The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1915-10-08
A BELGIAN'S STORY
Tells How He Escaped by Being Able
TO Speak German.


Here Is an account OF his adYen-
lures By a Belgian from Weede, who
escaped by passing himself on as a
German. He speaks the German
language. With his family he cot
safely to Antwerp and thence to
England.
Hearing OF the German atrocities
on al hands, and knowing that the
Germans were not far on" he said
II dug pit near my house large
enough for me and my wife and child
rem to move about in, and stocked it
with what food we had left. 1t was
very little, for there had been scar
city of food for days past. Three
loaves Of stale bread and a sack of
apples was all we had The apples
4 had picked off my tree in the garden
some days before.
THE very first day we occupied
our pit a German cavalry patrol en-
tered the village, and having taken
all they could find to drink departed.
The next day a whole division ar
rived. We sought shelter in our pit,
and the continued presence Of the
German soldiery compelled US to re-
main there for days. Our bread was
soon gone and we were compelled to
live on apples.
For six days we we're in this mis-
cradle position, and / began to feel
very ill from weakness and pains
brought about through eating the
fruit. So bad was I the following
day that ! decided to give myself up
and see what ! could do for my fam
lily rather than watch them die OF
starvation.
With this intention / began to
crawl toward the German lines, when
was met with the challenge Hands
upn / was SO weak could hardly
do SO. An officer then came forward
and began to question me. As /
could speak German fuently, ! an
swered him in his own language, and
he took me for one of his own coun-
trymen. Following him to house,
he asked me for my papers. 7 told
him a story that had lost them
while trying to get away. Fortunate
ly, he appeared to believe me.
Anyhow, instead OF arresting and
combining me somewhere, he left me
alone, and I WIS able to 20 back
and bring my family home. They
presented a Misunderstanding sight, be
ing very Unlocking and dirty. Ny
younger child was very bad, indeed,
and ! was afraid she would die. The
officer I have spoken OF, still think
ing 1 was a. German, gave US some
bread to eat, and we remained in our
home wondering what would happen
next
Not long afterward some OF the
German soldiers broke into our rooms
and seeing Us with bread accused me
OF stealing it. One OF them was
about to run me through with q
bayonet when I shouted out In Ger
man that one of his officers had given
/ it to me. This fellow also thought
was German, and 50 spared my
life. But this was not all. Another
half-drunken German soldier got
hold of me and compelled me to 60
with him. He broke into a house,
the inhabitants or which had, fortu-
nately, fed.
Seeing there was no one there,
the German soldier began to smash
everything he could see, and ordered
me to do the same. II fear or losing
my life at his hands, + was com
PEELED to do 30, Whereupon he gave
me cigar, and laughed, saying:
well done, countryman; well done!
We next went to cafe, the terri
fed patron OF which was ordered to
bring food and drink. My captor
drank everything brought to him, and
he was soon drunk This enabled me
to escape from his hands, and, care
fully avoiding any more Or the Ger
mans, who were now moving away,
got back to nay family. we decided
to make for Malines and Antwerp,
and after much suffering We man
aged to reach the last-named place,
where kind friends conveyed US to
England. 10 England everyone has
been most kind to u.s."