4
, THE OREGON' SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY- MORNING, -JANUARY 5, 1919
:- - :. '- . . . -a: '.
1 Corporal WtlUr P. CornweD, the eotfcor of
.lh aeeompanyinc chronicle of the overseas ei
- patiences of Battery A. 147tli (Ore on) Field
Artillery, is a member of Tb Journal family.
- who Mt bU duties while- the better u mMl
-bted at Camp Wkhreombe m the prina of 1917.
" Tbia account pf fBatterjr A a activities since it
sailed January 8.) 18 IS. reveste succewtlon of
lutereetioc facta Mist eeriorhip heretofore hK
kept from the public, and which will be "-ad
with eager interest In the Oregon country. The
chronicle Hill be presented iD InUllinenU In The
tttuxlay Journal, i
By WSIter Y. Cornwall
When Battery
"A," One Hundred
Forty-seventh field
artillery, boar tied
the converted Brit
I s n transport
"Olympic" on Janu
ary 10, 1918, there
was much specula
tion as to whether
anyone would ' ever
nop the linen. Ke
ported. troubles in
Austria and er
niany caused many
time for the finish
was at hand. But conditions found upon
the arrival on foreign noil gave a differ-
ent aspect anii all settled down to that j
thorough preparation which American
troops received from- their French In-
structors.
On the bij; ships he battery was
crowded ft) to- two small compartments.
Mammocks were strung o dose that
there was one solid mass of canvas. Bo-
lriff so crowded, most of, the fellows spent j
' : practically all their time on deck. This,
' made it much more comfortable, as the)
stuffiness1 of j the early ' morning passed j
' ttt during the (Ihv. !
- 5 Trip Over Pleasant
There ,,waJ an Kiislish mess which
wasn't quite hs tasty ns our rations, and
" this coupled with the lack of "sea legs,"
made appetjtes pretty finicky during
the voyage. ; The British cooks found,
- however, that the boys had a tremend
- ous appetitla for Jam. so that the last
, few. days foOnd an increase In the con
s',, sumption of rations.
The trip Mtas pleasant. Only on day
was there much of a sea. This day found
-a heavy wlnrl that broke the spray over
? -the bow. Ljand was first sighted early
,tn the morning of January 18, when a
lightly snow: clad coast line could be dis
cerned far ahead and to the left. All day
. we traveled a few miles from what we
afterward learned were the shores of
: Scotland.
About 7 p. m., as we were all making
: preparations for lolling in, the steady
7 grind of thei machinery ceased. We were
" then marched up to turn -in our blankets
'.and life preservers, which had been worn
' .constantly. Sand were given the freedom
.- of the deck (for the first time such a priv
V' elege had been given at night.
As I stepped out on deck a feeling came
over me that I will never forget. The
boat no longer rocked, hardly u breeze
: waS"blowing: there was a calm that left
r a balmy, happy feeling, the result of
'days of nerives. It was one of those mo
ments wheii a pipe and a can of tobacco
make a map feci like a king.
Landing In Secretive
. As we wire sneaked out of New York,
sa were wje sneaked out, of Liverpool.
From the! dock's building we were
. marched always under cover to some
: covered tracks and loaded onto a wait-
. Ing train, with a toy engine. From then
on life was an enigma.
The trip 'across Kngland was a beauti-
... ful one. There was a big change from
v the snow aind zero weather of New York.
"VV'e passed through a country of never
ceasing, rblling greens that here and
, : there were being plowed for war gardens.
Passing through the towns and villages,
the khaki ;clad troops were given rousing
' cheers by the women and girls working
in the mills and factories, and by the
,; civilian papulation in general.
A (A Stop at Winchester
The train halted at Winchester just
at dark. We were hurried off the train
and marched through the city to Camp
Morn Hill, an Knglish, and our first
"Rest Camp.y Barracks were assigned
with three boards for a bunk. I don't
think many had much rest that night. It
.was only an inkling to conditions that
'had to be contended with later, but those
days were yet far away.
f The nickname "Starvation camp" be
i: gan to .be applied to rest camps, "hard
rations being the rule. On one of the
i - boards of our wooden mattresses was in-
scribed, "'We came here to rest and
: starved to death. 146 F.'A." But later
on. as the units began to take their turns
,on the lines, these rations becartie mat
ter of fact. Our fancied troubles were
jonly results of necessity.
. There were many Tommies at this
. camp who were awaiting to be assigned
'," to unitsU Everyone who could corner
jjne of them quizzed them very thor
oughiy. ;It was to be a new vacation,
no one knew just what was coming, and
a. all were anxious to find out.
Across the Channel
After a day's rest, we were marched
; : back to the train the morning of Jan
uary 21. A short ride brought us into
Southampton and there we laid around
the dock for a few hours before being
loaded onto a .horse transport. On the
ship were the first battalion of the One
: Hundred Forty-seventh field artillery, a
British ' hospital unit and about 200
horses.
There was what had been a mess com-
HEAVEN HELL
PURGATORY
Where Are the Dead?
to believe' that the
li. K. DICKSON
will answer the question from the Bible
-"Can the Dead Return to Us Now?"
Sunday Night at 7:45 o Clock
.V Cnristensen's Hall
: 11th St, Between Morrison and YamhUH
PUBLIC .INVITEDSPECIAL - MUSIC
J'MAWaUVAU I. JW
3.
OVERSEAS WITH BATTERY A
Chronicle of Ore?oi ArfcilleryrMSiv SnFreflice
RECORD FOR CONTINU
OUS SERVICE HELD
BY BATTERY A
Battery A Is declared to be. the
oldest volunteer military organiza
tion. In continuous existence,: west of
the Missouri river. : Preliminary or
ganization took place in Decetnber,
1865, to be followed in February. 1S66.
by permanent organization with V.
C. Paine as captain. The organiza
tion under the comprehensive title
"First battery, field artillery, Ore
gon National Guard" has been known
under the following titles : "Portland
Flying Artillery," "Portland Light
Battery." "Battery 'A'," "First Bat
tery, Field Artillery," "Battery A.
Field Artillery." "Battery A, U. S.
Volunteers." "Battery A, Field Artil
lery," 'Battery A, One Hundred
Korty-scventh Field Artillery, U.
K. A."
The commanders have been : Cap
tain F. e" Paine. ISfifi trecords
lost) ; Captain Thomas Mountain.
JS72-1880; Captain Thomas Adams,
180-185; Captain V. J. Riley, 1885
1889 ; Captain Thomas Adams, 18S9
1890; Captain Ward S. Stevens, 1890
191 (died In office). Captain E. L.
Anderson. T891-1892 (dismissed);
First Lieutenant V. R. Iliff, 1892
Captain George H. Thing. 1892
1X93 (relieved); First Lieutenant Ed
I'nrath, 1893-1893 ; Captain R. S.
Grcenleaf . 1 R93-1898 (until after
being mustered out of J'nited States
service! : Captain If. L'. Welch. 1898
1915; First Lieutenant George B. Ot
terste.lt. 1915-1915 rrfaptain Charles
W. Hflmr. 1915-194'fr; Captain Bert
V. Clayton. 1916-19171 (transferred to
army postal service) t Captain Rich
ard J. Dorcr, 1917- -i- (present com
mander). partment on the boat which was the stor
ing place for packs and rolls. Comfort
ably, it would probably have held a bat
tery, but this time there was the whole
battalion. The space under the tables
was completely filled and most of the
tables were .heaped high with the equip
ment. For sleeping quarters empty stalls
on the deck above were used. Very few
of the men unrolled the rolls because it
was expected that France would be
reached within a few hours.
The passage could not be made that
night. As soon as the boat reached the
inuutn ot me naroor it turned back and
anchored near the nnnr nH e ti
of Wight. It was reported that two ships
had been sunk.
Toward evening of the second day an
other attempt was made but the boat
hardly got under headway before it
again turned and re-anchored. That
night there was a lot of rumors passing
around. We were supposed to have
turned back because a new lane was
being cut through the mine fields. A re
port was also put out that we were sup
posed to have been lost. This report was
supposed to have been sent home and
it caused a little worry on the part of
some of the fellows.
Arriyal at Le Harre
The next evening a start was made
after the usual time. Before we started
we were treated to a little bomhimr
party that took place a short distance
away
n. uaiiery OI llirntS n avpil the
sky and flashes could be seen rather in
oisunciiy. inis caused a tremor of ex
citement that was added to as the ship
turned its nose into the ohannel, and the
possibilities of submarines became men
acing. A few of the fellows crawled into
the hold and slept on the barracks bags
but most slept where they would have
easy access to the companionway.
The upper deck was under heavy
guard, no lights being permitted. As day
broke and the ship began to pull into the
harbor of Le Havre, manv of the En?.
lishmen began to start smoking. Orders
uau noi Deen rescinded and one of the
guards walked unknowingly up to an of
ficer and commanded that he stop smok
ing. The Englishman was very indig
nant, called for the sergeant and com
plained that it was no longer necessary
to take such precautions.
The sergeant also failed to recognize
the officer and under any conditions was
somewhat overbearing. The Britisher
then lost almost complete control, or
dered the sergeant to call the officer of
the day and entertained the gathering
crowd for some minutes with his views
of such orders.
The ship docked on the morning of
January 24 and we were marched to
what was known as Rest Camp No. 2.
Here we were again introduced to rest
camps barracks and mess. This time the
bunks consisted of a long line of double
bunks, upper and lower, being con
structed of a heavy wire mesh with a
wooden framework to divide it into sin
gle beds. m
For mess all troops in the camp were
marched onto a parade ground, lined up
and marched to the mess houses in four
long lines. At no time was there more
than two hours between the finish of one
meal and the lineup for the next. The
fellows were all crabby, as "iron ra
tions" were getting very monotonous,
and the "Cockneys" who served would
get roiled, resulting in a continual rag
ging from both sides of the counter.
Friends Encountered
A detachment of the One Hundred
Sixty-second infantry (Third Oregon)
was on duty and a few of the fellows
met friends whom they had known in
Oregon. These with the Englishmen ho
were in camps, either on their way to or
from the lines, formed a companionship
that is typical of troops who are gath
ered for a mission such as the one upon
which we were started.
j Humors commenced to spread that the
regiment was to be split. Battery "A"
and Battery "C" were to go together,
I while "B" and "E" were to go some
j where near the Swiss border, and "D"
' and "F" were supposed- to go someplace
else. At any event all were loariori
the small box cars, about 36 to a cdr.
The night was quite cold, there was no
room trTunroll the blankets and all in all
that night of January 27 was all but
comfortable.
At Artillery School
The next day the train halted at Sau
mur. We had lost all but "A" and "C"
batteries. It was while waiting to be
marched to our new quarters that we
learned we were to be stationed at a
school of artillery. It was an agreeable
surprise for we had imagined that we
would have to do anything from guard
duty to carrying ammunition.
Saumur is an ideal French city on
fhe banks of the Loire river, and about
100 miles inland. Before the war it had
a population of about 14.000. The nrin-
auracnons are the chateau, which
siLuaica on a nign oiurr at the south
ern extremity of the city, and St. Peters
cathedral. Both of these old bits of ma
sonry date from the earl- centuries' arid
are well worn by the ages.
l ne chateau has been converted Int
Into
a sort of museum. There
are many
antiquities of - historic
origin, among
them some equipment used by MacMa-
non, tne frenchman who played an im
portant part in the Franco -Prussian
war. '
The surrounding country produces
many grapes of a choice type. and the
spark'ing w ine of-the Saumur district
Is almost as well known an that of
4 Champagne. Many of ; the producers
rwere very careful to explain to us that
what we were buying was sparkling
wine, that the word champagne had
been erroneously brought into use and
that there was no difference between
that of Saumur and that of the Cham
pagne district.
We were marched onto the Chardonais
ami. given a talk by Lieutenant Colonel
Glasford, cpmmandant. 'We were to be
given a thorough training:, after -which
the batteries were to take charge of all
firing -duties for the school. V If we made
good it would be a permanent assign
ment, probably tor the duration of the
war. ':.
Good barracks awaited "us, and all
made themselves comfortable for a long
stay. The Y. M. C. A.- had chartered a
beautiful building with a wooded park.
Long before it had been the abode of
a French countess.
The first weele was spent in the school
of a soldier, most of the time being de
voted to squad movements. After this
there was to be two weeks of intensive
training for the drivers and cannoneers.
The two batteries were divided into two
sections, one of drivers and one can
noneers. The drivers were given in
struction in harnessing, equitation and
gun drill, the cannoneers In gun drill.
. In Qaarantlne
A epidemic of mumps sent the bat
tery Into partial quarantine on February
IS and .next day a 14 day quarantine
for diphtheria was put into effect. The
time was sient under heavy guard and
ther- was an awful load off our shoul
ders when it was finally lifted March ).
The battery commander's details were
then started to school, the Instrument
detail being given instruction in topog
raphy, the signal detail in telephony.
The school lasted for approximately two
months, during which time the signal
detail laid miles of wire in a terrible
battle (Vin Blanc) and the instrument
detail, with imaginary guns, blew down
hundreds of targets, including all prom
inent points and church Steeples.
As soon as the gun crews were ready
they took over firing duties at the range,
near Fontevrault. It was while these
crews were working that all non-commissioner
officers were put through a
series of gases and given a needless
warning of the dangers of gas and liquid
fire. These crews will never forget
those days of labor. There would be
two hours a week of firing and hours
of labor on the roads. How many
American troops have spent part of their
time improving France's wonderful
roads.
Of Historic Interest
The Saumur artillery school was a
school for officers who received com
missions in the States and for non
commissioned officers who were study
ing for commissions. These were known
as aspirants. On the range they were
given practical Instruction in adjusting
and controlling fire.
At Fontevrault was a tomb which
contained a basrelief of King Henry II
and at another place a basrelief of King
Riohard III of Kngland. These were of
interest to members of the batteries,
but entrance was forbidden to enlisted
men.
About the first of April it became
positively known that we were destined
! t taU m.r nlao rn the line. The
; aspirants gave us many tips about what
i K orta Clormanir in taken
the offensive and had developed an open
style of warfare. Each time they were
stopped, but it could be seen that all
trained troops were to be used, and
soon.
On May 23 the battery was taken to
the little village of Turquarrt, about five
miles from Saumur. Here there was a
place to concentrate the quota of horses
that had been issued about two weeks
previous. . The men were scattered
throughout the place, being billeted in
barns or any available building.
Off for the Front
The next 10 days were spent in light
drill and organization of j-riaterial. Gas
mask drill predominated. Whe idea was
beaten into the heads thEft gas was a
deadly danger and everything depended
upon the quickness and precision with
which the masks were put into place.
On June 3 two batteries of the One
Hundred Twentieth field artillery came
to relieve us and we pulled our freight
for the front. The journey lasted from
noon that day until early on the morn
ing of June 5 when the battery detrained
at the little village of Foug, near Toul.
Here there was a platform for unloading
carriages so the equipment was quickly
assembled and we made an hour's march
to Lay St. Remy. where we were billeted.
On June 10 the first two' sections went
into the lines under the tutorship of Bat
tery "E" of the One Hundred Second
field artillery. . The boys, received a
warm reception. "Fritz" epened up be
fore the guns were put into position but.
outside of a few hastily acquired pom
padours, no damage was done.
Three daya later the remainder of the
battery was taken to Andilly and an
echelon was established. From here the
second platoon took its guns and with
the first, went into position as a battery
near the little village of Ansauville, In
front of Mount Sec.
Fritz . played the roads pretty strong
and made life miserable for the drivers
who had to haul ammunition. One place
especially, "Dead Man's CJurve," was a
favorite and every morning there would
be a new tale to tell of some close
call.
Ob the Move
While in these positions the fourth sec
tion was sent as a sniping gun into a
forward position. The duties of such a
gun . were to lay low under camouflage
during the day and at night to fire upon
some area in the rear of the German
lines, be it a road or some spot where
troops were known to be .concentrated.
Another crew was working on new posi
tions which had only been partially com
pleted when rumors Of a meve came
floating in. The guns were moved to the
positions and registered but before any
firing was done, were pulled back to the
echelon on the night of June 20 and next
evening the battery started moving to
Chateau-Thierry' or some place near the
Swiss border.
All night we traveled, through Menil-la-Tour
and Toul to a place a few miles
south' of Toul where camp was made at
3 a. m. We were called again at 6 and
at 8 started back through Toul and early
in the afternoon made camp about a mile
from Foug.
Here we rested over night and next
day, starting out again about 10 p. m.
and traveling until 6a. m. to the railway
at Ligny. The material was loaded and
breakfast was served before the train
started. No one was as yet aware of our
destination. Italy had been placed with
the possibilities so, as the train was
headed south, the choice lay between Al
sace and Italy, i '
Hog Tired
However, all speculation was stopped
at about 10 p. m,. that evening when we
were detrained at Belfast. As we were
unloading an airplane flew over the sta
tion. A strong searchlight played upon
it. displaying the friendly concentric cir
cles. Everyone was dead tired, mentally and
physically, but that didn't stop another
road march. The battery was taken
about five miles to the little village of
Tretudaps,' By the time the carriages
Acre lined up and the picket line
stretched, supper . and breakfast was I
ready and the first gray streaks of morn
ing were beginning to appear. As the fel
lows were' in line awaiting their turn at
the chow, imaginary chips were dangling
dangerously on every shoulder. One hurN
dred and twenty. hours of almost cease
less travel had told strongly upon the
nerves of the men. I don't believe I have
ever seen them in quite so bad a humor.
Horses and men were billeted and all
carriages were placed uoder . cover. We
were told that Germany had control of
the air at this place., Maybe she did.
but she never took much advantage of
it. Once in a while a plane would be
revealed somewhere along the eastern
skyline by the white downy puffs of the
anti-aircraft bursts.
Rest Is Enjoyed
Life was very pleasant in this little
place. There was no drill, the time be
ing left for rest and recuperation. Out
side of the care of horses, nothing was
asked. Near this village was located
another slightly larger one, Chatenois.
An ammunition factory was located
here, which made it somewhat livelier
than the ordinary village.
July 1 saw us break camp at this
rather delightful place. The destina
tion was the lines again. As we com
menced our journey there was a com
mon feeling that-encompassed every
man. This was to be our second sector
and we felt like veterans, ready for
anything Fritz might" produce.
At nigbt camp was made in . a little
woods just across the ancient French
frontier. The trees were supposed to
have been burned with mustard gas and
we were compelled to carry our mirfsks
at all times. While at work they could
be hung near, but no one took any
chances on getting far away from this
devoted friend. To make -the setting
complete, some 90 mm- guns were sup
posedly in position of reserves. Karly
in the morning of July 2 we were awak
ened by a somewhat heavy barrage. It
looked like we were entering a real sec
tor again.
That evening the battery moved up
and went Into position between Geu
venauten and Tra5auch-le-Hout. All
were somewHat surprised to find that
the eschelon was established about 200
or 300 yards to the left flank. Kschelons
were supposed to be at least two or
three miles in the rear.
At the Front
The guns went into positions already
prepared. The positions lay.ln a rather
heavy woods in uncovered 'gun pits.
There had been some pretense at con
structing shelters, the dugouts were not
well constructed, but the boys fixed them
j up a little. Barracks had been built
i just behind the guns and were used as
j sleeping quarters.
Twice an airplane came over and at
tempted to adjust the Boche fire. Anti
aircraft fire drove him off each time be
fore he could accomplish his mission. A
few shells landed in front of the guns,
but none very close. Shrapnel cases,
from the anti-aircraft bursts, came sing
j ing down, making a noise like a broken
bearing in a truck that. is rumbling
along under a heavy burden.
One afternoon a battery- of German
77's dropped about 70 shells into the, vi
cinity of the eschelon. It was the first
time most of "the men had been close to
shell fire and it can be safely said there
was some disturbance. The horses were
quickly removed from x danger and a
little later all were taken back to La
Grange, about six miles distant.
(To be continued next Sunday.)
Suspected Pro-Hun's
Loyalty Was Proved
Gray, Maine, Jan. 4. (I. N". S.) Hid
den in the fireplace in the camp owned
by Edwin Coolbaugh of New York, who
was drowned while crossing the ice on
Little Sebago lake, were bonds valued
at $11,000 and $45 in currency. Private
papers and accounts showed Coolbaugh
had Invested $20,000 in Liberty bonds. As
a result of Coblbaugh's admission that
he was of German descent, federal In
quiry has-been made concerning him in
New York and Milwaukee, but no ground
whatever was found for suspicion
against the man. An irregularly drawn
will leaving the greater part of his es
tate to his fiance. Miss Helen Morrison
of New York, was found.
Doughboy's Answer
Broke Up Meeting
Brockton, Mass., Jan. 4. (I. N. S.)
Captain A. C. Smith, army medical
corps, writes an interesting letter from
France about a local boy overseas who
gave the chaplain some extra work "The
chaplain." Captain Smith said, "had
been trying to get a boy pardoned who
was sent to the guard house for 14 days
because, when the chaplain was holding
Sunday service and spokjp the words 'Art
thou footsore, art thou veary?' this lad
broke up the service by saying : 'Gosh,
yes." "
MARTIN SAYS HE
NEVER FELT ANY
BETTER THAN NOW
Tanlac Overcame Troubles
After Everything Else
Had Failed
"Never in all my life have I enjoyed
better general health than I do now."
said W. J. Martin of 933 Amhurst street.
Portland, Or., recently. "But, before I
began taking Tanlac I was in such a
bad way that I was constantly having
to lose time from my work.
"On the fourth of lastAnrir" Yin r..n
Jtinued, "I was taken down withptomaine
poisoning' and after this attack it seemed
impossible for me to get my stomach
back to normal. I had no desire for food
ot any kind and what I did eat caused
gas. nausea, bloating and distress. I
fell off in weight, lost all my energy and
got to. where it was an effort for me to
keep going. I was under treatment for
two and a half months for which I paid
one hundred and five dollars, and which
gave me only a little passing relief, as
my trouble would soon come bao,k just as
bad. or worse, than ever.
"So I can truthfully say that nothing
ever really helped me until I got Tan
lac. Since taking this medicine, and I
have just finished my fourth bottle. I
have actually gained 14 pounds ahd am
just like a new man. My stomach never
gives me the slightest trouble now, no
matter what I eat and my appetite is 'so
big I can hardly - eat enough. I have'
gotten back all of my old time strength
and energy now and am able to work
every. day and feel fine all the time."
Tanlac is sold in Portland by "Che
Owl Drug Coj Adv.. . . . . - -
ARRAYING
WALLOONS, VON
HOLDING
BELGIUM
AFTER WAR, PLAN
OF HUN GENERAL
Wily Old Governor Shaped Things,
Until Hindenburg 3et Plans
Awry, to Dismember Country.
SLAVE DRIVE IS MODIFIED
Deportations Cease and Those
Removed to Germany "by Mis
take" Returned to' Homes.
I PuWblipd by yrwisl . arrangement with tlta
Mr'furp Newspaper Syndicate. Copyrieht. 191R.
by Brand Whitlork, under the title "Memories of
Belemm I nrter the Cernmn Occupation."- All
right- rest'rreri!. Copyrighted in. tlreat Britain.
Onad and Australia. . Ail rights reserved for
France. R.dcmm, Hofland. lta)r. Simin. l!nhia
and the Scandinavian countries. I
THE story of . the quarrymen of Les
sins who resisted the Germans when,
by using the most barbarous methods,
they tried to compel them to work for
them In Belgium itself, had already be
come well known in Belgium. Later
these quarrymen had been sent to Ger-
many, w here they were put on a diet
similar to that of the Soltau camp.
Besides hunger, other means were used
to compel them to work. One day they
were lined before a machine gun and
told that if they ' did not immediately
consent to work they would be shot.
They all replied that they would rather
die from bullets than .die from hunger.
The machine gun did not fire. Before
such splendid resistance even German
persistence grew weary ; some of the
workmen were released and returned to
their homes ; they were in a lamentable
condition, and some of s their heroic
comrades died. .
It seems, indeed, to have been ,he, cus-J
torn generally in the slave compounds
to menace the working men with ma
chine guns. One returning group1 was
composed of two or three hundred men
of all ages, who came from the camp
near Murffeter ; the greater number had
been able somehow, to endure and to
survive the sufferings that they had
been made to undergo.'
To force them to work, their Ger
man taskmasters had almost entirely
deprived them of food, and had left
them exposed for 10 hours to cold and
rain ; then, thinking that they were
sufficiently reduced, they ranged about
30 of them before machine guns ; the
order to work was given ; if they re
fused they were to be shot. And they
all refused.
The order was given to fire.
They
did not flinch, and the Germans fired in
the air. Before such resolution it was
said that some of the authorities pres-
ent were not aoie to conceal ineir emo
tions and that they announced to the
men that they were free and could re
turn to Belgium.
Inevitable German "But"
Another group, less numerous, re-
! turned to the Halriault from the same
camp : one of them was found dead in
the train on its arrival at Mons ; about
50 were so enfeebled and exhausted that
they could scarcely walk, and were led
away from the railw'ay station to their
homes supported by two or three rela
tives. And yet all of the men had been
examined by German doctors before
they were deported and all those who
were not physically fit were rejected.
In six weeks' time these strong, healthy,
vigorous workmen had been turned to
skeletons.
One of the men was the son of a f
manufacturer at Ghlin, who had been
the "foreman of his father's factory
-where 30 workmen were employed. After
a heroic resistance of 35 days he was
no longer able to endure he food, be
came ill, surrendered, and agreed to
work. He was set to digging, in spite
of the fact that he was not physically
fitted for such work : and. far from being
a chomeur, his factory at Ghlin In the
meantime had never ceased to operate.
After the protests made by the presi
dent and the king of Spain at Berlin,
certain influences were set in motion
in an effort to have the slave drive in
Belgium stopped, and returning from a
visit to Berlin, undertaken as a result
of these efforts. Lancken brought back
word that if Cardinal Mercier would
appeal to the emperor, the emperor
would suspend the deportations and or
der the return of the men. The cardinal
therefore prepared and sent an appeal,
signed by all the personalities In Bel
gium. Lancken took the cardinal's let
ter to Berlin- and came back with the
reply. The emperor had been graciously
pleased to grant the request, the de
ported men were to be returped to Bel
gium, but the inevitable, sinister "but"
in all German negotiations theynust
work for the Germans in Belgium.
But in a lenten pastoral letter, which
he had written on Sexagesima Sunday
and had read In all the churches, the
cardinal had spoken out once more; he
had publicly expressed the horrors of
the deportations.
Germans in Rage Again
TThose who are fighting for the lib
erty of the Belgian flag are brave men.
Tho?e interned in Holland and Germany.'
who raised their fettered hands to
heaven on behalf of their country, are
brave m:n. Our exiled compatriots, who
bear in silence the weight of their isola
tion, als"o !erve their fatherland to the
best of their ability, as do all those
souls who, either behind the cloister1
walls or in the retirement of their own
homes, pray, toil, and weep, awaiting
the return of their absent ones, and
our common deliyerance.
"We have listened to the mighty Voices
of wives and mothers ;through their
ttars they have prayed God to sustain
their courage and fidelity to the honor
of their husbands and sons, carried off
by force to the enemy's factories. These
gallant men have been heard at the
hour of departure, rallying their energy
to instill courage into their comrades, or
by a supreme effort, to chant the ria
atiomal hymn, we have seen some of them
on their return, pale, haggard human
wrecks ; as our tearful eyes sought their
dim eyes we bowed reverently before
them for all unconsciously they were, re
vealing to us a new and unexpected
aspect of national heroism.
"After this, can it be necessary to
preach courage to you?"
As a result of the .cardinal's words
the Germans were once more In a rage
and threatened to rescind the promise
that the deportations would be discon
tinued. They contented themselves at
last, ; however, with arresting the secre
tary of the cardinal and some of the
priests who had read the pastoral, and
on March 14 the following announce-
OF FLEI
i II - F a1 Id, '"VV-S' - 'j ... 'g I . X ..." i I t l .-. ;
3 !??
Discharging
ment was made, and appeared in 'the
journals in Belgium : .
"Berlin. 14th March, 1917.
"Certain prominent Belgians belong
ing to vaKoua groups have recently ad
dressed' a petition to his majesty the
emperorv begging him to put an end to
the' forced deportation of Belgian work
men into Germany, and to have those
Belgians who have been sent there re
turned to their homes.
"Those who signed that petition di
rectly addressed to his majesty have
just been informed that the- emperor has
decided to submit the request which
they have drawn up to the careful con
sideration of the governor, general and
of competent authorities, himself re-?
serving a final decision until after that
examination.
"In the meantime, his majesty has
given an order to have returned imme
diately to Belgium, if this has not al-
ready been done, those Belgians sent to
Germany by mistake, and to suspend
uitil further notice the forced deporta
tion to Germany of unemployed Bel
gians." Unfit Only Ones Ketnrned
i The condition that they must work
on their return, which at first was so
I deenly resented, proved to have in the
: end only an academic Interest.. So far
j as j know, none except those physically
j incaDabie cf working were ever re-
turne1 Belgium, and most of them
were so far gone that they were brought
home only to die.
We supposed, however, that with the
imperial promise the deportations had
come to an end and that we could in
dulge the natural feeling of relief that
would come with the passing of the
worst of the horrors the Germans had
brought to Belgium.
And yet. almost unnoticed. In those
uncertain days of anxiety and .care,
there were being enacted the first scenes
in a tragedy that transcended any yet
playeaj in Belgium, the preparation for
a deed worse than the atrocities, wosse
than the Cavell case, worse than the de
portations. They were of that sensational nature
and of that stark objectivity which in
stantly shocked the civilized portions of
mankind. But this went deeper, was
far more subtle and insidious. The
atrocities, the deportations and the rest,
destroyed the body ; this was an attempt
to destroy the soul. They murdered
men ; this would assassinate a nation.
On the third of March, or about that
time, the German newspapers announced
that the administration in Belgium
would be separated ; then 10 days later
the German newspapers were filled with
accounts of a "visit" to Berlin of a
group of Belgians, so called leaders
among the Flemish, who had gone to
present a petition to that end. f
Prepccupled by my own problems and
perplexities, I paid little attention to
this at the time ; it was mentioned now
and then, but we were thinking and
talking of other things. Nor had the
deed aa yet been consummated. But on
March 21 there appeared on the walls
of Brussels a small poster which, when
understood in all of its implications, was
an offense against Justice and natural
right more serious than any of the deeds
that, had marked the German adventure
in Belgium.
The notice was as follows :
"There are formed in Belgium two ad
ministrative regions, one of which com
prises the provinces of Antwerp, Lim
bourg. Kast and West Flanders, as well
as the districts of Burssels and of Lou
vain ; the other of which comprises the
provinces of Hainault. Liege, Luxem
bourg and Namur, as well as the district
of Nivelles.
"The administration of the first of
these two regions will be directed from
Bysels ; that of the second from Na
mur. "AU arrangements looking to th as
surance .cf the. execution of the present
order, rfmably from the point of view
of the administrative organization of
the two regions and the transfer of the
control, are reserved. For anytnlng
concerning tne ministry of arts and sci
ences, the .orders of the twenty-fifth
October. 1915, thirteenth December and
the fourteenth February, 1917 (Official
Bulletin of Laws and Orders, pp. 2930.
3054 and 3319) remain in force until the
publication of the above-mentioned ar
rangements. "The governor general In Belgium.
"FREIHERR VON BISSINO.
"Generaloberst."
r "Brussels, 21st March, 1917."
Had Xfttp Significance
The order was the final flowering "of
a long cherished scheme of von Blssing's,
a scheme for the complete conquest and
agglutination of Belgium, cunningly de
vised and inaugurated by the transfor
mation of the University of Ghent into a
Flemish institution. He had meditated it
for long months ; its details had been
studied with Machiavellian subtelty in
the political department and while he
was taking the cure at Wiesbaden he
had matured it ; when he returned he
promulgated it.
The moment was hardly auspicious,
and as we thought it over and talked
It over e could just see why Von Hiss
ing had" been so opposed to the depor
tations not as a principle but as
policy and why he bad quarreled or at
m mmmKSmKUammKKmmtKBSHHIIItKBSIIILlUtillit 1 . 1 1 . ! ! . . I .Sgr' aaaaaatMaWMaSMRHSMi
! J ' -
HISSING'S i NEAT. IDEA
supplies for the commission on UelgiunJ relief
least differed with, Hlndenburg la ma
nlere douce (the gentle method) ivhich
Hlndenburg asd his leaders could neith
er tolerate nor apparently understand.
The wily old Prussian general had in.
his hand a plan far greater than that
crude one of Hlndenburg to batter jthe
Belgian nation into submission by jthe
rude shock, of his instruments of war;
Von Blssing with his mediaeval Ideas of
life, surrounded .by men who had stud
ied "The Prince" jof Machlavelll ata jen
gtneers study text books, was - already
dramatizing himself amid acclamations
of enthusiastic "Hochs !" 6r a" posterity
that would hail him as the first dicta
tor of Belgium and as the. man who ftad
annexed it to the empire. j
Hindenburg's corrring to the wes'tern
front had ruined ajfhls careful plans by
his stubborn and imperious will. Arid it
must have been a bitter and ironical fo
ment for the old general when, posing
as a patron of leaning: and of art. and
the savior of the Flemish people, at jthe
very rrjoment In which he was delivering
an address In opening the Flemish Uni
versity at Ghent, he could catch the
strains of the "Lion of Flanders" sung
by the Flemish workmen whom the Btu
pld military men were dragging off into
slavery. j
The laflest and worst German atroci
ties In Belgium was always referred to
i as la separation administrative, a phrase
that hardly illustrates Us sinister and
tragic significance. It meant more of
course, than a mere division of the pro
saic functions of thevivll administration
fof the kingdom ; it involved the estab
lishment of two administrations where
one had served before, one that bad
been in operation for .- more than; 80
years and was an Integral part of j the
most practical . and satisfactory system
of government, based on the old com
munal system.. It Involved the destruc
tion of the w(?rk of long years of Bcfc
glan effort, j . ' i
. Would Quietly Crnh Belgium j
The Hague convention .made it: in
cumbent on the German occupant , to
respect the laws In force in the coun
try, the only exception recognized by
that convention being that of "abso
lute necessity." There had beeni no
absolute necessity for innovation :j the
Belgian" administration . had carried on
as the Knglish say under German oc
cupation for more than two years. The
functionaries had continued at their
posts at the express Invitation of Gen
eral Von, Blssing himself, and with a
promise that they would not be (mo
lested. Why was it., then considered
necessary to destroy jjhls organization
and in its place erect two organiza
tions, one F4emish and the other Wal
loon ? , ' - j
It was considered necessary because
it was desired; to dismember Belgium
not alone to create dissensions among
the people, not only toi divide them-j and
to break the national isplrlt, but toi de
Did your (Child wake up
Cross or Feverish? ;
Look, Mother ! j II Tongue it Coated,
cleanse the liver and bowels with ,
"California Syrup of FigV :
Mother! Your child isn't naturally
cross and peevish. See if the tongiie is
coated ; this Is a sure sign that: its
little stomach, liver and bowels need at
tention at once. ... .. ' j
When listless, pale, feverish,' "stuffy"
with cold, throat sore, when the child
has tainted - breath, doesn't f eat,
sleep or act naturally, lias stomach-ache,'
diarrhea,: remember, a gentle liver and
bowel cleansing should always be the
first treatment given. j -
Nothing;' equals "California Syrup ot
Figs", for- children's, ills; - give a tea
spoonful, and In a fw hours all tne
stroy the nation ; it was part of the un
altered purpose of the German military
oligarchy and the pan-Germanists '..to
create a .Mltteleuropa, a purpose from
which' they had never swerved for an
instant; they would first separate the
Flemish ' provinces from Belgium, and
then attach tnem ,to the empire, thus
gaining the grist. port of Antwerp and
th Belgian litWal. . '
After. Governor General von Blssing's
death in 1917, there was published a
document that purports to be" a memoir
left by him in which he sets forth hi
views of the future of Belgium, of Ger
many and of the world In general. The '
authenticity of i this document, so far
as I know, has never been authoritative
ly denied, in it Baron -von Blssing says:
, "I propose to develop here an opinion
already expressed by me In a previous
memoir, I I wish to speak of the crul
necessity, or rather the sacred duty,
which Imposes Itself on us to hold Bel
glum under our influence and our dom
ination, because the security of Ger
many demands that we "do not give
Belgium back its liberty." '
The governor! general in his memoir
was without Illusions. He said that
there .was . no hope of "reconciling the
Belgians, and that In spite of all trea
ties that might .be. obtained, - Belgium
would remain inimical to Germany. He
develops his theory of the use Ger
many could make of Belgium, not only
Industrially, but as an outpost against
Kngland in that future war, of which
he speaks as though it were already'
an actuality. "He -says that after the
conclusion of peace, . they, the Germans,
cannot perm it-Belgium to be resuscitated
as a state and as a neutral country,
hd adds: . . - -,
To Be Continued Next Sunday.
Send the Bills to "B I IT
New York, Jan. 4. (I. N. 8.) Some
"loyal" Americans here are wearing
troubled looks these days. - These are
they who invested "heavily., In i German
war bonds. They are .wondering from
whom they are to collect' '
Will Take Off
1 ' All Excess Fat
I)o jtu know that there U a atmple, harm
leaa, effective remedy for overfataeaa that mar
be used teaful and aecrelly ly any titan itr
woman who ia Inalng the a: I m new of youth?
There la; And It la hone, other than the tablet'
form of the now famous Marmola I'reacrlntioa.
known aj . Marmola Prearrtptlon Tablet.
You can well expect a reduction of from two to- .
four pound a week without dieting or exerrla
Ina;. Marmola .Prescription Tablets are soli br ..
all drugg-tHl at 7Be for a large case, or If you
prefer gjTran order direct from, the Marmola
Cxt.. H04 Wfcwiward Ave.. Detroit. Mlrh Adv. -
( waste matter, sour bHe and fermenting
iooo - wnicn is clogged In the bowels
passes out of the system and you have
a healtliy And playful child again. All
children love this harmless, delicious
'fruit laxative" and it never falls to
effect a good "inside" cleansing. Directions-
for babies, - children of all ages
and . grown-ups are plainly on the
bottle. . ' -' . -
-Keep It handy in ypur home. A'. little
given today eaves a sick"; child . tomor
row, but get the genuine. I ' " . . . -,
Look for name "California.' Accept no
Fls Syrup but "California." Adv.
- i . - - , -