BELGIAN SLAVE RAID.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16497, 24 March 1917, Page 8

BELGIAN SLAVE RAID.

; > 1 ! EYE-WITNESS'S ACCOUNT. « 1 [ UHLANS FOR THE CRUEL WORK, j ' A witness of some of .tho"slave raids ' ( which took place in a small town of an . I agricultural province of Belgium gave to i , the London Times the following descrip- I tion of what he saw on one occasion: — } • More than 25,000 men have already been j deported from this province, which also suffered very severely during the invasion. I In several villages all the men who were spared during tho horrors of the early days of the war have now been taken ' away. AH the men were obliged to present themselves in the seminary, where they ] wero examined by some German officers. _, I had my watch in s my hand. The ex- ( animations lasted on an average exactly , 10 seconds for each man. All the young ' ones had to go, without anv distinction < whatever; so had the skilled workmen, i whatever their age. I saw very old men i taken in this way. * ] Tho anxiety of the families cannot bo 1 described. From the timo when the call - was received everything has been done to < try to comfort, if possible, 'the deported in i then- exile. The women have worked all ' night in order to prepare some clothes, 1 they have spent their last reserve of money to buy some linen, a pair of toots, and a few provisions. During the - long procession of the me», lasting from seven o'clock in the morning till one 0 clock in the afternoon, they have gathered in the market place awaiting tho sentence which will take from them lw I band or son. They cry, moan, and pro** test. r In order to keep the women away from' , the buildings where, the examination takes J place and to conduct those to be deported to the stations, some Uhlans have been especially called back from the front. Ihe men of the Landsturm cannot be trusted for such cruel work. They lack 4 decision, and some of them, worn down ' by long absence from their homes, have 1 , grown soft-hearted and are readv to pity 1 these people among whom they have lived. 1 I hey seem to understand that, whatever , happens, their Germany, the Germany of , their small homes, is ruined. I even heard some of them encouraging the ( > Belgians in their resistance and advising ' , them not to sign an engagement to work i lor Germany. ji ii. Noch " m< L ekness can bo feared from i , tho Uhlans. I have seen them at work, i . and they proved to be the worthy com- 1 , nanions > of those whose mission it was at c the besmnine of the war to spread terror ( among the Flemish and Walloon peasantry. I ( Ihev are in line before the seminary i where the human cattle are sorted, and 3 revolver in hand, they face the women. c ■Even after all we have beard about Ger- c man atrocities the scene which occurred i there seems, scarcely believable, and if I: . had not seen it with mv own eyes I should I * certainly have my doubts. ( Listen to this, for instance. An old t woman 75 years of age was pushing' r through the crowd in order to see if her j t son. her husband, or her grandson were among those taken away. A Landsturmer r belonging? to the garrison, who knew her, | took her gently by the shoulder in order f to keep her back. As the old woman went a on wailing, and tried to free herself a a Uhlan came near her, a big voting fellow, and deliberately, with all his strength, j thrust his fist in the old woman's face. c All the surrounding women burst out cry- c in? and protesting, but several Uhlans! I ioined their comrade and began to beat c the crowd with the butts of their rifles. \ The boom of tho guns of Verdun could be 1 heard during the whole scene. . > When the Germans heard of the Kaiser's r neace offer they lit large fires in the vil- t laee do celebrate the occasion. And the ] Belgians? These are tho words of a t mother, talking of her son who is fighting a on the Ysor :• "If he is not to come back s to mo victorious. I should prefer that ho s should never come back." c ================== / r