The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-07
UNKNOWN DETAILS . OF FALL OF ANTWERP Spanish Attache Acted as
 Intermediary MADE FERROUS TRIP Carried Notification That Bombard- ment of City Was Imminent
 From Brussels to
 Antwerp
MADE FERROUS TRIP

Amsterdam, January 20.-tCorres- pondence of the Associated Press Certain interesting details of the ca pitulation of Antwerp to the Germans on October g and the preceding pour parlers appear for the first time in the Echo Beige. which is now published in this city. Colonel sorela. military attache of the Spanish legation at Brussels. who acted as an intermedi- ary between the German commander and the municipal authorities of Ant werp, is authority for the account.
 On October ', about 10 o'clock in the morning, Colonel Sorela says he was called to the American legation. When he arrived there he found the Amer ican minister and the Spanish minister together. They informed him that in accord with article PC of The Hague convention the German commander had informed them that the bonn bardin en nt of Antwerp was imminent. They had been told of this, said the two min isters, because the German command CT had found it impossible to get in touch with General de Guise, the com mandant general of Antwerp. The American and Spanish ministers de- clared that they mad refused to charge themselves with this mission, but that the German commander had told them they would be held responsible for all consequences arising from their re- fusal.
 Colonel Sorela was therefore asked to charge himself with the mission and he accepted 1t.
 Carried Letter to Antwerp
 Is quarter of an hour he was ready for the trip from Brussels to Ant werp. A letter of introduction which had been given him by the mayors office of Brussels presented General Sorela as the envoy of the American and Span ish legations and had been addressed to the military and civil authorities of Antwerp 1t included documents in which the German military authorities had engaged themselves to spare a number of historic edfices in tho city of Antwerp in case the bombardment should become necessary.
 A little while afterward Baron dc Lancken, plenipotentiary of the Ger man Emperor and counsel to Field Marshal Van Der Goltz, appeared at the legation to conduct Colonel Sor- ella out of the German lines He left to Colonel Sorela the choice of either being taken through the German lines blindfolded or else engage his word Of honor to say nothing of what he might see within the German military zone. - Colonel Sorela gave his word of honor and then demanded at what hour the bombardment was to begin. It was not possible then to name the exact time, but Baron de LanclSen' told the colonel 1t was unlikely that 1t would commence before nightfall
 Within an hour the two automobiles left Brussels. The first one. flying the colors of the United States and Spain, carried Colonel Sorela and Baron de Lancken In the second machine trav- eled three attaches of the staff of Field Marshal Won Der Goltz. After q short delay at Malines, the automo- piles continued on their way. reaching the German outpost line within four hours.
 From that point the Spanish attache continued alone. Colonel Sorela, mean while, had taken the precaution to place between the Spanish and American flags white flag which he had thought best to take with him.
 The distance between the Belgian and German lines was about 12 kilometers