The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-08-18
THE BATTLE AT LIEGE
A SAVANNAH MAN TELLS WHY
GERMANS ATTACKED CITY.
Believed They Could Effect Quickest
Entrance Across French Frontier
and Thence to Paris.


SAVANNAH, Ga.-That by at
lacking Liege the Germans believed
they could effect the quickest en-
trance across the French frontier
and thence to Paris is the belief OF
DR.. George R. White, who was in
Liege ten days before the fight,
At the time he was IL Liege Dr..
White was given no intimation that
it was in few days to become the
scene of one of the bloodiest battles
in the history of Europe. War had
apparently not been thought of by
the Belgian people at that time and
there were no apparent preparations
for hostilities.
Why Germans Attacked Liege.
However, the question that almost
everyone has asked since the first
news of the German attack upon
Liege presented itself to DR.. White,
and when asked why he thought the
/ Germans had chosen Liege as the
point at which to cross the Belgian
frontier instead of going around and
entering at other points on the Bel
gian or French frontiers he gave the
| following reasons:
First, the GeTman-Belgian from
tier is hilly and more impossible
anywhere else than at Liege.
Second, the Franco-German from
tier is strongly fortified by the
French at very short intervals.
Third, Liege is the terminus for
at least two railroad lines running
directly into Paris
DR.. White said that there was some
little premonition of war when he
left London, but that no one actually
expected that war would be declared
in such a short time.
The newspapers, he said, were car
rying accounts of the trouble be-
tween Austria-Hungary and Servia
and though some speculation was
being INDUCED in as to the probable
outcome there was no real excite
ment.
DR.. White was impressed with the
difference between the London and
American newspapers.
No Scare Heads in London.
There are no scare heads" he
haid. THE scare head is an inven-
ton of American newspapers. In
London war news or any other big
topic of the day is given a regular
place under a small head, very often
tucked away on the third or fourth
page of the paper. One very often
has to dig through several pages Of
markets, real estate and even sports
in order to get at it.
"The newsbov in London is not al
lowed to cry out the headlines or
, extras. His only method of attract
, ing attention to the interesting news
of the day is that of carrying a sign
on which is printed the most i'm
portant news of the late editions.
Learned OF war at sea.
DR.. White said that the first news
of the declaration of war between
England and Germany came when
the Mauritania was at sea. Auto
maticaIly with the declaration of war
the vessel became the property of
the British admiralty. The captain
ordered the course changed and with
her running lights put out and all
port holes blanketed the Mauretania
made all possible speed for Halifax.
Dr.. White explained that the Gu
nard liner was under contract to be-
come a British cruiser in time of war
and all tickets sold passengers speci-
fed that in case of war the contract
with the passengers would be fulfill
ed if the vessel landed them at the
nearest neutral port.
Late Wednesday night, DR.. White
said, the ships wireless, which was
in communication all the time with
British authorizes, picked up the in
formation that several German war
ships, which had been at Vera Cruz,
were cruising about the North At
lantic ocean searching for British
vessels.
LIV-VER-LAX is harmless-not a