Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-11
AMERICAN ARTIST
SENTENCED TO DIE
Watched German Soldiers Pre-
pare His Grave, But Some
One Interfered.
DEMENTED LIEUTENANT
ORDERED HIM EXECUTED
Dr.. Laskam of Washington Reaches
London From Vienna and Berlin.
En- Route Eight Days.

ROTTERDAM. via London. Septcm-
Der II. 1890 a-m.-Further experiences
are related of the party of American
who have Just arrived
on Dutch soil after being held prison
ers by the Germans in Belgium and
France.
Lawrence Stein Stevens, an American
artist. who was a feiIow-prisoner os
the correspondents from BEAUMONT to
Aix-la-Cnappelle. underwent a fright
full ordeal at the hands of a demented
German lieutenant. who sentenced him
to be shot as an English spy. Sevens
left Brussels August "a in an automo-
bile with King Albert's photographer.
Victor Hennebeard, and Belgian cor
respondent with the intention of max
ing sketches on the battlefield. Tn
known to Stevens, the Belgian CORE
spondent carried a camera and the Red
Cross insignia in express violation
the rules of war.
AT Laneffe, to the southeast OF Char
leroi they met Belgian peasants fleeing
Il ON the lighting a. Lobbes Hero
Stevens was arrested by German
lieutenant and stripped of an American
flag and all his possessions save fra
ternity pin. he was placed roughly in
a wagon between two German guards
and taken to the gendarmerie on the
outskirts of the town.
The lieutenant prodded him with a
gun which he had loaded and at the
stepped q foot in any direction he
would be snot. The German soldiers
significantly tapped their foreheads, in
dlcating that the officer was not II his
right mind.
Sentenced to Die.
At dusk the American artist was
placed in a vile inner cell, where lie
was confined for an hour He was
then taken to an outer room. court
martialed and sentenced to die at d
O clock the next morning. He was led
into the courtyard. where he was
shown eight soldiers who would carry
out his execution.
When he expostulated he was struck
by the lieutenant and showed into the
prison with his hands bound behind
him and seated in a campchair with
two guards. His eight prospective ek-
ecutioners slept between him and the
door and another guard stretched him
self in front of the doorway.
Determining upon plan OF escape.
Stevens wriggled his hands free from
off his shoes. He decided to overturn
the lamp and In the excitement TO
run into the orchard behind the build
ing. At this point Prussian ofiicer
entered and sat down to read paper
under the dim lamp. his knees touch
ing Stevens.
Resigned to death, the American fell
asleep, only to be awakened by the
CLEAN of a searchlight. Fingers OF
light fell upon two soldiers with their
picks and shovels breaking ground III
the courtyard for his grave
At 5:55 o'clock in the morning tho
eight guards In the room strapped on
their cartridge belts and loaded their
guns. Stevens was ordered TO fan in.
Marched for Two Days.
Suddenly the plans were changed. al.
instead of going to his death. Stevens
was taken before Gen. Won Arnim at
the Chateau de Casteau. After being
forced to march for two days with the
Germans, Stevens was found by the
American correspondents at Beaumont,
where for two nights. he slept in small
cell packed with French prisoners.
Stevens saw the battlefield south OF
Lobbes six hours after the engagement,
when the French were driven out OF the
town up the slope into the wood. Tho
ground was covered with French dead:
the city was entirely destroyed; the
fields were massed with dead horses ana
cattle. field guns and musical instru-
ments in indescribable confusion
LONDON. September Il-Mrs. David
Williams. former president of the ST
Louis Young Womens Christian Associa-
ton. whose whereabouts had been ur-
known for several weeks and whom the
State Department at Washington mad
been trying to locate. has arrived safely
in London from Ostend, accompanied oy
her two children and Mrs George d.
Smith of Montreal and her two children.
They had been for eighteen days in
Brussels, in which city they arrived be-
fore the Germans entered, and were IN
able to get away or communicate Win
friends outside. They owed their ultimate
escape to the assistance rendered them
by Ethelbert Watts, the American consul
general, who obtained two automobiles
for them and a safe conduct permit from
the German general.
On their trip to the coast from brussels
the Americans passed thousands OF Ger
man troops and frequently were held up
while their papers were being examined
The Flushing boat train last nigh
brought many Americans from Austria
Hungary and Germany. Among the mum
Der was DIR. Loskan of Washington, who
left Vienna eight days ago on specia!
train for Berlin, which carried 300 Amer!-
cans He said the people of Vienna Ner"
taking a lighter view Of the war than
the people OF Beriln. Wnere ne Feihati'e'.
for five days
The main streets of Berlin. said the
phy stefan, were crowded until midnight
By people who were anxious to get war
news The Germans were confident OF
victory, but at the same time though
Excellent w.. x is being done at both
Vienna and Berlin by special committees
in assisting Americans TO return to their
homes.
500 More Coming Home.