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MINNESOTA HISTORICAL

HEf«p»Har^#%>^^P#^J | *Wf iv ;SOCIETY # - | , ; •; -

vOL. XLH. NEW ULM, BROWN COUNTY, MINNESOTA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19,1919 '£> NUMBER 8

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RETURNED SOLDIER SAYS PAPERS LIED

CORPL. ECKSTEIN S A Y S T H A T

HE COULD .FIND NO PROOF

OF ATROCITIES

ABSOLUTELY UNABLE TO FIND

SINGLE AUTHENTIC CASE

OF CRUELTY

r* Among those who recently returned from overseas is Corpl. Randolph Eck-

.'. stein of Co. G. 183 Inf. of the 83rd Division. He is the son of Adolph Eckstein, a Milford boy, now of Canada and a grandchild of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Beinhorn who formerly were. engaged in mercantile business where C. G.

: Keim now has his jewelry store. Corpl. Eckstein underwent intensive

training for seven weeks at Camp Mac-Arthur, Waco, Texas, sailed for over­seas September 26th, reached France October 4th and arrived at Ecommoy of Sathe county, October 9th, where he was stationed until Jan. 1 when he returned to this country. The place »vhere he was stationed is 250 miles from jirest. Half of his division was on the hattle front and the balance of the division to which he belonged was about ready to go into the trenches when the armistice was signed.

Tried To Prove Stories . Altho he saw no trench service, he

had occasion to see and hear much ks^which is of general interest. There has

been so much said in the newspapers about the atrocities that were com­mitted by German soldiers in Belgium. In his opinion these reports are greatly exaggerated. He did see Belgium child­ren who had been wounded but so far as he could find out it was not a case of willful cruelty but came about in w h a | might be called pitched battles between the citizens and the German soldiers at t imes when-the ckildren-had not been removed to a zone of safety.' The children were simply wounded like the combatants and presumably cared for by the German surgeons. He also stated that the boys over there wondered often where all these atrocities were being committed because no one seemed to know of any such atrocities being committed while they were engaged in combat

G e r m a n s Not Treacherous

^ ; In speaking about the surrender of &'• German soldiers, who, reports have said

would cry "Kamerad," and then would use1 band grenades and other weapons to kill their captors, he said that there might have been isolated cases but that he knows of his own personal knowledge that the German soldiers not only did not attack the allied soldiers after sur­rendering but on the contrary assisted in carrying the wounded from N o Man's Land to the American trenches. The American soldiers were so sure that the Germans who had surrendered would do nothing in retaliatidn that they were allowed to go to the,rear without any military escort of any kind. He knows it to be a fact that German prisoners while being escorted thru French villages were goaded by the French soldiers who had charge of them and were jeered at by the throngs that lined the walks. As far as he could see the German prison­ers did not resent this and in talking to different ones he came to the conclusion

v*. that there was no malice, no hatred nor ill will of any kind shown by the prisoners against their captors. He also says that the German prisoners were forced to work and that they did nothing at any time to show that they resented the treatment they were getting.

Well Treated In Prison

Corpl. Eckstein also had occasion to speak to different officers who had been in German prison camps and not one of thtm, stated that they had been ill-treated or had not been properly fed. He says they looked well and expressed themselves as very well satisfied with the treatment they had received at the

. hands of the Germans.

Use of Gases . {

stationed, that at a small place some distance from Brest several American soldiers were forced for many days to guard three German prisoners and that one of the Americans while on guard killed all three of the prisoners and re­ported the fact to the superior officers and that nothing was done. He did not vouch for the truth of this report but simply mentioned it to show how reports of atrocities can be spread.

French Profiteering.

From what he says, the feeling is general that the French took advantage of the American soldiers and charged enormous prices for nearly everything that was furnished them. He also mentioned that the feeling was general among the men that matters had been misrepresented to them thru the press of this country and that they found things altogether different than they expected to find them, based on the newspaper reports that they had read.

Mr. Eckstein i s a bright, well read young man who is old enuf to weigh carefully such facts as come to his at­tention and readers of the Review may feel assured that he knew of what he was speaking when he talked of con­ditions as he and his fellow soldiers in the 83rd Division found them.

RELIEF CAMPAIGN IN BROWN GODNTY

WORK ON PROBLEMS OF CHILD WELFARE

f p S S I O N E R S m m SPECIAL SESSION

COUNTY BOARD TO CO-OPERATE

WITH STATE BOARD OF

CONTROL " " ~ '

UNSANITARY OR UNHEALTHFUL

CONDITIONS IN HOMES

TO B E ELIMINATED

HELP ASKED FOR ARMENIANS

AND OTHER REFUGEES

IN NEAR EAST

S U M OF$7,248.00 TO BE R A I S E D I N

COUNTY; REV. J A M E S

KLEIN CHAIRMAN

The President of the United States 3ias issued a* proclamation calling upon the people of this country to assist the Buffering Armenians, % nans, Greeks and other refugees in theaaear JEast i n a nation wide campaign to raise thirty million dollars for this worthy purpose. Governor Burnquist, chairman of the state committee, has issued a similar proclamation, urging all citizens to give liberally to this fund-

Brown C o u n t y ' s Share . The portion assigned to the State of

Minnesota is $715,000.00. The 4th district of the state, consisting of nine counties, is asked to raise $54,839.00 of which the share of Brown county is $7,248.00. This campaign was to have been conducted during the week of January 12th, 1919, but Minnesota is late in organizing. This movement is deserving of deepest sympathy and support.

S leepy Eye M a n C h a i r m a n . - Rev. James Klein of Sleepy Eye has been designated as the campaign director for Brown county. He will organize the county and appoint district and pre­cinct chairman. Every dollar sub­scribed goes for relief work as the ex­penses of the campaign are' being met privately. '

WASHINGTON'S B I R T H D A Y P R O ­G R A M .

COMPLETION OF COUNTY DITCH

i$t IS SUBJECT OF PUELIC

BT-" - HEARING '

$19,800.00 AWARDED TO BROWN

^ COUNTY FOR ROAD AND

, I; • ] : BRIDGE WORK,

Two weeks ago the Brown County Child Welfare Board met in New Ulm and decided upon various steps to be taken to secure needed betterment in the care and upbringing of children. The members of the Brown County organization are Com. Polkow, Chair­man of the County Board, Supt. R. B. Kennedy, Judge of Probate, Wm. B. Mather, Mrs. J. C. Rothenburg of Springfield, Mrs. Jno. G. Wooldrik of Sleepy Eye and Mrs. C. G. Reim of New Ulm.

An outline of the plans adopted has been prepared and the general aims of the organization are explained in the following:

The county child welfare board, work­ing in co-operation with the State Board of Control, is undertaking to find out about and, to help every handicapped, neglected or delinquent child in the county. According to the members of the Board a task of such large purposes will require the assistance and co-opera­tion of everyone who knows of children in need or distress. The members of the Board say that if any citizen of the county knows of a child who is not properly fed or clothed, or is living in unsanitary or unhealthful conditions, or whose material or spiritual welfare is neglected, such cases should be report­ed to the child welfare board, that an effort may be made, to remedy the cpn-r dition. ' ' ' -' *•'•'• "*

S e n d Chi ldren t o S c h o o l / ^All children of school age, according;

to Coualy Superintendent Kennedy^ tkScSmiiSsioner Graff stated 4 h a t the should be in school regularly and for-ihe-; Cunty Surveyor had asked for office

-A special meeting of the County Commissioners was called by the County Auditor, Louis G. Vogel, for Friday February 14, a t 2 o'clock in the after­noon at which all members of the board were-present. This special session had been called for the purpose of giving the parties interested in County Ditch No, 38 an opportunity to be heard on the final certificate of the engineer. According to the hearing, satisfaction prevailed among all parties concerned as to the construction and working of said ditch. The Board resolved to accept the final certificate of the engineer and instructed the Auditor to issue a warrant in the amount of $4,330.00, being the balance due the contractors

Commissioner Polkow presented a written report stating that the Town of Stately has expended the sum of $2,200 on public highways and asking that said township be re-embursed with one-half of the amount expended. The request was granted/.

\ To Improve Boys Lake. A petition signed by twenty-four free­

holders and tax payers of the county, asking to improve Boys Lake, so. as to maintain the waters therein at a uni­form height, was read, and the petition l$id over until next meeting of the Board.

The bond given by Ernst J. Bluhm the newly appointed overseer a t the Poor Farm, and its sureties, were ap­proved by the Board, and the bond was « ~ » " the Auditor's office ' " * " *

There will be the usual school program on Washington's birthday and the follow­ing numbers will be given: Overture^. ! . . :High School Orchestra Exercise: A Soldier Boy^.¥ . f;. .r.vV'i V •;•' Primary Grades»;lWashington School

Song: The Little Soldier and the Red Cross Maid . . Franklin School

Recitation: The Flag Goes B y •;v - Agnes Schueller

Flag Song . . . Primary Grades, Lincoln School

Patriotic Drill: End of War. . . . . . . Int. Grades, Lincoln School

Address. Mr. George D . Erickson.. . Song: The American H y m n : . . . . . . . . .

Int. Grades, Washington School Recitation: Young Fellow M y Leader ' _. .Elizabeth Hintz Song: Washingtons Birthday.-/..',"'...

. . . .Primary Grades, Emerson School Recitation: A Perfect T r i b u t e . . . . , ; . .

. . . . Margaret Johnson Song: Patriotic Medley

. J u n i o r High Sehooi Glee Club Three kinds of gases were used by the} Song: AMERICA - . . .Audience

Germans in their offensive war-fare; tear gas, chlorine gas and mustard gas. The effect of the tear gas was to cause the eyes to water and tempt the men strongly

&F to remove their masks. It did not in any way blind the men who were affected by it. The other gases settled in the ow places and had to be blown out of these places by proper machinery to make it safe for the men to stay in the trenches and other low places.

In speaking of high-handed action he mentioned a report that was quite current in army circles where he was'Smasal of this c i t y . ^ ; v > , %&

The exercises wifi begin a t 1:30 the afternoon pf the 2£nd and will be held at the Annory. Everybody invited. Admission free. ' " ".''•=*

A. D . Bertrand who for the past thir­teen years has been associated with the Farmers and Merchants bank of Sleepy Eye and of late was the assistant cashier has resigned his position, the resignation to be effective after March 1 s t . Mr Bertrand will be succeeded by Wm.

full term. The county superintendent is a member of the child welfare borad. He and the board should be informed of children who are'not in school and proper action will be taken. Sometimes un­scrupulous persons abuse children, make them work when they should be in school, employ them for long hours or in dangerous occupations or otherwise make them labor in violation of the law. T h e child welfare board can help such child­ren, and it will co-operate with the State Department of Labor to that end.

I n s t i t u t i o n Cases . * In this community, as in other com­

munities/there are feebleminded persons who are a menace t o themselves, their families and the community. It Is de­sired by the members of the child wel­fare board that they should know of such cases and the matter will fee taken up with Judge Mather, for commitment to the State Board of Control. W- ; 'I'

The superintendents of -'the^State-Schools for the Blind and Deaf report that there are children in the public schools who are partially either blind or deaf and who cannot be properly trained unless they are sent to the s ta te institution for such children for; the school term. The cfiild welfare board will take tfee proper steps in behalf of such children.. ' . ^ . . ^,

v K, 'V';,-:; Medical A t t e n t i o n . v 111 health is costly, according to / t h e reports of the State Board of! Health, and there are many children iii need^of medical attention, which -parents some­times refuse to give; i. e. removal of tonsils or adenoids, care for the teeth, crippled and deformed children in need of care at the State Hospital, tubercular children, children with weak eyes; If the child welfare board and the county or school nurse know the facts of such: cases, they can work out a plan for pro­viding medical attentiorrand-can secure the assistance of Dr. E. J. Huenekens of the Department of Child Conserva­tion of the State Board of Health. *vJt is further stated that where proper home supervision isvIackiifg>' children develop bad habits and vicious tendencies, they associate with bad eon^panwa, are gui l ty of immoral: conduct, petty theft, roujh

room in the Courthouse, but the board did not take action. •*?

$19,800 For C o u n t y Roads . Brown County will receive the amount

of $19,800.00 for road and bridge con struction from the State of Minnesota. A communication from the State High­way Department to this effect was read before the Board of County Commis­sioners on February 6, at the Court House in New Ulm at a meeting which had been called by the County Auditor. The State Highway Department further informed the Board of County Com missioners that the amount of $2070 was apportioned to the county for engineering services in making surveys and conducting road work of the county.

The committee appointed to work in conjunction with the supervisors of the Town of Albin for the construction of three bridges over county ditch No . 33, and whose report had been referred back to the committee for investiga­tion regarding the obstruction of Ditch No. 33 at the places where these bridges, have been^ constructed,. made a' report that matters have been adjusted now and recommend that the Town of Albin h e re-imbursed with $1205.60, this amount being Brown County's share of the cost of these three bridges.

N e w Overseer Chosen . , Nine applications were received by

t h e Board for the position as overseer at the Brown County Poo# Farm. After some consideration the Board appointed Ernest J. Bluhm whd, in his applica­tion, asked for a monthly salary of $65. He was placed under bonds in the amount ;:oi: $500. The County Attorney was instructed to draw up the necessary" contract. Mr. Bluhm takes up his new work March 1, 1919.

*JThe other applications for the position were those of Peter Laway, $80 per month, John Ahle, $70 per month, Henry Roesch, $60, Herman Moke $80, Albert J: Nenno, $70, Nic. Koelfgen, $76, George Hofmeister, $65, Wm. Lampl, $85 per month. They all asked $2Q for extra, help, with the exception of Xampl and Bluhm. AIL applicants IM^ri«d"en.t8QfNewUlrn. \ w , , '

Probate Court can help such children Conditions frequently exist in villages

and towns which tend to corrupt morals, such as homes of people of low moral standards, pool halls, dances and dance' halls without supervision, places where, liquor and tobacco are covertly supplied to children, The child welfare ^board

(Continued on-Page g.)

behaifior in public place*, they frequent"" Albert S t e i n h a w and Wm, Pfaewfer undesirable places, are guilty of truancy, '" - — — incorrigibility and violation of laws and principles of right conduct.' The chiM

Jr., representing the H e w Ulm Savings A Loan Association, appeared before the Board in reference to the assessment

welfare board and Judge Mather of * h « U l money, and credits and applied for a reduction in the assessed valuation of moneys and credits of said association This application was forwarded t o the State Tax Commission for consjderatipn.

An application--of a similar nature was made by Henry N . Somsenrjepresen-

;tative of Mrs. Eleanor Mullen in regard

valuation of this tax was also recom­mended to the State Tax Commission.

C o u n t y Depository. The Board of Audit reported that they

have designated the Farmers State Bank of Dotson, Minn., as a county depository for county funds, at the same rate of interest paid by the other county depositories of t h e county.

The bonds of the Farmers' State Bank of Dotson and the.Farmers' State Bank of Springfield and their securities were accepted and the bonds ordered delivered to the County Treasurer. ^

/The request of the Register of Deeds for steel fixtures to be placed in his vault was granted, and the order placed with the Louis F. Dow Company of St. Paul.

Road Aid Granted . The appficataon, signed by the Chair­

man of supervisors of the towns of St&rk and Sigel, and asking for aid in the grading and graveling of two miles of road on the town line between sections 24 and 19 and between sections 26 and 30 was concurred in by the board. Com­missioners Graff and Johnson were ap­pointed as a committee to work in con­junction with the supervisors of said townships in letting and accepting the contract and work. .

SUDDENIMTH FOR TWO RAILROAD MEN

NEW ULM SOLDIER : GASSED IN FRANCE

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LIEUTENANT OTTO GROEBNER

ON LEAVE OF ABSENCE

FROM HOSPITAL

SAW TWQ MONTHS OF BITTER

FIGHTING IN FOREST

OF ARGONNE

FREIGHT ENGINE J U M P S TRACK

A T SHERBURN AND KILLS

TWO EMPLOYES

ENGINEER AND BRAKEMAN ARE

VICTIMS. FIREMAN ESCAPES

^ W I T H O U T S C R A T C H "

Karl Sheriff, head brakeman for the Minneapolis & St. Louis line, and Edward Ankrum, engineer for the same company, lost their lives i n -a train wreck at Sherburn, Monday morning

1st Lieutenant Otto <**oebner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew <5roebner. 410 Washington Street, arrived in New Ulm last week Thursday and i s staying with his people on a learve of absence. He landed in New York January 24, from where he was sent to General hospital 29 at Fort Snelling. ", ~ ;

The short military career of Mr. Groebner was unusually rapid and full of excitement. He entered the service July, 1918, and soon became lieutenant, in the 359th infantry regiment at Camp Devens, Mass., which was composed of Texas and Oklahoma troops. Only one month later his regiment received

j orders to go t o . France and about six weeks later we find them already in the" thick of the fighting.

In t h e Argonne Forest . They were sent to the front in the

Argonne forest where the second Ameri­can field army was in fierce "combat with the-troops of the. former German crown prince. They entered the fray in good spirits and fought their way with the others through t h e thick forest towards Grand Pre in October and later toward Sedan. The continuous battles fought in these woods are numbered among the most stubborn and sanguinary hi the whole war; In spite of this bitter­ness of the struggle the two adversaries regarded and respected each other in thfe spirit of good fighters.

W o u n d e d Dressed B y G e r m a n s . A touch of noble chivalry was found

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between 11 and 12 Lm. The freight-W^Vfiral. actions of the Germans. Lieu­tenant Groebner- relates the cases" of three American wounded.who were left behind by the enemy in his hasty re- <• * treat towards Sedan. It was on N o ­vember 5, only six days before the sigh- ' ing of the armistice that Lieutenant Groebner and some of his companions in their forward movement came upon three American wounded who told them that they had been found by the German army surgeons and that their wounds had been dressed by them in as good a way as could have been expected from the surgeons of.-our own army.. Lieutenant Groebner stated also that during his-whole jstay at theihattle front he never had seen anything whatever which might be used as proof of the , stories of alleged German barbarities in regard to the treatment of prisoners and civilians. -» /

G a s s e d . ' >. Lieutenant Groebner remained in tne

fighting almost to the last moment of the war. The day before armistice was '*< signed, November 10, he was caught by . a German gas bomb and had to be taken ', y -t

to the rear. This was in the neighbor- '^J. * hood of Sedan. He was taken to an 'V^S-American hospital near Nice on the ^1 ^ shores of the Mediterranean; and later \ ^ ] was transferred to Dijon. From there ;J .•" he came to America in the latter half / - / -of January.', '' ^"' ~ 'v4?'

Lieutenant Groebner is still in the '-jfC service and he has to report again "in a few days at the general hospital at Fort rA

^train on which they were serving was north bound and was just moving into the side track to the Sherburn station to let the following passenger train pass by when the engine suddenly struck some obstacle, probably a block of ice, and jumped the track, leaping several times from one side .to the other. ,

B o t h Legs C u t Off. Engineer Ankrum, probably in the

fear of being caught underneath if the engine should fall, jumped to the ground, but he was caught by the following box cars which also had lumped the tracks.; Both of his legs were cut off above the knee. The ambulance of the Sherman hospital arrived on the scene shortly afterward and took his mangled body to the hospital where he died a few minutes later from loss of'blood.

Be tween T e n d e r And E n g i n e . Brakeman Karl Sheriff was crushed

between the engine and the tender. He must have died instantly. For several .hours the wrecking crew worked to get his body out. His face was swollen and beyond all recognition.

Bird Pasevio, the fireman, came out alive without the .least scratch. As soon as the engine' began its queer actions he climbed on the coal pile in the tender. Possibly ,he knew that the engine could hardly tumble over because the ground at the Sherbjurn station is as level as a table.

Edward Ankrum was married and lived ' at Esterville, Iowa. For years he has been engineer on the freight train passing through New Ulm every after­noon. Karl Sheriff was single and his home was at Winthrpp.

The passenger train due here at 1. p. m was more than two hours late Monday afternoon, on account of the wreck.

; BOUND OVER TO M A Y TERM. i ' "~ ————

: James O'Leary of Brus, S. D. , and _ John L. Jackspn of Sioux City, Iowa, ln»ney-wtfcff l i t / jwy difficulty h e came sow being he ld in the County Jail . They were accused of having made an attempt % . g e t away with Wm. Wendt> auto-mohile, at Springfield. On "Thursday, they were brought ^before Judge J-. J.* K^y, C o u n t y ^ Attorney Frederickson aetin& as- prosecutinf attorney. They, Were bound overdo the' M a y t e r m o f t h e <rand jury and *re being hetd<at the county ia i l because they could not furnish $1000 bonds each. , y ^

Approximately one-tenth of the popu­lation of the United States is composed of unnaturalized aliens, according t o ' a statement by Raymond F . Ghrist, federal deputy commissioner of naturalization, made last Friday at Washington. Mr. Christ said there were 10,500,000 persons

to her personal property tax. The a p - , i n this country who still retain their plication for a reduction in the assessed; allegiance to t h e land of their'birth.

Snelling. But he expects to be released ; ? ' , ^ P ^ from his military duties in a short t i m e . W ^ ^ - f : r 3 ;

FORGED CHECK OF $150.V\ /»v- m

Frank Neumann who had worked on «;< • / Joseph Franks farm, in Milford town- ^ J V ship for some time made a remarkable --v ; *•', exit from this neighborhood. He re-'j-*:, •*& ceived his last pay of $35 and went to *-? "J-\ Essig- where he forged a check of l l S f c i e - i u V at the Essig bank. Having received tfiii ^ <Vf

t £ N ^ . - W m ^ d ^ c a s h e d m> pay check of $35 at the BrownlCountyb^nk. • This ' was on Thursday. Since then"fhe 5 ha^ disappeared without leaving any^ traced whatever. • • """" jU.*- ,

DR. BOSWOHTH RETURNS.

Dr . Robinson Bosworth, Executive Secretary of the State Adwsory Com­mission of the State Sanatorium for Consumptives has been honorably dis­charged from the If. S. Military Service and has returned to Minnesota to assume his previous duties. His earnest efforts i n the tuberculosis field will in the future as in the past, undoubtedly prove a stimulus and guide in many of the problems necessary to be overcome for successful efforts in this most important work as carried on in . the Minnesota County Sanatoria. : " r"

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