WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 255, 7 April 1915, Page 5

WAR NOTES.

TELL-TALE DIARIES.

Under clause 75 of the (termini army service regulations, soldiers are advised to record their experiences in the form of a diary. The object the military 1.11• thorities had in view in making this ingulation is to have the diaries sifted so that any valuable information they contain, which is likely to prove of servici in organising the next German war, may be, collected. The regulation is not obeyed by all the German soldiers, but judging by the number of diaries which have been found oil German prisoners, a largnumber of soldiers are carrying outJlic practice. But the instructions to a diary have. liM a result which the flu man military authorities did not forsee. The diaries found on German priso'iers have furnished the Allies with irrefutable testimony regarding the atrocities committed in France and Belgium by German soldiers.

Trooper Hassemer, of the Eighth Army Corps, recorded in his diary that at Koinincpy on the llarne there was a "horrible blood bath. The village burnt and razed to the ground. The French driven back into the burning houses. Civilians all burnt together." An officer of the 17Sth Regiment, 12th Army Corps, whose diary has fallen into the hands of the Belgian authorities, gives a description of the devastated village of Bouvignes, north of Biiunt. "Outside in the country the spectacle of the murdered inhabitants lying on the ground baffles all description," he wrote. "The firing at close range has nearly blown their heads off. Eaeli home lias been searched in everv corner, and the inhabitants dragged from their hid'ng places, the men shot, the women <ind children shut up in a convent, from which shots were fired."

Private Phillipp, of Kantenz, Saxony, first company, first battalion of the 178 th "Regiment, gives in his diary sin even more ghastly picture, of what tnnV place at this village. "At night, at 10 o'clock, the first battalion of the 178 th went, down to the burnt village to the north of Dinant," ho wrote. "A sad end impressive sight which makes one shudder. At the entrance of' the village were lying about fifty men, shot because they had been firing treacherously at our troops. In the night many others were also shot. We were able to ! eou'it more than 200. Women and childteo with lamns in their hands were compelled to witness the ghastly scene. We then ntc our rice in the midst of the corpses, for we had eaten nothing since morning." -

GERMAN ENTERPRISE.

In spite of the fact that the vast overseas trade built up by Germany during the last forty years has been destroyed and swept afay by the folly of her leaders jn plunging her into war. the German instinct for ''business" is still ps strong as ever. The following incident is a curious demonstration of it. A German firm, whose export business was destroyed by the war, has entered up">n the cmtcli making business in order to supply the war-maimed with crutches! This firm is not only manufacturing crutches for Germans, but it is seeking to supply the English apd Russian demands for such an article. The firm has applied to its agents iff neutral conntries asking them to undertake the supply of crutches to these pointing out that it is manufacturing special military crutches, which are adjustable for all needs. In the accompanying prospectus the German firm calk attention to its "Patent Adjustable Crutch" in glowing terms. "Light, convenient and durable," says the prospectus, "the new model meets all requirements. It is convenient and useful to everybody. It em be adjusted, and made longer or shorter, so that it fits every figure and length of arm." In a private letter to its agents, the firm adds: "We specially eail your attention to the export of' this crutch to foreign countries. You will | certainly get the opportunity to do business with Great Britain and Russia, nud we offer you in this crutch an up-to-date article for sale. We allow you 25 per cent of the gross price of 15s, so you will be able to do very lucrative and profitable business. We enclose an order form and expect to hear further from you." The circular forms a very interesting revelation of the German business mind. The thought of supplying men maimed by German shells with crutches "mads in Germany" is very German.

HUMANITY TRIUMPHED. A touching story is told of the triumph of humanity over vengeance in war. It happened after the North Sea battle, at the moment when the German cruiser Blucher plunged beneath the waves. The crow of one of the British destroyers taking part had previously made an oath that, as just 'vengeance for ■ -..lie Scarborough raid liy the German fleet, when many helpless women were slaughtered by Germans guns, they would save 110 more Germans in naval engagements. But when the Blucher went to fier doom and left the Germans struggling in the water, the oath was forgotten, and humanity triumphed. "We bad our chance then," said a member of the destroyer afterwards, "but we could m-t take it. When we saw a poor Geiman struggling in the water, we simply had to save him—wfl| could not help ourselves. We could not see them there, calling, out for he!]), without making every effort to save as many as we. could."

BURIED TREARURI'

When the Germans invaded France, the population of the villages fled hefore them, having heard of the dreadful outrages committed by German troops in Belgium. The poor took wicli tliem as much of their belongings as they eoukl carry or transport on the ricketty vehicles at their command, but many of the well-to-do farmers buried their valuables, in the hopo that thffy would he found intact when they name back for them after the Germans had been forced to retire. In those French districts from which Hie Germans have been driven, the owners are returning to reclaim their property. A British oflieer, who was billeted' in a farmhouse which liad been" almost entirely demolished by German shells witnessed the interesting ceremony of buried valuables being dug up. "Two civilians appeared at the farm about 3 a.m. with one of our corporals," he writes. "They had come with spades and picks to dig up their money and jewellery, which they had buried before they fled on thu approach of the Germans. Tn ft Httlo cellar place wherty wo used to meet sometimes they dug down and unearthed a large box of money—rolls and rolls of it, and French coins. We must have stood over it hundreds of times. Then they went out to a wall, and with a" pick, as the whole farm house is nothing but a huge pile of bricks, unearthed another box of jewellery. Three times they did this, and then left. You can imagine their joy at recovering their valuables." •