Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-10-21
ALL BELGIUM HAS
BEEN DEVASTATED
PEOPLE STARVING
World Can Never Appreciate
Sacrifices Little Nation Has
Made to Combat Pow
erfuI Foe.
FAMINE ADDS TO HORRORS
Returned Visitor Says Germans
Are Confiscating All Food
MANY Cities Are
Laid Waste.
ADDS TO HORRORS

MANY C1tleS Are
Laid Waste.
London Special: A graphic picture of
the desolation of Belgium was brought
to London today by J. II. Whitehouse
member Of parliament, from Lanark-
shire. who has just returned from a
tour around Antwerp to assist In re-
lief measures.
Having always regarded war as the
negation of all that is good" said Mr..
Whitehouse tonight, II desired to see
what its ravages were in g country ex-
posed to all its fury and what steps
were possible to mitigate them. do
not think that any one here has real
ICED the plight of the civilian popula-
ton of Belgium today n I can at
tempt to give a picture OF it only by
describing some of my own exper-
fences"
Mr.. whitehouse made the journey
outside Antwerp with two military
cars. attended by Belgian officials. In
describing the damage which he say
the Belgians had to inflict upon them
selves to supplement the defense OF
Antwerp. he said:
Hundreds of thousands of trees had
been cut down so that at some points
of u Quincy we a h impression
Of passing through a wilderness Of
roots. The tree trunks had been re-
moved so as to afford no ove to the
enemy. All houses had been blown up
or otherwise destroyed. Later we
passed through the country which had
been flooded as a further measure OF
deferce. The damage resulting from
these precautionary measures alone
amounted to 1000, 900 pounds sterling
C5.000. 000). In the villages all ordin-
Arv life was orracfod vVnynQn and
children were standing or sitting. dumb
and patient. by the road side. Halt
way to Termonde we could plainly hear
h booming of guns and saw many
evidences OF the battle which was then
raging.
Termonds in Ruins.
Il had read newspaper accounts of the
destruction of Ter1nonde and had seen
photographs. but they had no put In
mind any realization of the horror of
h actually happened. Termonde a
few weeks ago was a beautiful city of
about 10000 Inhabitants. a city in
which the dignity Of its buildings har-
moniZed with the natural beauty Of Its
situation. a city which contained some
buildings of surprising interest.
II went through street after street,
square after square and l found every
house entirely destroyed with all its
contents. 1t was not the result of
OOuDaTOI1eIt, IL WAS SySlclILdlic Oc-
struction. In each hous separate
bombs had been placed which had
blown up the interior n set fire to
the contents. All that remained In
every case were portions OF the outer
walls which were still constantly fall
ing and inside the cinders Of the con-
tents Of the buildings. Not a shred of
"Of the population, I thought not a
soul remained. I was wrong. for as
we turned into a square where the
wreck of what had been one of the
most beautiful of Gothic churches. my
eyes met q blind woman and her
They were the sole living creatures
N b whole town.
Shops. factories. churches and
houses OF the wealthy, all were sim
fiarly destroyed. One qualification only
lave I to make OF this statement. Two
man command In chalk that they were
not to he burned. Where a destroyed
house had obviously contained articles
Of value, footing had taken place.
Population Has Fled.
II inquired what had become Of the
population. It vas q question to which
mo- direct reply could be given. They
had ned In all directions. Some had
reached Antwerp. but q great number
nantc stricken and starving. Many al
ready have reached this country.
Others remain wandering about Bel
gtum, docking Into other towns ant
villages or points q little way across
the Dutch frontier.
Some times when q town has beer
6ombarded the Germans have with
drawn and the civilians have returned
to their homes. only to flee again at
the renewed attack. A case In point