New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-07
Belgium Losses oplrltua'
as Well as Material,
Saws Boston Minister.
BRUSSELS BECOMES
CITY OF DESOLATlON
Mourning Women and hungry
Mothers with Babes in Arms
Seen Everywhere.

/ Iondop. Oct. 6.-Thc Rev. Albert H.
/ Williams. of East Boston, Mass
u'ritcs. 81 have Just returned to Eng
| land after having traversed belgium
| from ono end to the other. NO one can
mite nicturc the ruin and desolatloh
/ which has fallen to the lot oil tha'
country. | have seen burned ana pom
! horJed towns. houses destroyed by bel-
Clans themselves because they were
IN front of the Antwerp forts, hoodeI
colds around Malines, pitlful cases OF
refugees fleeing from their hofles anu
general dcsolatlon wrought e''
where. .e.ribIo
"Tbcsc material losses arc terriDlc,
but particular experience has JUST
made me realize the accompanying
moral and spiritual decay. | nave spent
two DAVIS and one night III uerIiau
torture chamber in Brussels, tIled y"
the charge Of being SPY. Inc eA-
perience | went through IN company
; with hundreds OF others gave me an IN
SIGHT into what the people must De
! s,,iFerino. which although not so patent
! to the naked eye as blasted homes 81 ailu
! touns must be even more terrible. ne
/ coor of falling into the clutches OF the
military authorities at any h'Cl u'i.
under the slightest charge Is horl'piV'
/ Tho helpless feeling that one Is Gu
+ tircly dependent upon the WIN" VI
caprlcc OF an alien enemy ana 'Hc US
Indignation Of character Whlch Vonl'9
| from suspecting every man VI pcInf a"
gpy until man can scaIceiy IIua' No
own brother makes loss thal 10 NV
/ visible but real. -.
If left Antwerp Oh Saturday morn
/ ing with the vicc-cOnsul at Gneht' VII
/ julius Van IIce, and Mr.. tletchef, .!
| New York. Below the melee VIC ni I
| Belgian cavalry galloplng to"aIu tnI
! front with their lances, SWORDS ana
/ rifles ready and shining In the mVrn Iiis.,
nm. followed by artillery IuIly
e0uipped for the fray, priest TO ad-
minister extreme JUNCTION to the gyms
Who came along in the rear, complet,
I inc the military retinue. ihey al
smiled al us and cried 'Nive la amer
ioueV and dashed away TO the patCe
~ front as checrfully as II they were
Going 10 dress parade. As battle was
Imminent we had to make great deVouI
10 cot through 10 Brussels. we met
ali sorts of Belgian patrols heading
toyard the battle front, but on thls
roundabout way there we're no ue'
r1sns encountered until we got TO
,,'itLin i've miles of Brussels. NOR d'd
/ wo see many as We drove through thS
oloorcv streets Of the Belgian capital.
"What a change had come over the
o;+, sincc was last there on August
~ AZ that time although a battle was
r.cinc only a few miles away lhSi
strcct. we're crowded with people, and
no cafas oyerfowed on the pfvemehts
.bIazc with Belgian colors. but the
Germans have changed the city OF llte
ami color. JOYOUS hospitality and KIND
Iiress into n CITY of stiffness and desc.
Iation. city rife with rumors and
dIled with deep and dread suspl,,
cions. The atmosphere was changed
from the warm light of MONDAY 10
that OF some dank, dark raw morning
| The bright suit of the Belgian soldiers
has been replaced by that omlnouS
green of the Germans, who slngiy OF
in groups Of eight or ten with drawn
swords walk up and down the thor
ouchfares. Poverty-stricken people
advance guards OF hordes Of victims
which advancing winter VIII claim
were in sad evidence. Mothers with
babes in arms and ragged children
asked aims. Mourning women IN deep
black take the place of the gay pa
rades Of former days and add to the
sombreness Of the disquieting specta.
Gle. And when lights are turned of
between 9 and 10 o'clock one feels not
so spectacularly perhaps as al Louvaln
but slowly, surely and relentlessly the
German machine has clutched its iron
fingers and crushed out the life OF the
city.
"Whether they will wreak the same
material havoc upon Brussels as upon
other cities depends upon whether the
people can muster up still more self
control and self-restraint and not pro-
test against the acts of tyranny which
are practised upon them. ! have seen
things which, were ! Belgian, would
have made me willing TO join posse
and avenge myself upon the uniformed
perpetrators OF the outrage. | know
full we'll that this would not be wise
to do, but say this because | can un-
derstand any outbreak which the Bel
gans mil hit make against their rulers.
If there is any outbreak or series of
reprisals, we know full well what will
! happen to Brussels. II will suffer the
fate of Louvain and Termonde."