Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 64, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 November 1918 — HUNS ARE STARVING [ARTICLE]

HUNS ARE STARVING

ITALIAN HIGHWAYS CHOKED BY HUNGRY TROOPS. . * Defeated Soldiers Wander Blindly and Leaderless Through Italy—Eat Carcasses of Horses. With the Italian Army at Trent, Nov. B.—Amid the rejoicing of this redeemed city scenes of destruction and starvation are common as one passes over the roads over which tlie Italian troops are trying to pass tlie thousands of Austrian prisoners who were cut off by tlie Italians southwest of Belzano. Every road leading up to tills city is crowded with men and on every hand there are evidenced of the collapse of one of Europe’s mightiest armies. The horrors of Napoleon's retreat from Russia, it is said by military observers, were trifling compared with the sufferings of tlie Austrian troops in this region. Great masses of men wait for long hours to move a few feet or a few hundred yards, to halt anew on a road littered with tlie carcasses of horses and with cannon, pieces of shields, pistols, rifles, broken down auto trucks and machine guns. There is no swearing among these men. Tlier are even moments of profound quiet broken by snatches of songs. Italian soldiers seem positively sorry that the end of the war is approaching. They say: “What’s a few months more, now that we are sure of victory.” Many Austrians are dying from sheer fatigue and starvation, and not wounds. The Italians are doing all they can to hurry up supplies. This is difficult, and in tlie meantime dead horses are eaten, tlie flesh being cooked by the toadside by fires kindled by the soldiers. Large bodies of Austrians are helpless. The correspondent passed between Rovereto and Trent, a distance of 16 miles, an unending column of men marching, none knew whither. They asked orders from an officer who was with the correspondent. When asked if they knew about the armistice they said: “We want food. Food is the only thing we are interested in. We are indifferent to war and peace and death—everything but food."