Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-11-07
BELCIANS FREELY
Give THEIR LIVES
Wives and Mothers Martyrs,
Says Eyewitness of the
Battle of Newport.
BY ARNO BOSCH.

lEyeWllneSS OF bdllle Oh NleupOEtJ'
Newport, Nov. 3.-(Delayed).-I is
impossible to be with the Belgian
army, making its last stand on its
own territory, without being carried
away by sympathy. 1t is a fight OF
men against big guns. 6And the men
have cheerfully given their lives to
hold that little stretch of lowland east
of Newport.
| began to see the cost of defense
at Folkestone when 1900 wounded
were taken off a hospital ship and 10,-
900 refugee Belgians were waiting to
see if their relatives were among
them. Calais is full of wounded and
refugees.
At Dunkirk you see only the mar
tial side, but in my hotel there are two
Belgian officers who come to dinner
with their pretty young wives. One
was an aviator, and l thought his wife
looked the more apprehensive of the
two.
The way the women keep right be-
hind the battle line makes this Bel
gian fight picturesque. They are at
the smallest end of their country-and
it is pitifully small, for l walked from
the battle line to the French frontier
in two hours-bravely sending their
men back to battle, with never a
tear
| dined last night with the % re-
naming members of a mitrailleuse
company of 20, which went into the
trenches Monday. The rest had been
blown to pieces by the German artil-
lery. Such is the pluck of the Bel
gians. OF the 20 dogs with them eight
were alive.
This remnant of a company attach
ed itself this morning to another shat
tered company of the Belgian army,
and returned to battle, laughing. Last
night they Toasted and saw their moth
ers and wives. This morning they
were back in the fight.
At little town near Newport, where
| slept, we were within two miles of,
falling shells; and during the night
position behind us. But the town was
full of women folk of the army.
1t is a seaside resort, and many OF
the hotels are full. At night, after
days fighting, some soldiers always
are permitted few hours leave. Last
night as evening approached the wom-
en- began to appear, walking out to-
ward the Newport road.
Five miles away there was a car
rage Watching their faces, l could
see when husband, brother, or son ap-
peared. Father and son came togeth-
er and lifted a weight from a little
Belgian woman's heart until she saw
her sons head was bandaged. Both
father and son made light of it, and l
saw them later dining together and
having good time.
Ten or more women still were
waiting when l passed that way, about
I o'clock Then only one l saw who
learned the worst was met by kind
Belgian boy who led her away before
he broke the news to her. He did this
to spare the others. He came into the
hotel an hour later subdued by a wom-
ans grief, but in half an hour he was
laughing and drinking with the rest.
In the fight today l heard him jok-
ing This air of devil-may-care is real.
1t satisfies ones ideal of a soldier and
takes the grimness away.
They are all that way. Dozens of
men going forward today once more
bandages. One had his right hand
wrapped up, except this thumb. He
could pull the trigger with that.
Many officers carry guns and every
gun counts, one said. The day before
yesterday l saw hundreds of Belgian
soldiers in Calais without arms. An
English correspondent there said that
the Belgian army had been broken to
pieces. Today l passed hundreds of