Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-12-03
BEREfl Of
Land and HOPE
Wars Blast Scattered a Happy
People; Their Future Is
Dark Indeed.

This story Of the sad plight OF the
Re,e;ans was sent by Samuel U.
Rlythe to the Relief Committee Tor
,,co in bringing home TO the Ameri-
cans the urgent need for Belgian re-
lief. ,ss
Did YOU ever look into the eyes or
friahtened dog? Or see terror in the
ewes of a horse? lf.you nave you
know the expression in the eyes OF
those Belgians who were being taken
TO England. If you have You know
what dumb horror means.
vare almost 600 refugees on that snip
and there had been thousands before
them, and were thousands after them.
Thev all had the same story. They
! all told it stolidly, unemotlonally'
with dull precision, all except tine
children, who hung close to thelr
mothers, equally horror-strlcken,
equally tired and travel-stained, but
not, knowing what had happened. Nor,
indeed, did many Of these women or
the men know what had happencd.
hey were living their usual lives IN
their villages and on their farms. Sud
, denly strange mon appeared. There
was shooting. Soldiers. rushed hack
and forth through their streets. Hons
es crumbled before artillery fire ang
burned. N,eighbors. were killed. They
were told to hurry away. They took
what they could of their poor belong
ings, tied them in towels or in sheets
and went. They walked and walked.
They slept in the hegerows and in the
fields. They were drenched by rain.
They had little food. Finally, tired
and hungry. they reached other men
in uniforms who were kind TO them,
and now they were on this boat, going
somewhere. They didn't know where.
They didn't know why. They knew
nothing, save that a sudden fame OF
death and destruction had swept over
their homes. and that, after much suf-
fering and much pain, they were herd.
ed on the decks Of a ship on their way
to a foreign land.
What have ! dOne?' a woman ask
ed, a with five children, one
but a few months old. She sat on a.
bundle tied in a sheet. She was thin
and pale, but she was as Unconditional
as if she had been a wooden woman
'What Have | Done"
What have | done?" she moaned
repeatedly. What have | done u"
Where is your husband?" the
priest asked her. =.
Il do not know" yY
Where did you live?"
Il do no. know" "
What happened TO you?"
4 do not know" "s"
""You see," said the priest to me.
These poor creatures are in absolute
ignorance as to what has happened
AID what is happening. They do not
know r. Nv ~ u, IN. ~
AS we started along the deck the
woman reached out her hand timidly
and caught the skirt Of the long coat
the priest wore. He stopped ann
turned to ner.
Father she said, "what have I
done?"
Mail a Check.
Belgium was the pathway leading
20 France for Germany, and Germany
used that pathway. The Belgians
made what resistance they could.
Thus seven and a half millions of
peaceful people were caught in the
swirl of the tremendous military or.
erations that followed, and have been
the bloody pawns of the great game
OF war that is being played in that
territory. Belgium had no part in the
quarrel. l asked probably a. hundred
or the most intelligent types of these
people who are refugees whether they
Rno" why their country is at war.
ana not one Of them knew excent
vaguely. ''
Belgium didn't want wal. What
heigium wanted was peace and an
opportunity to pile up francs one nv
one. 1t was a prosperous country
me people are abnormally thrifty,
Ihey save in every possible way Bit
got war, got war that, be.
lore Il is over, will devastate the
whole territory of Belgium, and that
mas already killed thousands Of her
young men and driven thousands nm.
on thousands of her people to foreion
countries for refuge.
Since European wars hogan po,
GUM has been fought over, Armies
ave marched back and forth @acroa
her fertile fields and drenched MI
streets Of her peaceful villages Win
blood. The little kingdom has hooN
the sport of Mars. But now, in this
war, Belgium faces destruction ax
cept the elimination of her actnol
ground. The land will be left. nrohl
aDly, but, if the war continues for :
long time, that is about all that wiz,
be left. 'ia' VIII
Contributions to the Relief f,,na
may be made by mailing a. check nav.
ABLE to Governor L. B. Hanna or Pay
ADAMS, treasurer, to r. L. Conk,in
secretary, Bismarck, N. D.. or eI NV das
posting the amount with the R d;s
marck Bank, City National Of F n,st
National Bank Of Bismarck or a. anws
oank in Bnrleigh county. Contrih,,.
IONS will be acknowledged Nv tha
DIES FOR TRIPLE MURDER. NJ.
Colamous, o., Dec. s.-Harlev:
Heard, 10 years old, must die in the.
electric chair here tomorrow. for HE
| confessed mnrdor - 4, tEf'' way