Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-05-07
ESCAPING FROM BELGIUM
Wife Of an Ensishman Had Exceed.
inaIy Anxious Time.

Here Is a story Of a woman's escape
from Belgium. She Is a London SOL
diers wife and the daughter Of a
Belgian army officer. After five
months separation she has rejoined
her husband in England.
Caught in Belgium when the Ger
mans swept over the land, she found
no opportunity to get out until in De-
cember, she obtained conditional
passport emitting her to travel within
the eastern half Of Belgium.
"Then," she says, Il contracted
with one Of those shady general and
atty Of conveying passengers In un-
lawful fashion across the Dutch
frontier, and I left the Belgian capital
as one Of a party Of ten under his
guidance"
The railway being closed to them,
they had to proceed by easy stages on
foot or in country cabs when they
could get them to the frontier town
Of x, and put up at the inn while
the contractor hurried to the "Kom-
mandatur," or office Of the local Ger
man administrators. He returned
looking rather glum," saying that
they had each to apply in person.
I'VE entered the kommandatur and
the trap so cunningly laid for us by the
Germans, to find ourselves placed un-
der immediate arrest. Each Of us in
turn was closely cross-examined and
vate, by a Prussian colonel and lieu
tenant, and then certain contradictions
having struck our warders, we were
searched by one in neighboring
room; the women, at any rate, in q
most horrid fashion, not hardly an
inch Of their clothing or Of their per-
son escaping the fingers Of the search
er, nun Of whose real profession
and sex I am still in doubt.
"On hearing the order for the search
one of my lady companions, a well
known Brussels actress swooned, or
pretended to. And when male COM
panion of hers failed to re-appear, the
mystery was explained to us by the
old colonel, who told us that a secret
code and official reports to the Bel
gian government had been found hid
den away in the lining Of his jacket.
He was spy and would be at once
conveyed to the citadel Of Antwerp,
tomorrow, pouf,' grimly added the
Prussian veteran, by way Of comment.
AS for ourselves, as we were, to all
appearances, associated with such q
person, we would at least be detain-
ed as suspects pending further in
quiries"
Not until nearly midnight were they
allowed to return to the inn, which
they did under an armed escort. Sad
ly we sat in the dining room, bewail-
ing our misfortunes, when all Of a
sudden the young actress, now in tears,
confessed to us that she, too, was a
Belgian secret agent, in fact, part
ner Of the doomed man and that up
stairs in her bag, there were state
papers Of considerable Importance.
She begged us therefore, as patriots,
in case she was arrested, to burn those
papers.
"A little later, about o'clock. in
comes a German N. G.. O., and an es-
cort to order forcibly her return to
the kommandatur. Completely collect
ed now, she bid us au revoir with a
nervous smile and a glance which l
shall never forget. When she had
gone one of us glided up to the bed
room to fetch the precious papers. The
question was how to destroy them
without attracting the attention Of the
sentries placed before our window.
There was no other fire burning in the
house save in the dining room. Then
one Of US again, a woman, hit upon a
novel plan for disposing Of the pa
pers. We moved the table and, as If
to pass the time, started dancing all
around the room and in front Of the
hearth. And then as each Of our
merry party neared the fireplace he
or she flung a share Of the papers into
the flames until the whole lot were
consumed. Then upon some abrupt
remark by one of the sentries, we
quieted down very gradually to allay
any lurking suspicious in his mind.
AT dawn a German n. c. o. arrived
from the kommandatur and politely
told us in excellent French that his
chiefs were satisfied Of our innocence
in the matter, but that as no one could
leave the country without a special
permit from the governor general, we
should have to return to Brussels by
the way we had come, this time under
German supervision. AS for our former
guide. he was in fortress"
But back at Brussels she determin-
ed to have another try. After spend
ing a sorrowful and memorable night
in the fortress city, accepted rather
timid offer by a gentleman, who pos
sessed a privileged permit to cross
the Dutch border to accompany him
as his wife. He was, however. very
much unnerved at the thought Of the