
there and I cannot tell the story half
as we'll as the Stars and stripes" does,
so I enclose it. For il gives the subject
thorough explanation.
The dry remark Of tho American Of
flcer in Trier that there are more Ger
man helmets in the United States than
there are in the entire kaiserless Faith
erland has more than the customary
grain Of truth in it. The battIenelds
have been swept clean and though
there may be few warehouses in in
terror Germany as yet untouched it prob
ably wont be long before their contents
viii be on their way 10 occupied terri
tory ready for sale to the FIRST Yank or
Allied purchaser that happens along.
Although it has not been officially re-
vealed that there are factories in Ger
many turning their lathes and machines
for no other purpose than TO satisfy the
Unsuitable American craze for souvenirs.
it is known there are several plants
turning out little things such as rings
With miniature Iron Crosses on them.
buttons. ash trays, etc. one OF these is
at Essen. while others are scattered
about in the vicinity. Frankfort. also.
IS believed to harbor 9 factory making
a specially Of war mementoes.
The plant near Essen is said to be
going strong on rings made out Of gun
metal, and brightly FURNISHED TO look
like gold. Indeed many Yank pur-
chasers are Of the impression that these
rings are Of gold-but the only gold in
Germany. if German authorities and
newspapers are to be believed IL il Is
not IN the to of some stocking or in the
pot under the fireplace. is in German
banks, or on its way 20 pay for dam
ages.
ISSUE IRON CROSSES.
When the war began. Wilhelm der
Zweite had millions upon millions Of
belts and belt buckles tons upon tons
Of Iron Crosses and wound medals. but
tons. epaulettes. and all sorts of other
ordnance supplies Much of this was
left over when the war ended. even the
Iron Crosses. though. as every Yank
knows, they We're distributed as a sort
Of regular ration. like slum or c. C's.
And it Is these Ieftovers that are now
being sold.
II AAAF ltdAA4E hEGHS Up II Won Het4
edict Of Allied and associated pow
ers to prevent the Germans from having
army. The cloth Is being made over
into clothes for children-the Germans
are inherently opposed to race suicide
while the rest Of the stuff is being
sold over the counters. A German army
without iron crosses and other pretty
and glossy baubles certainly can't be
expected to fight not by resolution of
radical Rhine republics. at least.
There are no iron crosses for sale in
Coblenz that is. not officially There
was a great Teuton hue and cry over
this traffic in one of the foundation
stones Of kultur, and the shop keepers
withdrew them-from their windows;
and they're rather hard to get
WAREHOUSES; CLEANED OUT.
The big German warehouses at Met
ternich. across the Moselle. about whose
contents faboulous tales permeated even
unto the hinterland of the S. .. 5 and
which proved such a Mecca for officers.
seeking. one and all. at least one shiny
helmet Of the type sent to America 10
be used As prizes in the Victory Loan
tho contents Of those warehouses. be il
repeated are merely ragged shadows Of
their former shelves. The helmets are
"kapoot." And If you so much as whis-
per the word souvenir" in sort Of
wistful. hungry way at Metternich you
arc apt to be nasss cred in ice cord
blood or. if the interrogee is feeling
particularly iovial. you viii be referred
TO an American soldiers helmet. reeula-
ton issue. suspended on p nail behind
the commanding officers desk. and be-
meath which are printed the words
This is the only kind of helmet we
have for souvenirs" And even that
sign may have to be taken down pretty /
soon.
As a matter of fact much Of this ord !
nance material is already in the s Q. s.
or on its way To America in fulhllmeat
of a @. II. @ order TO the effect that the
government had taken a hand in the f.
game. and that il wants every II
thing it can get for historical photo I
graphical and experimental purposes. II
Three classiffcations were made of the
stuff in the warehouses. Part Of it goes
TO the salvage department at Tours for
photograp hic purposes. Twenty speci-
mems Of every object found were coll
Iected for the engineering collection at
Is-sur-TiiIe from where they go to the
States. And then there is the histori-
cal collection which was shipped first to
Gievres. and then to America
There were many Hugers and Mauser
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zinia. Maryland. Delaware and the
District or Columbia and was released
April 5. The. release OF the 18th dfvi-
sion. national guard men from south