New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-03
CLUSTERED NUN
IN THE WAR ZONE
John RedmOnd'S Niece
Tells of the Coming of
the UhIanS TO Ypres.

b. Cal.C 60 TIE Iubmei
London. Jan. p Dame Theresa,
Bcnodictine nun and a niece of John
Redmond. leader Of the Irish party,
who was in the Benedictine convent
al Ypres during the German lombard
ment and who is now safely lodged at
Oulron Abbey, StaTordshire, publishes
extracts from her diary giving expert
cnces OF the war from the point Of
view OF q clustered nun. She says the
first news she heard of the war was
distant knocks at the doors in The
streets surrounding the abbey.
al first says the diary. 81 was not
startled. thinking it was sister whose
duty IL is to wake Us for Mathis. AS
The noise grew louder we could near
the CRY of Aux armes! Aux armes'
followed by mingled sounds OF IN.
audible explanations. What was 1T
We could not inquire, as the rule OF
silence prevented az. We could only
,rait until next day. when the chaplain
cs.r1c TO tell us that the Germans were
getting ready 20 cross the frontier.
The army Of Belgium had received ITS
sudden call. and they, the priests, were
Off as chaplains. l. was war.
Weeks of suspense followed. All
the villages around are infested with
Uhlaus. and peasants tell terrible
tales of theft, fire, assaults ana
drunkenness. Nerciful God! What
shall we do if they get into Ypres
The Commandment Violated.
"How terrible is the sound Of the
guuman's decree Of annihilation. the
violation Of the commandment, Thou
shalt not killH ] don't think ] ever
realized how sacred the wonderful
commandments were and how heinous
was lin until / heard the first gun
boom. On autumn nights we can dis
t.nctly hear them. Which way IS the
battle going
Dame Theresa describes in vivid
language the growing fears Of the
nuns as the guns grew nearer, and un-
der one date 10 the second week OF
October she says:
Last night there was terrible ter
ror over the abbey. About | o'clock
there was a loud banging at the street
door II was the Uhlans. We could
hear their drunken laughter ana we
trembled, thinking Of the atrocities
perpetrated on other converts, notary
the one at Peck, where they had tOrh
the clothes from the nuns backs lue
mother prioress ordered that no one
sbouId answer. IN the hope that lney
vould not dare 10 break the dOoi
down What moments, was colo
18th perspiration, and to-day we nave
mont I'M PRAYER When will the AliieS
come?'
How the British Entered.
describing the British entry lng
diary saws: eve were actually engages
in litanies. with the words rom D..
evil. good Lord, deliver Us, each 800 ~
ioininp i'm the responses, Good LORD
Igo,i.,.oT as with full soul, when sud
derIu we heard q heavy tramp Tramp,
Inn Of soldiers and the sound OF
sir0inq We trembled thinking o, lhS
torr.bie Tblans answering Good LoIu'
d.iiycr MS in their midnight cafouSc'
b,t iudge our surprise and amazemtn'
yben We found that u was an thB'isn
sono and. To- mingled with our cr.es OF
supplication. came. as u were IN ahs"ei'
,Ucre we are. here we are. mere we az.
so'inp We almost joined IN, but, OF
course. we dared not 1.;.L
owe we're lust wondering m our IRISH
hearts whether or no u was an IilSn
regiment that was first 10 enter 'h'uN
mo a. that dear old standard with The
harp or II. of the days of the irsh pr 81
cadc Suddenly we got our an wet ~ . {.
eruq brogu,, and we heard the song
which every one seems 20 be s,ng'nE
everywhere else and Away, us
Long, Long Way 10 rioperary
Dame Theresa brought back YIN ntL
to England the old banner OF an Itisn
brigade which fought IN the service OF
France rainst England IN the seven,
teenth century, and which h"d pee"
preserved in the Ypres convent