Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-11-02
THOMPSON PUT OUT
BY BRITISH SHELL
Intrepid Kansas Photographer
Finally Gets Taste of Real
War with Germans.
SIGHTS HE SEES IN BELGIUM
Tells Graphic story of His Wander
inEs Over Battle swept Country
UntiI Finally wounded
by an ExpIOsiOn.
Copyright, 1s14. by Press Publish.


LONDON, Nov. 1.-(Speciaf G -
TO New York World and Oman,
Donald Thompson. the Topeka. AN,
photographer who carried a camera
through Belgium. walked into the Worlds
London office this afternoon. looking as
though he had Just escaped from the
surgery ward Of an emergency hospital:
or as he put 1t himself, as II he had just
come through a Kansas cyclone
His story OF his adventures is best told
in his own words:
Il know my nose Is still attached to nv
face" began Thompson, because / can
feel it, but for several days was quite
sure that 1t had gone forever.
Under German Arrest.
Il left London. having come there from
Belgium. two weeks ago tomorrow, Sun
day and when reached Antwerp l found
myself under arrest A young German Of
ficer made me a prisoner the moment l
stepped off the train. be took me to
the general headquarters, at the Hotel
De Vile, or city hall. and there / was
met with profuse apologies because this
young lieutenant had mistaken me for
an Englishman. The general Immediately
invited me to have lunch with him. and
I accepted. We remained on the friend
Hest terms thereafter.
After lunch 1 obtained pass to go
through to Ostend. by stating that my
wife was living there and that was very
desirous of seeing her The Germans
were so sympathetic about this that they
offered to take me to Ostend Immediately
by motor. but knowing that my wife was
really in sunny Kansas, l told them l
would stay in Antwerp awhile to take
pictures of the German troops and other
pleasant features OF German rule.
A. On q Motorcycle Trip.
The commander readily consented TO
give me- a pass through the lines to
Malines. where I had left my trunk on a
previous visit, and even gave me n motor
cycle, apologizing for the scarcity OF
automobiles The motorcycle was OF an
American make. as the German smillngly
pointed out. had never ridden one in
my life, but experimental on the nerves
of a few people in Antwerp until
reached the gates of .he city. After a
while / learned how 70 stop the machine
when wanted to and so went 10 Fort
Walden swhsrs- the peasants were stAI
busy burying the dead.
Dead Left Unburted.
I'm the streets and houses OF Duffel
saw more dead men than 1 could have
believed possible. and no effort had been
made to bury them. From Duffel rode
to LIerre. where the work OF destruction
was complete. 1t was even worse than
at Louvain.
Brussels was my next stop, and find
ing things quiet there, managed to get
TO Mallnes. which is in ruins, Every viii
Iage between Malines and Brussels has
been leveIled to the ground, anu the
dead remain unburied in the fields.
Il returned to Antwerp Tuesday night,
and hearing that fighting had begun on
the coast, tried to get passes TO go in
that direction, but was met with a firm
refusal.
As a especial Envoy"
"I then happened TO remember that l
had a letter to Consul johnson at ostend,
so l set out Immediately for Bruges on
my motorcycle. Wherever / stopped
showed my American passport and said
was a special envoy, charged with dis
patches TO the American consul at Ostend.
In this way 1 finally got TO the Ger
man lines outside DiXmude on Wednes-
day afternoon. l bumped into Ger
man captain there, and. after some argu-
ment. managed to persuade him that l
had the personal permission of the kaiser
to photograph German troops, SO he said:
'al right. but rather dubiously. How
ever. he let mo go along with his de
tachment on the way 20 the coast
MANY Belgian prisoners were brought
in by the Germans, but saw few British.
In fact. the Germans told me that the
Belgians were doing all the fighting at
this point.
Gets Under Fire AEAin,
"outside Nieuport climbed down into
trench in the sand dunes and dug
sort of cave for myself few feet from
! the main firing line. Soon we were un-
der a heavy fire from the British fleet
and also from the batteries. The Ger
mans offered me some canned beef for
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