The Detroit times., 1914-08-22


What is the actual fighting like
In the very, heart of the great
European war?
What is there to be seen ii
the villages, along the roads, II
the fields? How do the people
in the homes, in the streets, In
the country places take it?
I am just a plain American
citizen who has never seen war
1 have always lived in the peace
Of Cleveland, Ohio, mostly, anc
a in Chicago and New York.
Could / not gosto this scene Of
horror and devastation and tel
the folks at home, my country
people, something definite, some,
thing of human interest, some.
thing that would interest them
more than the dull, heavy mass
of cable dispatches about fight.
ing, skirmishes, troop move
ments and the like? Could ]
who had always lived where
there was peace, not tell them
. Just how terrible this war is?
/ said I'd try.
Goes Over to Belgium TO See.
So went to Belgium and now
am Just back In London to cable ex-
actly what saw.
In performing my task succeeded
FIN penetrating to within a dozen
s miles of Liege, to a point where the
sky was alight with fire, the air
acrid with powder and the whole
arch of the heavens reverberating
n with the thunderclap OF cannon.
Il had been easy to reach Brussels.
III sailed from Folkestone, England,
r to Ostend, the famous resort on the
Belgian coast.
The trip. to Brussels through the
marshlands was uneventful, the train
but 40 minutes late.
But In Brussels | began to notice
the nrst active signs OF war raging
10 terribly from Liege westward.
The great Palace hotel at Brussels
had already been turned into an i'm
n1ense hospital and big Red Cross
signs were painted tn every window.
& was az once sent to the bureau
of the gendarmerie, on Boulevard Wa
(erloo. TO declare myself, and there
4 requested pass to Liege.
How shall get to the front?" !
osked a sergeant. Automobiles are
$50 day"
THE trains are still running" he
laughed. "The Germans can't hurt
ps; Belgium Is still the greatest sum-
1uer. resort In the world!"
Batting Fire 60 Their Own Wheat.
b SO bought secUnd-cfass ticket to
1>ouvain. Is miles away. then still
the seat Of the Belgian army.
The ride to Louvain began to tell
me how very terrible this European
WAR Is going to be. everywhere
hnw farmers setting fire to their rip
4 oning wheat fields SO the fated Ger
mans could get no food-could get
not even dry kernel of hunger-satis-
tying wheat
Along the roads motors filed with
a armed soldiers were passing this way
EInnd that, and armed messengers on
4 bicycles rushed back and forth to
The forts between Brussels and LOU
vain with dispatches from the gov
ernment to the army.
< Belgian, French and English flags
a Gecorated all houses and groups OF
4 Belgian peasants stood at every cor
ner discussing "the terrible war"
Just outside Louvain the train sud
1only came to a standstill and a
rQuad Of Belgian cavalry came along
1nording several Uhlans, German cav
11rymen, who were laughing and jok-
n4 with their captors while cigar
fteS hung impudently from their
oay soldiers, Playing Children.
AZ Louvafu the streets were fairly
Ehoked with soldiers they marched
along the sidewalks. drank before the
cafes, played checkers on the curbs
|or dashed about fn-s automobiles, but
overywhere children were running
and playing as usual. and pretty mil
liners stood in doorways waiting for
&cune one to buy the hats they had
>ntended TO sell to the American tour
<Iets this summer.
IN front OF the Hotel De Vile.
which the Belgians had taken over as
m army barracks, stood 10 stacks or
rines, 10 feet high. and in the quaint
y courtyard were two great military
y Held wagons which were being per
f sonally guarded by Belgian officers.
These wagons were filed with vaiu.
able records ready TO fly north to
the capital or Antwerp on an in
stant's notice.
While waiting fer nay passport te-
r be examined before proceeding to
Tirlemont noticed black speck
IA the sky, II slowly grew into o
f giant aeroplane There was a gen.
eral rush into the streets and cries:
rCest un aeroplane allemand!' Ut
II q German aeroplane.)
Then followed a subdued hush as
the winged cruiser hung over the city
hall But the expected bomb lie not
fall and soon checker games were
ftfumed and miliiners came back 70
the dcorways smiling, but still doubt.
ful smiles, and with many a pretty,
ANXIOUS peek upward.
The cafes alone were doing bust
hess In Louvsin. They were crowded
md cries. I'm grand bockr Ca big
<orl filled the afr and the fumes of
1oor hung heavy,
yeryVhere the less seriously
pdcd Belgian soldiers lay, await
~ d. 1islsnoas. all.d with