THE EVACUATED TERRITORY

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 29 March 1917, Page 5

THE EVACUATED TERRITORY

THE BLACKNESS OF THE GERMAN SOUL. MEN SHOT,—WOMEN CARRIED INTO SLAVERY. Received 8.45. NEW YORK, March 28. Mn Wythe Williams, the new York Times' Paris correspondent, who was the first civilian to survey the whole 300 square miles of reconquered territory, cabks: "We looked into the utter Slackness of the German soul, whose past atrocities are trifling compared with this orgy of hatred and frightfulneas. The wilful destruction is indiscribahle. I am impressed with the ingenious strength of the evacuated positions. The main concrete line seemed impregnable, there being practically ten miles from barrier to barrier of barbed wire of solid formation. lam convinced that the inhabitants lived in bondage worse than galley slaves. American food was received,, but much was taken by the Germans themselves. Old men, women, children, and cripples, were left near the charred remains of houses. Young women and girls were herded with tho retreating army, going into a slavery one does not dare contemplate the nature of. A women told me her husband was shot, her two sons sent to bondage, and hen three daughters forcibly carried off. This is a typical experience."

THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN HINDENBTJEG’S PLANS THWARTED. BY A SUDDEN THAW. Received 9.10. WASHINGTON, March 28. ’*i;jThe New York World’s Petrograd r cj|frespondent states that Hindenburg’s plans were thwarted by a sudden thaw converting the Riga trout into a vast 5 bog, thus giving the Russians time to •'prepare fw defence.

SUCCESSES IN COUCY FOREST. LONDON, March 28. A French communique says: South of the Oise we followed up our success, capturing all the lower forest of Coney and the villages of Petit Barisis, Vcmeuil and Coiicy la Ville. Our advanced elements- at some points reached the western outskirts of the forest of St. / Gobain, in the upper part of the forest of Coney. Our losses in this region were slight. LONDON, March 27. A French communique says: Between the Somme and the Oise there was violent reciprocal artillery fire on the front Roupy-Essigny-Bonay, where our fire stopped dead several attacks.