Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-10

two vests, a towel, a bowl to eat
out of, a fork, a spoon, knife, and
a lot of little things, and enough
to eat for two days. They had TO
have all that.
$50 YOU NAV see what sad days we
have passed this week. Last sunday
we ran from one shop to another to
buy the clothes, and everything IS
so terribly dear. If we had known
all that in advance we could nave
asked the committee. They nave not
taken all the workers; whether they
have to go or not we don know
The saddest of all Is that at IeT-
monde they received SO little 10 ear.
Alice, and her father went to IcF-
monde for two days with a HtIIe
bread. but they could not even get
it to the boys. 80 soa
"Everybody was there with food.
They sat all day long before the par
racks, but they could not get Iheil
packages in because or the GCrIldILS,
and Wednesday morning very carry
they went back to TermonGe er aIu
then they gave their packages from
Hamme to the game-keeper ana ne
was able to get them in, but Allce
and her father were not able 10 Bet
very near, but all the same ne sol
his package. Just think whaI II "% ~
down there at Termonde with an
those people who could not see their
bovs. There are some who gave up
their last mouthful of bread ana az
the money they had to give IL 20
their children. So dear sister, IL Is
the Same thing with our Albert, ana
7 had TO buv IL all without anybody
Giving me q penny; but l could nor
Iet him GO without a penny in ms
noclSet The Overstraetens, theV
gave him a comforter; without tnat
/ would have had to buy 1T myseh'
$50 YOU can what it was. All these
BOYS had to run with That sort OF
nackage on their back. They say they
will he able TO write. I don't know
whether it is true. AS soon as !
know where they are I shall let you
know. Now I'm going to close ana l
shall wait for a reply by ID. "a, WI, WIZ
will give this letter to you. and nope
that madame received my otner let
ter that 1 sent her a fortnight ago.
Now my compliments to monsieur
and madam and to the children OF
Alice and of us all. Your sister,
'IEONTINE."
This letter was written in the first
DAVIS when the seizures were all In
Flanders-remote, inaccessible, IN
communicate, governed by the WhlHl
of colonels and sergeant majors anu
district administrators. 1t begaG
there. as / have said; Helfferlch had
lust made his declaration on forced
labor in the occupied territories III
the reichstag, where it was received
with docile acquiescence. rememp9
how at the time l imagined what
would happen if Mr.. Lloyd George
should arise in the house Of com
mons. or Mr.. Kitchin in the house
of congress- and casually announce
that the government had decided 10
seize men in their homes, deport
them to another land, and set them
to work in mines. and quarries and
factories!
Germans Examine Their "Slaves"
The declaration in the reichstas
was hardly made before the notices
were posted all over Flanders order
ing the men to report. The very next
day the r1en were sent aWay-6od
knows where" said the man who
brought in the news. He came with
the story of Alost. There the men
capable of bearing armS-nothlng
was said there about chomeurs-were
summoned by proclamation on
Thursday, October IL, to present
themselves the following day. About
LOO men between the ages OF
eighteen and thirty-tive were assem-
bled. They were examined by the
Germans precisely as slaves would
be examined in the slave market.
their muscles pinched and tested,
and about 400 who appeared physt-
cally unfit were eliminated. The re-
naming !, 300 were locked up at Alost
and a second examination eliminated
about 800 more. The 1000 who re-
NAMED were imprisoned and the
military authorities by force com.
PEELED the burgomaster to announce
to them that they need not fear.
that they would be utilized only for
work on the railways. The men were
then released and told to appear on
the 10th, bringing certain clothes and
effects.
On the sixteenth. however instead
of the thousand only four or SIX
hundred appeared. OF these the mar
ried men were released and the re-
naming four hundred were given a
paper to sign. The paper was lii
German and the military refused. TO
TIE nsIate il or eXnlain its cOntemts.