THE SOUL OF ALSACE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 77, 26 December 1918, Page 6

THE SOUL OF ALSACE

"GERMAN" SOLDIER SURRENDERS

A STRANGE STORY

(By George H. Seldcs, Special Correspondent for the "Springfield Republican" with the American Troops in France.) With the American Army on the Vesle, September 26. He came running, stumbling, towards our advancing line. Our men had heard about '.lie German tricks. Here was a Boche surrendering, and there was probably a hand grenade in his hand, or a dozen of his comrades behind him with a machine-gun. So they kept him covered. When lie, came nearer they saw that although his arms were above liis head lie had great difficulty in keeping them there, for. there was something big and familiar looking in his hand's. It win a ma,cliine-Run. They were puzzled. "Halt." cried the second lieutenant. The German halted hnd poked the machine-gun above his head., Tt hurt his arms, so he let it down. Two of his men followed the lieutenant, _who, with revolver in hand, approached the suspicious man.

'^ r oyez, voyez, je re m'en suis_ pas servi—voyez," the Gorman was crying. Tho. American lieutenant;' in France three months, knew little of the language, but he did know Gorman well, because his-father and mother had brought him up on that .language. Yet lie recognised the cries as French and was more puzzled still. They took theiv prisoner i.nd sent him to the rear, and continued their advance. • The German continued to assert "je ne m'en siiis pas 6ervi every tew seconds, and finally they fjmnd a rc . al French-speaking American for him, who explained that the "words meant i haven't used it," meaning the machine°"vhich was true. Tliey found the emplacement afterwards, and there were no emntv bullets there. Every belt was full with 250 bullets.

Hun Methods with Alsatians. To the French it was no mystery. The prisoner gave his name, Caniule » but at the request of the irench censorship I do not give it, for whenever the Germans learn of a deserter _ the} torture his family and confiscate his belongings! Camille is one of the many thousand Frenchmen, natives of Abate and Lorraine, forced to fight against Prance * In the early, part of the war was conscripted against his will ,«"d sen I fc fight the Russians. He wanted to ciesert then but was afraid the Russians would, riot understand. But Kaiser has called the Alsatians and Lorrainers to fill up the holes his battered divisions. Ludendorff has issued«n order. ,to commanding officers telling them, to be very careful how the men were used, but ordering their use against Camille was in a reservo regiment fair from the front. Then was put into line. There were trenches and No Man's land'and continual snipin'* arid he was sure he would be killed either by the men to whom he was runnine; ot from behind. Then one day he was sent out with a machine-gun while his regiment retailed He did not understand whj, 'but it was because the ter-offensive had smashed in tie-German terror near. Soissons and the whole line wtvs bending like a tree about to tall when the woodman's saw passes its heart. „ ■ „ The New "Enemy.'f Camille saw.the "enemy" approaching. They 'weren't Frenchmen at nll-mii»t be British because they had on flat helmets, and, well, it looked like blown, and not blue uniform. T, v ;n<h '"'.Well" thought Camille, the Biitmh won't understand my language any more than the Russians, but they are goo 1 hearted men at least, and IU show them that I didn't fire a shot, _ So'he Tan into the Americans. Our hoys realised afterwards that Camille had been in a position to claim 10 to 50 lives from the strong ptnnt in which his officers had placed him.. They told the mess sergeant to teed Camille^ He was having the meal of his lifein the German Army there was little of life before- this war thi\t was iemembered nowadays-when I stopped the hospital at Chezy-ep-Orxoi». He was jabbering away in French ■aj* Albert Provost of AYinooski, Vt., and Poilu Alcide Dupuy, of the F'rench Arms. He showed us pictures of wu M" d children and loving letters, all in French, and other proofs of hi» loy alty to his real Motherland The three lined u,p and I photographed tliem. It is more than a photograph. It tells ot the glory and the agony of France, the Weeding wound, which «" d Lorraine, the glorious simple French soldier, the poilu, and the l . h | rd fio fl d, f e 0 r ; who represents a nation which fights tor nothing but" a great idea.