Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-30
GERMANS LEAVE
NOTHING BEHIND
They Have Devastated Belgium
Like Immense Swarm
of Locusts.
COUNTRY is LEFT PROSTATE
But Maurice Maetcrlinck Can See
Bright Future, Despite
Gloomy Present

tSpccal Cable to The Timcs-D Dispatch
PARIS. April 29.--"Whcn the Ger
mans on their march towards Paris"
says Maurice Mactcrinck, tho poet and
playwright. to day. were only thirty
kilomctcrs from ST. wandrIlc. we hid
ALI our choice wines. packed M all my
MANUSCRIPTS aud the silvcrwarc and
left for tho castle OF a friend OF mine.
Who has chateau further nand.'
Since then Mac,criinck. AT tho request
OF King Albert of Belgium. has worked
tirclcssly to relieve the snncrincs OF
the Belgian people.
Even in time Of peace Mactcrliuck
said Belgium is able to produce only
,wc-th'rds OF tho amount OF grain
needed to feed her population. The
rect has TO be imported. The war
broke out Just when NC were harvest
ms, and. cut off from the rest of tho
world. az tho Belgian people have been
since then. they have had to sec tho
German armies connscatnC and carry
ing away every pound Of food within
the country.
COUNTRY - STRIPPED
BI GERMAN HORDr:S
'An'i that Was not all: the Gcrmaus
also carried OF every other thing they
wcrc able to usc-coal and machinery,
cotton goods aud woolcns. raw or man
ufacturcd. leaving nothing behind. dc
NastatinE tho country like an Immense
swarm OF locusts.
~ few branches OF industry they
have started again. as. for instance
f:ttt i.4,. Itt, ho
EelSian workinrm.n have refused 10
manufacture arn,s TO bc used against
their own countrymcn. thousands OF
them arc idle. and tho Germans refuse
to do anything FOR them il ihcy refuse
TO work Tho same thing happened in
many other activities The belgian
postal and railroad officials have thus
refused 10 work under the l'ru.sianY. as
this would mean Nigh treason II ~
absolutely untrue that tho German adj
ministration has done anything what
ever TO assist Tho starving population.
In Belgium the German administration
has done one thin. onl,--it has con
tinucd it's plundcring OF tho country.
In ono respect only tho Germans
have had sense enough TO behave in n
proper manncr-thcy have not vet at
tempted to take any Of tho huge guam
titieS OF food which the noble .\mc,i-
can people has sent into Belgium via
Holland. You Americans are practical
people. and the way your counirymcn
have organized aud carried out tho
charitable work which has saved hun
urcds Of thousands OF i;ciciau lives is
worthy of tho highest admiration. We
shall never forget the debt Of gratitude
We owe TO tho people of tho greatest
republic i'll the world.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
WOULD SrAH\E TO DEATH
1T is not only tho poo among my
countrymcn at home who arc dcpcnden,
on, tho food sent from America. .Na
there is absolutely no food in the coun-
try. even the wcll-to-do and rich are
compelled To got their food through Tn,
coI>mittcc at a suitable price. When
ever cargo is delayed for come reason
or other, almos, the entire population
OF Antwerp Eathcys on tho tuays and
waits for the steamer in despair, and
fear that it may have been turpcdocd
by tho enemy. Should war break out
between the United states and Ger
MANY or should the relations become
SO strained that Germany did not feel
inclined to respect the integrity OF the
American food ships, | shuddcr to think
what would happen 10 these poor pco-
~
as surely If they were anoat on a
raft in the middle OF the ocean"
DO YOU rStll get news from Eel
GUM he was asked.
Only very rarely, and the letters I
do receive arc written in such a man
ner that you have TO read bctwc IN the
lines to find out what the writer really
wants TO say. ] ann afraid that con-
ditions' in my unhappy country arc far
worse than any OF us have any idea
of. 1t is a very dangerous matter TO
send letters out of Belgium. and to
send them through the post is, of
course, out Of the question. Sometime
ago there were messengers who at a
charge OF 90 franc $50 a letter. under
took 10 set them across the frontier
into Holland, but now most of these
messengers have been caught and shot
by the Germans To send a letter, too.
is dangerous. Not long ago my own
cousin was shot because of an .mpru-
dent uttcrancc in letter.
My brother is a notary at Client
With his wife and children he tried, 10
get across the Dutch frontier but was
caught. You are Il notary the Ger
mans said, you must return to Client
and remain at your post Ills wife and
children were allowed TO pass, and are
now in London. Through her | know
that seven German noncommissioncd
officers arc billcttcd with my brother.
They feel very much at home and have
drunk all his wine.
But even worse things may be in
Store for my poor country. What VIC
fear more than anything else is that
the Germans when compelled &c with
draw from the country, will blow UP
all the towns they have spared hereto
fore, Client, BruSes and Brussels. They
seem to take particular delight i'm
destroying everything they cannot
carry off, or are forced to give up. The
devastation of FLANDERS has filled INV
heart with sorrow From nv earI;es,