The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-09-14
THEIR SLEEPING PLACE
ONERRUN WITH RATS

oNEIRtN WITH RATS
Sleep was quite out of the question
The place was overrun with rats. and
we did not enjoy their presence. In
the morning we continued our way
through the village. and two little Bel
Bian girls came out and gave us some
bread aud butter, for which we were
very grateful.
1--WE got back ON The road to Lou
vain. and stumbled upon German en-
campmcnt We picked up Il pack nf
playing cards and a cap from tho dead
body OF a Belgian soldier. There were
many dead horses and Il few dead sol.
dters hcreabouts. They were Ger.
man horses
Just outside of Touvain We met a
troop of Germans, ana they allowed
us 10 go on, although they told us
there was considerable danger, as the
inhabitants were still firing Neither
OF us Will ever forget the spectacle
louVain presented az we walked up the
principal street. The whole town had
apparently capitulated to the Germans,
although occasionally we heard the
sound OF hiring. But II was desultory
hrlns' and the greater part of the town
was in flames.
! Houses were falling. telegraph and
! telephone poles were tunbling into the
streets. and the picture of desoiation
/ was complete. while German soldiers
were iootinS among the ruins. Dead
, mans were placing sacks over the
faces of the dead.
Ny friend. with touch Of grim
, humor said: We'll, now that we have
reached q town and left the open coun-
! Try. we snail nave 10 make ourselves as
! respectable as possible. am going to
nave n shave And he was as good as
ms word. Vie marched into tho ruins
OF BARRIERS shop, helped himself to Il
razor, and shaved himself
/ Further down the street We met
+ more German soldiers. who actually
CAV" Us cigars. They would not have
treated us like This had they known we
/ were English. My friends boots had
given out and The Germans took him
/ mt" bootmakcr's shop--now lacking
an owner-and picked him out new
/ pair OF shoes
( AS we wen; down a side street TO-
/ WARDS the centre Of the town we met
Two German soldiers carrying can
/ AIRY. which they had taken out OF n
burning house. This they rave to my
/ TREND, who offered II to one of three
! Rclgians girls outside a provision shop.
Ihe bird escaped from them and new
through burning gateway. My
/ TREND ran after II and rescued it, but
/ had his coat burned for his pains lie
! thcn gave The canary back 10 the girls
! CAUTION TO PRESERVE
IisFORIC nClLDiNG
city we found the whole place was in
fiames with the exception Of the Hotel
de Vile This beautiful old fifteenth
/ century structure was intact, and tho
, Germans had taken caution to preserve
/ it, ! not only saw this for myself
tho houses facing II had not been fred
but / aSccrtaiucd 1t from several
German officers that II was their in
! iention 10 save ths grand old pile.
f, That WAS last Friday morning, and |
have not tho least doubt that 81 re-
mains III the same condition to-day.
The cathedral. however had not
been allowed to got scot free. All the
windows had been knocked in, and we
were ;cid that people mad taken refuge
in the cathedral and fred on tho Ger
mans from the windows The fabric
was still standing when we we're there.
and on going inside we found many
. dead bodies.
In The burning streets German Off.
/ ccrs. looking well groomcd and clated,
were going about In motor cars Al
/ last We Ws;rc taken TO the station and
/ told To wait for the train at Liegc.
Here we sat for three hours talking to
| tho German soldiers. They told us that
tho English prisoners were there, and
| they described some Scotchmen to us
They told us they had taken 400