The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-03

His mother and sisters practically prisoners in the hands of the Ger mans in Belgium, F'ernand Merckx, a Louvre journalist and dE architect who was forced toS flee from Belgium as the Germans advanced is now a resi- dent of this city.
 After four months residence in. England. MT. Merckx came to the United States arrived here almost penniIess, lUndisnayed by his condi- ton. a. stranger in a strange land, he kept his courage and now has a posi- ton in the drafting department of the Remington Arms-U. M. C. Co., To a. Farmer reporter yesterday MT MerckX said he liked the country very much and if his employment is steady he would stay and become an American citizen.
 '.Who knows what we shall find in Belgium after this war is over ?'' he said. ''I like America very much. If succeed here I shall stay. In Eng land when told them I was coming here they warned me that would not like the country. They said the people here were too cold and dis tant, too abrupt in speech and man ner, self contained and without sym pathy- I have found this is all un- true Since coming to America I have met with only Kindness and courtesy from everyone. The American people are so like my own people in charac- ter that I would like to stay, here.
 My mother and sisters were at Louvre before the Germans took the city and destroyed the most beautiful parts of it, continued MT. Merck& There was a far away wistful look in his attractivey brown eyes as he con tinued: seI would like very much to hear from them again. have not had letter since left Belgium for England in December. have heard indirectly though that they are still alive and we'll My father died two years ago. am glad he did not live to see this cruel war.
 My sisters are both married. The husband of one is physician in charge of a Red Cross hospital near Dunkirk. My other brother-in-law is a, captain of artillery now serving with what is left of the Belgian army. I was a. reservist before the. war and I left my native city of Louvre to join the coIors when the war broke out. We were sent to guard the cable crossing at4 Dunkirk- After I had served a few months was mustered out for disability. My eyesight was not up to the standard required in the military service.
 ssI saw the retreat of our troops and the Allies from Antwerp and I saw many pitiful sights among the wounded and suffering soldiers. I saw the advance guard of the German horde as it passed into Antwerp. When decided to go from Dunlxirk to Calais a distance of 20 miles was compelled to pay what would equal in American money SPA. There was no packet crossing at Calais and we went on the Bolougne.
 ttOn this trip we were II hours king 80 miles on the railroad train The compartments were crowded to cana cif-v with SoTna of the 1oVvIiPet people many of whom had huge bundles of i'll smelling dirty clothes to add to our discomfort we were kept for 12 hours in a tunnel while the troop trains carrying English sol- diers went by. During this time the smoke from the passing locomotives filled the tunnel and gradually filter ed into our ears until it was extreme 1y difficult to breathe and we were all but suffocated.
 sI arrived in England in December and went down to London. There I found measures had been established for the relief of the refugees from our country bat we were just barely able to eke out an existence. The only employment we could obtain was that | of very menia1 labor for which very low wages are paid. On of my friends who reads and writes seven languages is now working for 20 shilIings a gian refugees in England at present The English are caring for their own people first The rule there since this