The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-09
Able CAMPAGNE DE-
SCRlBES. CONDITIONS In. WAR.
STRICKEN EUROPE.
tBy Associai "a Press. ,

" 'hc o,VVo luHdpI tdHtS VI u-OOS-eu-
Gohelle were still in the town when
the Germans took It in October last
year. Hundred of them escaped
through the French lines, the rest
lived just ten days short of year
under foreign domination and under
the direct administration of the
Able Champagne, the parish priest,
made mayor in spite of himself by
the German Kommandatur
During all that time the town re-
ceived an average of 100 shells a
day.
Loosen Gohelle. which should not
be confounded with Loos in the de-
partment du Nord near Lille, was on
the line of the great race between
the Germans and the Allies toward
the load to Calais and the sea last
year. The Uhlans came October 4 ,
| followed by four regiments of the
PruS! ian Guard. \ battalion of
French infantry sent against them
| four days later was obliged to re-
tire before superior numbers. after
a violent fight. The Germans then
began to fortify the position and oc-
cupied it in force. The Able Cam
payne, who with zoo of his parish
oner. was liberated by the British
troops in the recent battle of Loos,
affirms that the first measure of
the Germans was to shoot seven
civilians, among whom were two
Others We're from 80 to 40. Four of
the men We're farmers; the reason
for their execution was never made
clear; what they did was simply
| this: They went ont to feed their
cows one night and while doing so
were caught by the German sentinels
and held as prisoners until shot
These four were buried in the Rue
iiuilluch in graves dug by a miner
that the Germans had left all night
tied to tree before forcing him to
do the work. The two other victims
were buried in a ditch in holes dug
by the same miner.
The majority Of the population
remaining in Loos AZ the time were
women, children, few old men and
SIX or seven valid men, besides
dozen or so of invalids The men
who were strong enough to work
were employed by the Germans in
dismounting all the machinery of
the mines, taking OIL the copper ana
loading it upon cars. The moment
OF their arrival in COS the Germans
calico upon me and demanded at the
point OF a revolver where the mayor
and his assistants were. When
told them that all the authorities of
the town had left, they said:
You shall be the sole authority
here; you shall be mayor
II replied that my religious func-
tiOns in the eyes of French law
were Incompatible with municipal
responsibility. They declared that
it did not matter and that they
should hold me responsible for all
that might happen in the village;
for any discovery If concealed arms,
for any telephones that might have
been hidden for any luminous sig
nails, etc. had no choice but to
accept the dangerous honor and
have done what could for my
compatriots during the period of oc-
cupa ton, with two German soldiers
at my door with fixed bayonets all
The time acting as sentinels. | was
unable to go out more than three
times week, Sundays. Tuesdays and
Thursdays to visit the population.
accompanied by a German interpre-
ter
"A short time after the Germans
arrived they notified me that con-
tribution of war of 1000 francs had
been levied upon the town of Loos.
Since the population remaining in
the town was mostly of the poorer
class, had no idea where | could
raise such sum. We finally de-
cidpf tn make IN IN from porfinnS Of
the relief allowance made by the di-
rector of the mines of Lens to the
women OF modified miners. We fin
ishcd raging the Geo francs Aug
ust II. 1915.
"Gurin9 the long months that we
lived under German domination our
life was most difficult; provisions
became rarer and carer, until at the
beginning of May We were on the
coin, of dying of hunser. Each
person had to live six days on the
half Of a loaf of Tread weighing
pounds The situation was desper-
ate. i succeeded in collecting
luietly a few bushels of wheat that
'cmriEod in the neishbor,ne granar-
cs AID my Pensioners ground it in
heir coffee mills We lived on this
lntil the American Relief Commits
sion finally came 10 cur aid Later.
was called to Lens, with the may