The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-10-08
Was Held As Spy
And Deported

st. Paul Pioneer Press: Ferdinand
van der Moot, who contributed the
following article OF his own expert
ences and spy suspect In England. is
a resident OF st. Paul. He Is en-
ployed as a day laborer by the health
department.
Although he speaks with a marked
accent which might be taken for that
OF a German. his passport issued by
William Jennings Bryan as secretary
OF state, bears out his own state
ment that he was born in America.
His accent undoubtedly had much to
do with his troubles in England.
To be arrested as a spy and held
for a day or two on suspicion Is not
an uncommon experience. To be
held for a month without permission
to communicate without permission
to be deported as Mr.. van der Moot
Was an experience such as few Min
nesotans have undergone.
BY Ferdinand Van Der Root
BY birth am an American. BY an
cestry I am a Belgian. BY education
and training ! am first q soldier. BY
profession I am a masseur. But by
the vicissitudes OF the Great War and
the 'deplorable shortsightedness OF
English police have within the last
few months been jailed as a spy. de-
ported from England, deprived Of my
possessions.
! That is why, still more recently
have been a bricklayer's helper in ST.
Paul, workman at Harriet island and
finally an itinerant trimmer OF weeds
I'm vacant lots OF this city.
|, II had been told a year ago that
such a series Of misfortunes was to
befall me. would have laughed at
the idea. They happened so rapidly
that even now I am dazed and can
scarcely realize that these experien-
ces were actual rather than imagin-
airy.
A year ago lived at Detroit, Mich.
! was born thirty EIGHT years ago at
Petaluma. Cal. where lived until
twelve and had lived for the last four
teen years until last year. My wife
and children were with me I'm Detroit
My grandfather was the Baron van
der Moot de Noorsel of Belgium. He
took part In the revolution OF 1880.
IL was he also who went to London
afterward and offered the crown to
King Leopold I. Later he was sec
rotary to the King OF Belgium. His
wife was the daughter OF Lord Hey
land of England. who at the time Of
their marriage was consul general at
Ostend.
AS boy my father came to Amer
lea quite young, and later married an
American girl of French descent and
lived at Petaluma, Cal. My grand
father was also in this country at the
time, but later returned home and
became a member of the Belgian
parliament.
When ! was twelve my father took
his family consisting OF my two sis
tiers, my mothers and myself. and re-
turned to Belgium. Through the in
fiuenre OF my grandfather with King
Leopold ii. was entered In the mil
itary school In spite of my youthful
ness and studied there four years. I
had studied along medical lines, and
after graduation was sent to the
Congo Free State on military
medical mission. remained there
three years and returned to Belgium.
Later through the death OF my
father the family fortunes were lost
and I came back to America. where
/ lived for fourteen years.
These things are mentioned to
show that although am a native
American citizen, I have many rela-
tives and many friends In Belgium.
So when the war came on and the
Germans marched through Belgium
was worried about their safety. My
aunt, my mother, my sisters were In
volyed. In addition many of my
friends In this country had relatives
there whose safety was question.
particularly when the problem or
feeding the country arose and the
American relief commission took
charge.
wrote q letter to Secretary OF
State william J. Bryan, stating that I
Belgium and France in search OF
friends and relatives. It was my in
tention to bring back those who could
not care for themselves.
left New York on January 90,
1916, by the Holland American line
for Rotterdam and arrived at desti-
nation on February 3. At Rotter-
dam I had my passport vised by the
American consul general and at The
Hague by the American minister.
BY February was I'm Client. A
day or two later I left there to look
up my relatives. The town had been
bombarded and the property they
owned there destroyed. but the old
castle near Allost was untouched. al
though even while I was there firing
could be heard nearby.
The Germans had treated my fam
lily with as much courtesy as could be
expected, I found. The worst that
had happened to them was that they
had been held prisoners for eight
hours under suspicion that they had
been Signalling Belgian soldiers
during bombardment. Later there
was an official apology. The Ger
mans went SO far as to pay my aunt
for dairy cows they had taken.
II seemed to me then. and does
now, that most of these stories OF
German cruelty and atrocities were
greatly exaggerated. They were due
to the natural Indignation and excite d,
ment OF an overrun population There
were no doubt many cases OF insult
by soldiers, some individual looting.
and several cases of Belgians being
shot on the spot for sniping. These
things are part of war. .r