The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-01-15
1T. ALBERT KINNEY
WRITES HOME FOLKS
How the Germans Treated the
Peasants Through the War

The following letter has been re-
ceived from First Lieut.. Albert Kin
ney, by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. F.
C. Kinney of Greensboro, and it gives
something of how an officer looks on
the Germans and the way they treat
ed those who came into their hands.
First Lieut.. Albert Kinney is in the
Medical Corps of the British Army
and has had an unusual chance to OBJ
serve things.
Ghissignies, France,
Dec. IL, 1913
Dear Ones
1t is Sunday night again and feels
like the first of winter ali right.
There was hard frost this morning
and has been cold all day although it
has thawed and | believe it is getting
ready to rain tonight. But from the
feeling and sound Of the wind one
would expect to look out and see the
snow swirling. However we are more
comfortably situated than when last
wrote you for we have moved into a
big chateau just back of the village
which hasn't more than three OF four
shell holes in it and the broken glass
has been replaced with oil cloth, SO
that with fires we are very comfort
able. My roommate is a young
Scotch npuinoo,, c4,,do,o+ n o+;1o. o, c;o.
nal officer to the Brigade and l like
him because he is always so happy
and singing and whisthng, especially
when he gets up in the morning.
Sort of makes you feel the day is
starting off right. He has so many
B + L RS that do not always know
what he is talking about but that
doesn't matter, we get along fine. One
thing | shall always have to thank
this war for is the experience | have
hadain being thrown into close COM
panionship with men from every part
of the world where white men live
or congregate, Australia, New Zea-
land, India, ,Burmag, China, Africa,
South America Canada, Ireland,
Scotland, England and occasionally
one from some place I never heard of
before, and getting to know their
ideas and methods of living. For TIE
most part the ones you meet out here
are men! Well I have something to
brag about this week, / can count up
ten letters | have received from you
since l wrote last, ranging from Oct.
18th to Nov. 9Th and there are still
some before that which I haven't re-
eeiVed yet. am more grateful to-
you mother, than | can tell, for writ
ing me every day how Lillian was
even if didn't get them until I had
received letters from her, telling me
that she was all right agan or nearly
| am very thankful that she came
through all right and that none of
the rest of you contracted the Flu.
l hope the good fortune is still con-
tinuing. l really do not see how faith
er stood such an amount of work
without getting sick. Lillian wrote
me that there was great celebrating
on the day the armistice was signed,
or was supposed to have been signed.
| see now the "Poor Starving German
People '(?) are groveling in good
shape. Well, l wish l had the fix
ing of the terms-the bones of every
last one of them would rattle before
I'd give them even crumb of mouldy
breadi The shoe was on the other
foot few weeks ago when they were
dealing with our prisoners and the civ
IL population in these occupied ter
ritories. They gave them nothing and
obliged them to sell all their pro-
duce for German notes that wouldn't
have been worth the paper they were
written on in case they had been vic
torious. AS it is l hope the Allies
will make them redeem them. They
had fine system of extortions and
discipline" For instance they took
an inventory of all the hens man
had and obliged him to produce for
"Sale" so many eggs for hen per
week and if the eggs weren't forth
coming he was fined an outrageous
c1IIlOuIlI LUZ SdCH SSS o1ly. SVIloS-
quently as the internal workings of
the hen could not very well be con-
trolled, the hens mysteriously disap-
peared one by one and now it is i'm
possible to buy an egg. If a civilian
failed to raise his hat to a German
officer he was fined large sum. And
they were severely punished on the,
slightest provocation or slapped in
the face or knocked down for no pro-
vocation at ALL
| saw one seventeep or eighteen
year old girl with marks or manacles
still on her wrists where she had been
chained to a tree for some trifing Of
fense / wish all the people at home
in the Allied countries could see these
people in the condition we found them
Immediately after the Huns had left,
and our prisoners as they came stag
gering back, two thirds starved and
only half covered by their filthy rags
swarming with verlnin, and see how
big budget they would subscribe to
keep Germany from starving! Vel,
l guess this is enough for this time
on my pet theme. Weston's leave is
up tomorrow and | suppose it will