Evening journal., 1914-12-03
Nv WILLIAM PHILIP sIMMs

HAZEBROUCK, France, Oct %
(By Mail to New York; wish to
record in the first paragraph my
deep regard and admiration for the
Belgians. The French pinch" the
average war correspondent and clap
him into a Jail whenever he shows
the slightest inclination to do any
corresponding; the English deport
him: the Russians make fiowery, well
come-to- our-midst speeches-and keep
him so far behind the fighting line
that he can't even hear the guns
shoot.
But the Belgians are real sports.
They have a fellow feeling. They
are all right. They wink an eye and
turn a back while we go close enough
TO give the Germans a pot-shot at us.
Only this morning they let me chase
one of their own, specially manu-
factured Belgian battles into its very
lair along the User river-and then
let the battle chase me to Hazebrouck.
Needless to say, outran the battle.
Early this morning was in Dun
kirk yearning for closer acquaintance
with the fighting / could hear going
on II miles away ] went to the serv-
ice lieutenant. a gray-haired little re-
servist, for a pass. Plead as / might.
the only pass he would give me was
one to England. / left the reservist
lieutenant, crestfallen and badly dis
appointed. There seemed TO be no
hope in any direction. / sauntered
by Belgian headquarters, where / met
a Belgian lieutenant With whom
I IA 1nr MI fn1H Inn f1lt
troubles.
TOO bad" he said. "I'm going to
Hazebrouck today. My laissez-passer
is for two. Want to go along?'
Did 1? did.
We hurried to the lieutenant's car
and in no time passed through the
barricades at the city gates, over the
bridge spanning the seawater moat
and on into the country. The wind
shield had been shot away and as we
burned the road a fine mist stung our
faces like bay rum after a close
/ shave. Not until we passed through
Coudekerk did my friend speak.
Like to see some scrapping" he
casually asked.
/ | gasped, swallowing much mist. !
couldn't believe my ears.
"The fighting is just a short dis
tance to our left and the roads are
good. Want to risk it?"
/ could only nod "Yes."
After passing lovely Berques, moat-
ed. fortified and battlemented and
medieval we switched to the left and
slid like a streak along the road
stopping only once to show our
laissez-passer at East Cappel, where
we entered Belgium. We turned
north toward Dixmude
Then uddenly-Bang.
We darted into a cross-road and
right near us, Judging by the sound
the big guns were slamming away
We left the car and walked toward a
windmill 500 yards away. across beet
fields and a truck garden. The fir
ing became louder. with huge bOoms
echolng from our right
'"The French are using their rs.
millimeters over there" said the lieu
tenant, pointing northward. In the
distance | saw a small village.
The windmill was deserted. w
mounted the ladders to the top ant
looked out There was the battle
The German batteries were hidden II
a depression but we could see tn
puffs from their guns. Shells wer
flying back and forth over the village
Occasionally a shrapnel she'll burs
over the tile roofs.
"Belgians and French hold the vii
lage." said the lieutenant "The Ger
mans are about TO attempt to drive
them out"
Through the glasses I could SCI
many houses and churches in ruins
Lets get closer" l suggested. "I'v'
seen artillery duels before. 1 wan
to see infantry in action"
you'll find you're close enough,
was the answer. and the assertion wal
confirmed a second later.
S-p-r-e-w-w-w-w- -w-w-w- w-w-e-e-e-el
A shell Missed noisily just over th'
sails of the windmill.
Boom. It exploded quite a dis
tance back of us.
bad miss" said the lieutenant.
"S-p-r-e-W-w-w-w -w-w-e-e-e."
Again came that Kissing. a eros
between a safety valve sizzling, ant
the shrek of train wheels after tn
air has been applied.
The shell burst nearer than tn
first with another b-o-o-m.
SAY" the lieutenant exclaimed
they're after us, and that not ba'
shooting. We'd better get out-quick
They've spotted us with their glasse
e and think we're directing the Frencl
a fire. Il won't take more than thre
}. shells to get the range at this rate
= Come on"
= OF course, I didn't argue. Yes,
d hurried. and I'm confident someon
e had added several dozens of rungs {
e that ladder since we had climbed mp
! on It. We started a rapid retrea
across the beet garden. Another shel
T. dropped still nearer to the windmill
i as we stopped to look back from be
hind a pile of beets. We were in
field where harvesting had begun. i
|. regular pyramids, forty or fifty fee
apart. were great purple and whit
piles of beets. / lodged behind one
The Belgian was behind another
S-p-r-e-w-w-w- -w-w-w-w-e-e-ei" thi
shell was mighty close.
Flat down." the officer cried.
fell fat, clinging to my hat
Bang! A shrapnel burst not yer
far above us. Following the explc
sion came a great buzzing and zoon
ing not like the buzz of a hundre
million mad hornets or bees. 1t seem
ed the buzzing would go on forever
Something was tickling my neck
something was crawling down m
back. A spider, / thought; perhap
a biting spider. I remember fearful
wondering If it would prove to be