The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-04-11
BELGIAN
RETURNS To
ARDMORE
WAS IN lOUVAlN AT TIME 1T
WAS SACKED BY GERMANS -
WAS PRISONER MANY TIMES
FINALLY REACHES U. S. A.

John Alphonsus Van Horebeck,
young Belgian well known in this
city, arrived from his native land last
night, where he was visiting when
the war broke out, and he has some
narrowing tales to tell of the devas-
tation of that beautiful country by
the German armies.
Mr.. Van Horebeck was in the EN-
ploy of Shuman, the florist, in this
city. when he decided to pay visit
to the old home last summer. War
had not then been declared and few
in this country dreamed OF such a
calamity. He arrived in Belgium in
July and was in the city of Louvain
when the Germans sacked and burn
ed the city, destroyed the beautiful
cathedral and burned the library of
the University of Louvain.
Mr.. Van Horebeck says that the
newspaper reports of the destruction
of that beautiful country have never
told half of what the Belgians have
endured. He says they are patient
and are confident that in the end
Germany will be subdued, and that
day of reckoning will be had in
which Belgium will be partly repaid
for the devastation wrought by the
invading armies of the kaiser.
In speaking of conditions there at
present, he says that he would be
afraid to describe them for fear the
people here would doubt his truth
fulness. The suffering of the old
people, the women and children, he
asserts, can never be described. The
Belgians are a grateful people, and
the relief granted them by the Uni
ted States has been most welcome,
and will never be forgotten by those
who withstand the awful struggle,
he asserts. At present, conditions
are not much improved. About one
half-pound of flour per person is al
lowed each day with other food OBJ
tainable in like proportion. The in
dustries of the country are paralyzed
except those operated by the Ger
mans for the benefit of the invaders.
1t will take years after the struggle
has ended before conditions become
normal.
When the invaders arrived at Lou
vain, all the young men were taken
prisoners and segregated from the
older and married ones. He chanced
to be holding one of his kinsman's
children when this was going on,
and so, being taken for married
man, was not sent to Germany as
were the unmarried ones. He was ar
rested many times, however, and
knows what it is to be under guard
with a German soldier close by
When asked how he managed to get
out of the country and on board ship
he replied that he did not take any
pains about exhibiting his passport,
but managed to get passage and out
of the war-stricken country.
He has two brothers in the Belgian
army. One has gone through the
war so far without being hurt. The
other has been wounded five times,
and is at present in a French hos
pital, where he is recovering soon
to be ready to fight again for king
and country.
In speaking OF the invaders, he
said that German resources were evil
IDENTITY nearly exhausted as far as
men were concerned, as he had seen
many old men of the last reserves
in Belgium recently The younger
ones are being rushed to be hurled
against the allies and Russians, who
seem to be gradually drawing a ring
of steel around the empire of the
kaiser.
Mr.. Van Horebeck will take a few
days rest before resuming his du-
ties with Shuman the florist. He says
he has enough to think about the
rest of his life. and wants to be
free from strife in every particular.
Asked how long they were looking
for the war to last, he said that
everyone believes it will be ended
before next fall, with Germany either
completely crushed or suing for the
best terms possible. He said that
many of the Belgians would prefer