Evening journal., 1915-03-08
By WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS.
United Press staff Correspondent.


FLANDERS, Feb. Is CBy Mail TO New
York; .-Nieuport, the pretty little city
to the west of Ostend, on the Belgian
coast, has gone to join the long list OF
cities that were but are no more. Only
the name remains.
Like Pervyse, LOuvain. Sermale and
so many smiling towns of Belgium and
France, nothing is left of Nieuport but
the shells of what used to be habita-
tions, churches, schools, places of bust
ness, theatres and such.
Daily the crack of German shells echo
through the debris strewn valleys that
used TO be called streets, and nightly
the clatter of collapsing walls and tile
roofs, weakened or undermined by the
DAYS shellmg. arc the only sounds to
be heard outside the tramp Of scntinels
or the meow OF cats.
CatsY The place seems swarming
with them, poor, lean, starving crca-
lures, who hide in brick-and stone litter
ed cellars by day and come out to prowl
and beg for food at night. Their eyes
shine out of the darkness with an al
most supernatural hstrc, and in their
voices is a quality smacking of ghostl i,
haunt-frequented places. They scampcr
out of sight among the ruins if one but
says "Bool" but if you stand still and
offer the proper encouragement the
drove of cats will approach and rub their
arched, though bony backs against your
legs, mewing up at you in the most pitt
ful, besceching of ways. Ii you have
food with you the appeal cannot be re-
sisted, and you share your sliced ham,
sausages, pottcd meat or whatever you
carry, with the famished pets.
Cats, it is said, attach themselves tc
places instead of to persons. Nicupori
proves the saying. When the popnla
tion evacuated the seaside resort unt
called their kittens 10 follow, the kittie'
remained, deaf TO the call Each Kitty
had her cosy-corner, her faNorite hask
ing place in T. own particular dwelling
She came when called and appeared e
cafe for this or that member of tn,
household She let herself be strokct
and she purrcd back in thanklulness. bun
way down deep in her heart she likct
the house more than she did the pcopl,
inhabiting it. So when the Germans ad
yanced and started TO lombard the city
the citizens fed group by group unit
al had gone but three old maid sisters
who were evacuated only this week hs
force. They were found in cellar. Wit
their three cats, the sisters as lean az
the cats. the cats as thin as matches.
"We thought the old maid sisters wcr'
spies" a British officer told the CORE
spondent. "Aftcr all. IL did seem quee
10 us that they should remain behind II
Nie''port after every other single sou
had made tracks for France. We place'
them under arrest and started to marcl
them off Co prison when tho cats cam
out of hiding and Moved and rubbe'
against the sisters and showed tina
they knew and liked them. This was
p fact in the sisters favor, so we tool
them to the hospital fed them am
found out who they we're They wer
all right, and we sent them TO the reai
They insisted ON taking the cats along
and we sent back to get them, carrying
a large covered basket for the purpos'
After time the women succeeded il
catching the critters and got them b
the basket. Then. all Of sudden, th
lid few up ike you've seen Jack-in-thc
boxes do, and out bounded the cats an
of through the ruins of the town. III