Imperial Valley press., 1914-09-22
HOW BELGIANS ESCAPED
FROM LIEGE
Special Dispatch by the international
News Service.

Special Dispatch by the International
News Service.
Antwerp, Sept. GA party of Bel
gian officers who were among those
who escaped from Liege, have just
reached here One of them told this
story of their thrilling experiences:
"We occupied ground between the
forts Caudfontain and Embourg. We
were 600 men belonging to the First
battalion of the Thirty-fourth line. The
order given in the north of Thursday
and Friday to evacuate the positions
between the forts never reached u9
We therefore remained isolated amidst
the German troops, who were bonn
harding the forts. They knew where
We were, but they dared not attacl.
us because the two forts on our sides
were very near to each other. Our
position became daily worse. Whole
columns of Germans defiled on every
side. However, they were satisfied
row and then to send out scouts tc
find cut that we were still there Many
Of them were killed or made prisoners
with considerable booty.
During eight days and nights we
did not sleep. Sometimes one of our
men fell down with gun in hand in
a trerch asleep. Sometimes we re-
mained more than thirty hours in u
trench watching and listening. Occa-
sionally kind peasants brought us
somcthing to eat and glass of beer.
Happily we had some cattle left to
feed cur men and we baked bread,
for which we used beer instead of
yeast. Notwithstanding, the spirit of
cur nen remained excellent. They
continually asked to be fighting, and
we, the officers, had to keep them
from venturing too far.
In the meantime the Germans had
placed their heavy siege guns in po-
sition and bombarded the Forts Chaud
fontalne and Embourg, and our DO
sltlon became untenable. An attemnt
to escape was, perhaps, going from
Charybdis to Scylla, for we had to
pass through the German lines, close
to the forts occupied by our friends,
who might have taken us for enc
mics.
We left, however, on Thursday of
last week, early in the morning, and
no sooner had we started than the
Germans threw themselves upon us.
One company was taken prisoners. We
were left with about 400 men, but
:, were Joined by battalion of another
! regiment equally strong. We marched
! to the Valley of the Ourthe, continu-
ally tarasSed by the Germans. We
:, reached the OUrthc at Filff, but follnc
the bridge destroyed. We succeeded
hoWever,-in- reaching the other side o
the river and, not knowing what posi-
tons the enemy occupied, we went il
the direction of Boncelles There w,
fell IL with the Germans, who wcrl
making preparations to lombard thai
Tort. We drove them away and con.
tlnued our march to the railway bride,
Of Val st. Lamber.
"AS we had to remain under pro.
lection of the forts, we informed tho
forts of Flamalle who we were. w
then passed along and took simiIa,
steps in the neighborhood of the fort,
of Hcllogne and Loncin.
"ln the afternoon the Germans he.
gan to lombard Fort Loncin. Ou
position was extremely critical, but
we decided to make a desperate at.
tempo to escape, and at night we car.
rled out our scheme. We had to re.
trace our steps and pass along thc
1orts OF Hollonge and FlamalIe. vi,
tImately, after an encounter with Ger.
man cavalry, whom we drove off, VIC
reach Hoei, where we arrived on Sat.
urday afternoon. We had marched
sixteen hours without one moment,
rest, except for a hasty meal.
"At Hoei We learned that the Bel.
gian troops left there the same morn.
ing end that Germans had already
appeared in the district. We werc
: therefore compelled to leave at once
and could not touch the meal they
; had prepared for us. Luckily the sta
= ton master informed us that he had
a train ready to carry us to Namur
. An hour later Uhlans occupied the
station of Hoei. We departed Just in
time"
r Vote California Dry
ElGHT-HOUR LAW ILLEGAL