SUFFERINGS OF FRENCH CHILDREN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14285, 30 April 1917, Page 8

SUFFERINGS OF FRENCH CHILDREN.

BTdRIES OF HORROR TOLD AT fifi! NESLE. ;?;- , -:_'^* v PEOPLE WEPT WITH JOY WHEN BRITISH MARCHED IN: . Marcli 21. Rums of houses are bad to see .when done deliberately, even, when shellfire spated them m the war 2;0n6; Byit wotfse than that is • the riiih'* df %vomeii - ,'ahd children and living flesh.* I?'sffw ' that ruin to-day m Roye and Neile"^ '-..' y I was at ffrst rejoiced -toy'see them, the first inhabitants who* were 'liberated after beting, so long m the hostile "lines. ! T approached-,- them with a . queer sense of excitement, eager to taijk Svith them. But instantly, when*- 1 saw these' wpnien and children m the streets arid ''storing, at me out of the windows, I, wis struck with the chill of horror. The. women's faces were dead • faces, shallow and masklike and branded with vthe memory, of great agonies. The children were wliite and thin, so thin that .the cheek bones protruded and many of them seemed to be idiot children; Hunger arid fear' had been with them too long.? -„... . STORIES OF Hoßr6r. " - The Mayor of Nesle • tolti ;me that after tho first entry of \ the Germans on August 29, 1914, and the first brutali** ties, the soldiers had behaved well, 'generally speaking. They were; well disciplined and lived on good terms with the peopl© as' far as possible. Probably he tells the truth fairly' ahd I believe him, but. the women with whom I spoke wer 6 jiassidnat© and hysterical, .'aricji told jnp horrible stories . not., to" ibe . retold here. I believe therti, toof becaus«> these women,, who are had' to live with men who were killing.^ their husbands atnd brothel's, and .that" is. the great hprrov. They had, t<j siibmitHo thp daily moo^s of the men, ' who were sometimes sulky and sometimes drunk; Officers, they tell me, . were often drunk They had to see their , children go hungry, for although the.. 'Germans gav c them potatoes v sometimes, .'-ihey took away hens, so that there were -ho eggs, end co>^s, so that. thei*e was ho milk. Th©- children suffered, and were thin. - "■• . -*"y ' THE KAISER'S VlfclT. '„ '.:, On October §, 1914, the Kaiser came to Nesle with "ah escort of 'five motorcars and the— soldiers lined the square and cheered him, but the "women " and children stared and were, silent and' hated thait white-haired man ' With the* spiked hat. •.• <- • „,*• ■•<-,. During the battles ■ of ; fifi the • Somme many wounded passed through the town and others came ' with aw f ul y atbries* >6f • the slaughter' and fierce vtordsM against the Engllish. ■-' „ / ; fijjfi: ?7 rtfl ., Once twenty men of ",'the-.h7&dy.i}egi-* ment came' m. - They .Vr-ej© ..half; mad, weeping and., cursing, aftd <jjw<l..--. they wei*e the sole survivors --of their •' regiment. Then, -quite recently^here.' came rumors of the German A*etreat.v -fi > - On Thursday, March 15 v i the German commander sent for the Mayor ayid. announced tlie news. 'He: gave, i'or<hg:s H for. all the inhabitants to leave' - th^ir houses at 6.30 o'clock arid assemble, 'in the street, whale certain* bouses* alod' 'streets were to be destroyed. ■ j^. fi fi r fi „ ; The Germaai' commandant, whose name was Herwaardt, aaid, -,bs, greatly regretted this necessity. ' Tlikvwark ; was to be carried out by Ober-Lieuterfant Baarth. -'fi. .-, '-. fi .:-'■" ■' LAST OF THE .GERMANS-. The people wept at the destruction of their homes, although 'some of the houses m Nesle were sparfed, , but tjitey were confronted by th* promise; of liberation. . For a week previously .the Germans had been, withdrawing *• their stores. The garrison consisted of v . about. 600 to 1000 men of the 38th Regiment of Chasseurs and Cyclists. y-

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The gunners weie the last to leave and wept aAvaty at midnight, Avith a rearguard -of infantry. By 7.30 m thp , morning there Avas not a German soldier left; in.JNeale,. ond at 8.30. a British patrol entered. • The women and chil- | dren surrounded " the British soldiers aaid, were waiting around the field kit*, dhens 'with -wistful eyes. HUNS LEAVE COUNTRY IN RUINS. PLAY THE VANDXL WITH PRACTISED HANDS. WANTON DESTRUCTION AND DEVASTATION. (By Associated Press Correspondent.) British Headquarters m France, March 19. ' The deliberate • character of the destruction Avrought by the Germans be-fore-their -withdraAval from Peronne is painfully evident iii the once beautiful avenue of trees leading to tha railwaystation: ■ These trees Avere' untouched by shell fire, but each one Avas 1 hackled in' two with aSesyand .the chips shoAv that 'the Avoi-k Avias'd«ne within the last few days. ' ' The beautiful gardens of the outlying •houses Avere also Avrecked and every fruit tree! AAithim sevei*al miles of the town was sawed two^ihlrds of the Avay through and theh_ broken down.' ' The correspondent of the Associated Pi'essywas jrlmorig the' first visitors to Perprine m the _wake of the British troops, who- M.ye now swept Avell beyond that 'place. " It was necessary topass tlu'oUgh half a score of ruined ' villages Avhich only a fe\v days ago' were within 'the zoiie of intense' artillery fire, before reaching the banks of the Sbmme. A VISIT TO PERONNE. "fi ' Ci*o3sing that stream on aii. iriiprovised bridge and trudging through Halle, Peroni^e wa® reached over a road whifeh h^..„beeri..'ye(»nstruct^ 24 liours pver succeeding ro\V9, off.G^madi^.trenches and ;Jthroiigh recuning masses of rusted barbedy;. wire,. <§ome ef-<* these • being at least; six feet m height and 50 feet iri width. - ... \., ' :.- ' *' „-; Ob.^.the' outskirts . ,ef .* the. -city English pommies Vere encountered: wearing .German ' f piokel --,'^htilmetß' and grinning - from ear'vto eai\ -In the great square of Pewmhe, which is surrounded by melancholy :-ruihs> we met ■ the British offioer who.-.ledl. the: first patrol into the -city^ He waa haounted on a splendid little German/ pony, which ,he -had captured with ite full ' eqmapirient. -: Several 9ther oflicera arrived during! the morning 'and begged foa* the privilege of taking a canter- abeut-'the-place on this prrae of vrar.- 'There was a ghostly silence m most" sections of the city. No' sound of Avar Ayasy to be heard except once, when a -piTirig Gettnatt aeroplarie scudded over m the shelter of the l%h. clouds and the' anti : airdraft guns opened, driving him vto quick retreat. ANCIENT' CHURCH DESTROYED. ■'■- , British' officers ' pointed out building after building where apparently the total damage had resulted froih interior explosions. Iri many cases Avails, f aping away fWtti tlie line of British and French fire, had great squares blown through them,- differing . strikingly from the round holes made m other buildings iby shells. The beautiful old 16th cen- ! tury church of St. Jean was a pitiful ; mass of i^ins, . but prie of itg oil paintings still hung.' oii a bit of wall m the • transept and Avas "miraculously untouched. The railAray station Avas coiripletely wrecked, including the track and crossing bridge. ■ y^Getmaii; ygighs Had been aaibstituted " throughout' ihe station, and on a bulletin Avas a. time-table of trains for Lille,' Munich- arid other points within the Genhan line. •■■ The Peronne canal locks have be^n blOwu v out ! .and the canal drawbridges are also down. Crossroads everywhere are' deep with mine craters^ but these obstructions are not found- -to Wo £ucn deterrents* as might bo expected. '• - ; '■• . ( ; - ' GERMAN RELICS. • -.The Germans deft many 'relics behind to 'shoAV their-, occupancy of the French military barracks. m some of the rooms Ohrlstttfas 1 trees, gaily decorated with tinged,-. were;^till standing. It wag strange 'tio find!' m; some of 'the shattered and partly-burned houses remnants of children's^ to^rs, including doll carriages a\id bits of dolls themselves. These toys had; ; biseri Mef t y AVith >-* 'all * bther housfehold beldngings'' -wheft the .Freiich inlikbitants'fii'st ?fled before the German _ invad^ Tn some of.' ithe firier i'fesiderices, H 'the ' libraries had been Avrecked, the* b6oks? torn, m pieces arid . scattered , iii ! tlie streets, fi':" ?. •; '''*'* Among other German legacies were : #bvique Vlweby^ traps". such as rum? jars, <^.bihet« '.and . he^ntets; filled Avith ex-plo-»Ves cleverly contrived as to'ekplode when picked. Up-or opened. ?■• ? v The Germans lyliad le£t several foot bridges - across, the jSomme which were apparently*; intafct, jbut on^loser , examination showed thatVlalscsectiohs had been inserf ed- which gave way ajt-stliie first foot pressure. Tthe correspohdeiiA, investigating; one of>' these bridgea too closely, had' an icy bath into the Nomine. fifi-.- THE 'MAGPIE CURSED. ■yOn the"bla.nk walla' of the <aty there were many printed. proclamations, to the sbldiers; : including the -entire text-vof some of Chancelfor voikj Bethriiarin-Holl-weg?s iatei* speeches iru the Reichstag. '•■■ *At a - chatean just ohtside ; Peronne >the Gei*maiist*had T killed tw<r magpies and fi Stuck r th«ft^on^^ theioshaiip po»rtjj- of; the Iron posts; at -either ei-de of^ the- entrainee^, -/g/fip: i t*),' ?•=.■.>*' > y?« fififir •:- --"I that, "'signifies^eome' German V burse pr of bad luck^ sfiid a British '^baet^rny^heSventw^ on his way to. find, as he^said; "where the*AV&r has tak^nyitself off to:"