The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-11-21
~ MARY soYLE o'REiLLY

LONDON, Eng. Nov. 21.--lby
mail to New York)--Life in Brue.
sells is almost intolerablel stern.
often CALLING, orders fan the smolder-
ing -age Of the citizens. In q city
with stricken people,
threatened with famine and on the
edge OF turmoil( the garrison daily
exasperates the Brussellers who feel
1t 10 done to incite them to acts
which invite reprisal.
Householders are forbidden to look
out Of their windows or to fasten
their doors.
The public clocks, all set at Ger
man time, complicate daily life. The
spectacle OF Belgian prisoners led
through the Sunday crowds by grim
ming guards fncites TO outbreak.
Throngs OF Iandstrum are. whistled
together In the public Squares to
hear accounts OF the latest German
victories. Important DEGREES" in
German, French and Flemish an
nounce that Brussels Is now Ger
man city. Belgium a. German prov
ince. with threats OF severe repri-
sails for overt acts.
To all intents and purposes Brus-
sells is besieged. Since. Aug. 20. IL
has been cut on from the world. No
newspapers are published. In the
midst OF alarms, local affairs sink to
compared with the In
terest In happenings "out here
Military proclamations forbid the
use of bicycles under pain Of being
shot. Passes to leave the city for
q few hours are confined to those
who can produce birth certificates.
even when the applicants come from
Belgian towns recently burned TO the
ground. Such passes are good for IL
hours. since at night no one may
pass, however great the need. To
attempt escape invites death, for
sharpshoters man hundred road
traps. captive balloons scout the
countryside.
For three months all the shops
have been closed. excepting the re-
tail food stores. During the first
fortnight OF German suzerainty SOL
diers Communicated to their hearts
content. Officers bought what they
would with war script, promissory
notes payable on the Bank Of France
after the war. In this way alone,
hundreds OF little dealers were loot
ed and ruined
Now the money crisis IL acute. All
the French banks are closed. the
Germans refuse TO allow any banks
to do business. even through their
foreign branches. with the countries
of the allies.
Most critical OF all IL the prob
lem OF food On the day OF entry
the wholesale butchers were requisi-
toned 20 bring tons of chilled beef
10 the invaders.
II rotted In the square under the
August sun while tons OF other loot
cd foodstuffs Uttered the streets.
The communicating of food stores
reduced the city to famine.
For two months Brussellers have
had no milk. eggs or butter. On
Sept. 1. all the wholesalers closed
Since Sept. 10. parafine wheat
sugar, rice or dried vegetables have
been practically unobtainable. A
week later there was no condensed
milk for little children, no fsrinace
GUS foods for the aged or the inva.
lids.
On Oct. 1 the coffee and potatoe,
gave out. On Oct. % the supplies
of salt and yeast were exhausted
and the population faced famine
Soap cannot be obtained at any
price, coal r. hardly obtainable and
daily. the terrified citizens are lre'
questioned from their scanty stores
for the benefit OF the German sol
oilers.
There Il no hour for sale I'm Brus-
sells. q city OF 100000 people. not
counting the refugees from the Bel
gian Gordon, All the -four at hand
has been reauisitioned by the COM
mufal authorities who sell only TO
the bakers under agreement that
bakeshops shall sell only one days
dole to each inhsbitsnt-
The daily bread OF besieged Brus-
sellers IN one-pound loaf. black and
And daily the German
commander DEGREES that bakers bake
good bread for the soldiers. Two
wesks axo when the daily ration Of
the poor was hxed a four ounee'