HOW BELGIANS SUFFER.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 223, 18 September 1915, Page 11

HOW BELGIANS SUFFER.

TOWNS OF THE PAST. KKl'l i.lil ■-* lnl i IMN,; M'DllV. ' !sulleiei sin... th,- ~i tn,. war \ I- c.llt.une.l II a ieltel re e.1e.l hi Mr ! •! 11. Ha.ton. the n.-ll known tailor an I ' cloth..-,, of yiioeu Stleet. in a. kilo,. ' loii-jilieiit ~l nrarnij- i*)ij.;ir.-l m nt I";. him. tlno I.ii the 11, le.au I unslll in Aii.-khui.l M, |)„1t,,„-. eoiiiribut,,.,,, .-i.i1.1r.-ii. louth-. iiii.l men. One r.-c';.. i ."It .1 . 10th.,,!; Wi11... to .\il llaitoll 'as follow-: - i -Den Si nn.l ..'loir: hee.efa t,,i, .1, 11. Unit. .1.. I ...me lo thank x ~„ f ,r lout kill!!'.-. foi ti,e ,!,.,:„,. |:'u ~.11,. 1.. „,.• t.. i. o'l.r . ■~ ot v..ii. -ti ;■ for tiie y.'ini ~-t of nn -,;:,- iij.-.l |.", „,,i., < in,'*.' ~,„,:- -v. ,t:, ihe'i ...,•[...m,-nt- ~i 1 I II Halt.Ml 11ia.... ii-1,-,.',:,, • It ~- , " if, tl,.- li< c that I i.,, , , ~ i'l.. ri\ | lo » l ,t" lo * ...,. to hi > .. ■: know t ... I ' \oiii car ! ':.,- been ~ ic.i, i. „,i.| ti..,; ,' l".iv in the |,l..Mii,e ol I. ~•_.■ T, ~ l.i-l ..a- Itlin.le.l lo the -mil ~l 'kllllnr' on 4th Au-.i-t i'H I 1..-.' '~.- . .-. ~:-! ..■ i lirmii ..,, l lo- ~... :1e.!.,«,. , , , ;.„•,. „„,, na.| not ; - n.b' It.lj an -~: ,„.,- v, the town. ~,1.1 !.* i 11,,:.. Hot ~ -iii-jb. -1...1 hll.l been li" I II '..,- ci;...--;:.;,. lot 11----10 e-.il'. . t ,c 11. -mil 1..0. 'Illlleli: '.... nil.- <le-.tr..*, | til.' b..,1.'e lea,|;li" ...ei t ie Men- ' I he town "a- -':-.., Il|.|. I hv til,ill-ami* ill I lei man- 1 iwm.U In c oVlo.'k ue ~',,' .Il .el' 'loin ~„, !„ Lent ti. point ..: the liaioii. ;. an I .. c ...-ic 11 .1 i,' tl. |~..eee,| to the Hue ,|,, | a X..11 tUllle. .Util .1 tleO.lt to shoot II- oil l'"' pretext th v v.c ' n 1 tue 1 ~,, tli.-in I: j > a- a *.i.l -~c, t.i.b' lo *.c th •! poor uniiipii .li .i-__in_ aid .arii,ne ih.-n teriitie.l .-Inl iron, tor the baibai mis h.,.| -et tile t,. a 1,11 111 lie ,1 |.\ "An ..Hie. ■ of i.i'.-h milk v.,1- waitii" oil left. ~,• c.iihl see the mutilate.l b0.1.. of .10-.j.h |1:..n'..a in ... i the „ „ |..w- ol . hi- I ii;!- 11l- -on. .|.-siriti» to I It Ins lather.- i.0.1i up. "a- Inc.l v, !.. t'.e -ail i.lli.or I re-,.hitch a.lln uce',l h .. uar.U th, ..il'uei. aii.l a-k. ,1 huu wli.n 1 hi- intenl ~:, w.i- .onioiiiin.: ii. He an ■ ,«.ie I. a: the --mi' time pla. iii-j I, - i •■ ! lohcr on :n v ehe*t. that in- -~',,1 ot - ha.l I been lil.nl v ion. an.l he was eoill" lo ,1 take i.'ii'ii.'. •>;:.' I -ail! -|~,**i! iy urn : are lie I ith. r ..t a I i.niii Miur-.lf. an I [surely Mm will have pity on these j ....men ami poor elnhlren. We hale ci , 1 n i n I \ taken no share in the shoot iu_." j .n iinsiier to whioh he I..hi i,. all to ie i turn lo mn home,, until -men o'clock at llif_-.lt. when we wele to lll.l't 111 the Ihureh to loeene orner- d 0,,, the Hoi , man ma joi \. ho .i.,1 not ...inc. innl the ■•■-lU_ .Ml* po-tpollo.l llllill the next ■ .lav. [ ''All the men were inn tie t" hll in i-nin the lien lies |hnt the Hel-i.ins h.i.l .'nia.le. The. ha.l notion, but their han.l- ---! I lo ,|„ ihe work with, limine „,, tool*. • nn.l weto eon.-ti.ntii thrcitene.l with ' loath. I'il.lllll the people we,,, a110w..1 • l< lake refuse in caies ami other places. '■ in each in*! nice the floors io,,ui! mo lo I be left open, for we were ~',!,_,,1 ),, n > •' ' t r enemies all that they aeuinn.b'.l from in. I'liey set lire to the I h**'. h ' miller the pre'teU of the lower beiii'j '• u-e,| „- an o'nsoiw al ion jn-1. ami al-o ■ threatene.l to burn all ihe other bit.l ' ■ ill"-, which would 111 ll,"e-lty. il.-tl.iv ' the r.-hlence- of the n I, I, .1 t lllln t c p." pie ' living 01 the M.initi ot tluve o.liti..^ ' J-his wa- not ,|,.n'e until the Mt ■ Auen-t. They then look lift, ,-i* liiim-. ' am! the-e were ciin-cl to walk all ni-iil. ami the lioilie- o, the-e were foun I • .Ireii.llhilK inulilate.l hv lh- Hernial j bayonet-.' Other . i\ ilmn- bo-i,lo. -.ulTero.! ■ j the Mime late. ' I "I wa- -mn the la-k Io tea.l lii- | Herman llolioral's pioelnniatioii *e^nr,l '| ni" the siirren.leriuj of nil arms. They cause,l mc se.ernl time- to pa-s in the ] inillst of a compmil of soldiers, kneellll'. on tin- ground in the attitude of liriilj! i The reison of this 1 eoiil.l not un.lei , stnml. for only myself ami Mr. l.ocht-on . wire alone in'the street. Our arms ami legs were tied, ami the-e famous war ,' riors oonveved us to tho \i-e station. the soldiers demolishing ami hiirniuo, ' evervthiiij; they came across, and drink , ing all that they eoiild lay their han.lon. It was the notion of devils, and il . is a miracle we escaped will, our lives. ! On tho night, of the I bib. wo wore : awakened by thousands of ,-i lie shot- , discharged by the Hermans. "They set lire to many pines. Having been Liberated, we rati to obtain the fire-enjrines no put the lire out, but in the act of so .doinjr. I wan slightly wounded i" the eho-*t. 1 fell aga.insl the wall. I was pioke.l up and taken homo again. My «i«'li tried to put the llres out. but the Hermans hied on them. They took -V.lii men ami con veyed itliem to normally, while _im wen' obliged to work for them in the ~,,, struotion of roads. My third sen was amoiig this number. However, after twelve days of intense MilToring. a mini Ibcr .niana.ged to escape to Holland, in

| » ii.. „ .-.entry 1 w„- myself Id hv n.v wile mi . hh'-r. 'I.i,i,'i,t,''i. nn.l a si.n of n.ii. e. ll.cl 1.. "'.'•nt.' a iiuiii' in ~• of t.ie e,ti/.e:w "I \ so v.ele .-hul oi 1 .a. one! ell. '1 lleV | .:ia,.l •,'.,.. uomeii vii.i the chit.ir.i. 1 with .v: •■ mi,' t t.ii', t„ eien -.1 i IVrMiiiaih. I «a*. mil ei.-u gnen lime to ; . i, nn ,'.-»k in. 11 at.-h.--. (...hi chain-. a...1 iewels nil :,-n.,ii,c.| wheie they 'el.'. We ...re let Cell 1 *0 ri 11.1 t <*, 1 to al*e - ii. '~ ~, i, shirt. We were in a ' ie|.l,ira-hie rtui'e. hat in..: lived for tweive 1.,..* in t •., ir.-oi.l .-...,-. when the] i.o.iie- a1i0v,,..| ii- .-, Hi- h-i-nre. Now. cir v ifoii iiii.it,. 1 ttle town ha- been .111 .*:---• t •■ I. I m a,: ; the enemy n 1 oirnt ihe ivi.il* ..' :!„■ bud !,•:-•- «.■:.- ---• il!.-.! .■ ,•. i. : . ■ ..n-tr.i.'i a ; ir-i' -la .lieto, ~; ~ i,.i-.n,-- N., in an.l 11. Hue .Ie I. iron, ke-- in-; i, gr«»-.T- .-stallI -i 11 c .t ! tins 111*11 off. bin' now I 'l.l> •' .— I' '. i the II!'.!-.;,. :,■ of 111.-elf c ■■! I i ii.'r M. -"i - nn 1 ■ t -. ii.- .ii law aie r lei. ,i Her:n:i'iii . ha- i:i_ bee., .- .- -~;.:,..,- ' We „,.,-,. tran-ferr'pil : ' ■ . r.l . :' Vug-iist. i'l.'. t.. i.'ir camp • . 'il 11.-.it "' I. .. "he ' w •• I'l f .-II 1 '' 1 "'l' ■ i- 1 u.,-'I. a,.',., lo ".. ■', I ..: IlllV*, „, I. ~",.-. c - i, ~-.. '„ : , . . in. .1 in • ,;er. an 1 - .11. Thebe — 'Villi. 1 l.'ll He*. -|, I Ie ,:„,-. i ' ' V •■' '. :•. "- -run; t .n-'\ Merc o ~,-. •■ ■»•'' - h....■ '.eon ir . en to ' ,r I'"•>■!. but it i- .iilb -n't t i sa\ what far '.'.• i.e. .Ie ■! m c . f.-r I':,. I. ;■ *th of in- let:,". \, ii. i, ioii may no! iea.l :■» the .-n,|, bin t,, mo :t is a teal relief

Ito let a ben.'l.i. tor knmi of my : rouble*. , i assert on my oath all I have indue, i lin Ihin letter, which you can treat ar. . _m.ii inc. r ih.-ire. ami as you may jn. 1 .".e 1 wise. I beg of you. my dear 'leiipfaotor. ito M.".e|it in*, sincere t.:,«iik- an.l salutaI'.i.n. an.l tha: ll.nl n:.iv .preserve u,u j an.l y.-ir funiK*. an.l your dear oouiitry ! Il'ii'ii ,i I Icriuiii! mi asion " 1..- I uas ,|,ief of :l,e rolu it •.•- ---i 'ire ..rig-ado of V,.,. before Mie \v»r. an.l | 1 1,n,l the honour of po-spssing more d.-r..rations for acts of .-mirage nn.l doj lotion t.han any ntlior man in :he oitv. Forgive i'iv s.rihble. for I have v *••■:'• lost my sight. I have seven children— lour boy- an! t :too p-irls. mil not one of them has a straw be I to ,-ice;, on."