The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-09-14
United Press Staff Cores
pondent Tells of the Drop
ping Of Bombs Upon
Belgian City.
LIKE A SHOOTING STAR
Vivid Description Of Arrival Of Ger
man Airship and its Hurried De
parture From the
Heavens.
nBy VIM. 6. Shepherd. United Press
Staff Correspondence

pBy VIM. G. Shepherd. United Press
Staff Correspondence
ANTWERP, Sept. 8 (6y mall to
New Ycrk)-Before this war, experts
used to say perfection Of terrible In
struments Of killing would only tend
to make war impossible. It doesn't
do that, though. watched the Yep
peIin dropping bombs upon Antwerp
last night and such perfection only
makes war more terrible. with . re
finement Of barbarism. As saw the
Zeppelin depart IL seemed that the
best argument against war was that
il turned men into such merciiess de-
mons as these Zeppelin nurderers-
The widest flights Of imagination
couldn't approach what happened in
Antwerp twelve hours ago. Early in
the evening Belgian captain took
me the rounds Of his company sta
toned in the center Of the city. His
men were divided into small squads
in a dozen streets They were sitting
on the sidewalks with their back
against the building walls, drinking
hot coffee which had been brought to
them In an automobile. IL seemed that
his men were pretty we'll spread out
in case Of an attack by the Germans,
but the captain said there were 3o,-
COO soldiers scattered over the city
in the same way. Later the reason
wzs apparent
Not until enc o'clock in the morn
ING Gid the big red harvest moon be-
gin TO sink 1t left the street in pitch
tzrknexs- The city was tranquil anc
stu. and the craeke Of dry autumn
leaves which had fallen from the eins
IN che public square, seemed noise.
u s<as chilly toe. ard the soldiers On
the siae~zaks were wrapped UP in
en.ir big cssrrnsss, and too dro~sy
or 70, comfortable 70 challenge
An tour and = half later was
s~asenes ~ soldiers talking excited
ny IA the street Beneath my window.
art zbos. the Sound o. their voices,
was anr.ne- noise. terrific ~hirrins,
high IN the SKY ! jumped from bed,
rushed 20 .te window and looked up
wards There was terrific explosion,
far z~sy. deep booming roar. a
moment later . spark came Whiriing
and cirrIins through the air like 4
shooting star gone mad II sank into
the SKY lire Of roofs and another ex-
pios5on doomed out.
And ssen UP against the stars, ]
saw the Zeppelin. perhaps mile
high and out over the outskirts Of the
town. There's sickening feeling Of
ute. heipicssness In witnessing such
a sisFt and mingled with this feeling
there 10 fascination in the thought
that such thing 10 not superhuman,
that 10 there In the sky, men, human
beings, wording, carrying out orders,
watching maps Of the city, tracing
the streets, pulling levers, adjusting
greasy machinery, turning steering
wheels and lighting fuses to bombs
Intended 70 kill men, women and chill
dren. remembered what a great
Belgian statesman had said only that
sfternoon: "You know only two
christmsses ago, Emperor Wilhelm,
Of Germany and King Albert Of Bel
sium spent the holiday season toseth-
er. King Eibert's baby daughter loved
the emperor co much because he
played with her, that she cried to get
on 70 his lap and was inconsoiabie
when his visit was ended. How he
can order his Zeppelins, now to drop
bombs on the house where this little
girl and her brother and sisters and