Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-30
S14KS XND yTY2IPES FIRST
ALLIED FLAG RRUGES SA W
mercan Resident Displayed His Color' Soon Germans Left
Tells OF Experiences During Occupafion-kaiser
Oppressed By Shndo,c OF Refributon
BY WALTER DURANTY

farmer would wink and slip across
hundred mark note. little later some
one would be notified that pork and
bacon were for sale. and from dark
cellar where nineteen pig litters were
carefully CONCEALED a new thin young
porker would be removed to the farmers
sty.
The American corroborated what the
correspondent heard ELSEWHERE about the
| license and the debauchery OF the T.
boat men Latterly when their losses
became very heavy---once mounting. II
was averred. to ten submarines from
Bruges In a single week--you could tell
the naval officer on active U-boat serr-
ice by his hagsard and slovenly appear
ance.
A Belgian civilian doctor said he had
, treated many cases OF morphine and
ether poisoning among mere boys who
! did not dare reveal the vice to their own
medical officers or, for that matter, the
| admiral OF the C-boat men. They might
stagger, yelling in drunken ribaldry in
the streets with the lowest women on
either arm, break windows or molest
civilians; they might even insult oificers
Of the army-they were never punished.
The colonel Of the German police bu-
reau was reported to have said when an
American army captain complained OF
gross outrage offered him:
What do you want me to do? A
| fortnight's e arrest for them means a fort
nights respite. These men are tode
geweiht' tconsecrated to DEATH. An
Allied depth bomb will soon wipe out
the memory Of tie insult you were
forced to swallow"
In other respects German discipline
was strictly maintained, though n relax
alton was noticeable in the last three
months. The soldiers were forced to
stand rigid when an officer passed, and
when passing an officer to do the goose
step.
Schroder's Harshness Confirmed
Strongly pro-Ally from the outset. the
Edward" family followed the example of
the population in boycotting the German
theatre and cinemas or cafes and restau-
rants where the Germans went.
Admiral Schroeder saw to it that the
behavior Of troops in the streets was
generally good enough. Mr.. Edwards
confirmed Schroder's harshness. In re-
gard to Schroeder. Mr.. Edwards said:
we had startling demonstration
last year of the British attitude toward
Fryatt's murder. officers and men of an
English regiment captured at Nieuport
were made to file past the admiral stand
/
ter square of Bruges. Every one of the
group of officers who marched turned his
back on Schroeder as they marched past.
| A Few days later the admiral posted a
proclamation throughout the city to the
effect that the incident had been re-
ported In a Dutch newspaper in a man.
ner rejecting in his EXceiiency. His
Excellency regarded this as proof that
spies still existed at Bruges. with means
cordingly gave the Inhabitants warning
not only that the persons concerned in
espionage would be treated with the ut
most severity, but that If any other case
| occurred of the Dutch press reproducing
the events in Bruges derogatory to Ger
man prestige. a heavy fine and other
punishments would be inflicted upon the
city"
Fines to a huge amount were inflicted
on the town on the slightest pretext, and
favorite punishment was an order that
| all inhabitants must remain indoors after
midday for a stated period. Thus, when
a imprudent citizen cried "Vive la Bel
gique!' when some prisoners were be-
ing entrained at the station. the town
was fined 100000 marks. and Indoors
at noon became the rule for the fol-
lowing week. The punishment was re-
peated when, on one occasion, some one
cheered Allied airmen bombing the port
in broad daylight.
In this connection, Mr.. Edwards said
| he was convinced greater part OF the
damage was done to civilian property in
| the port quarter-it was hardly notice.
able. as the correspondent saw-and that
the killing of civilians was the work not
of the airmen but of one German bat
| terry whose shells. through defective
fuses or perhaps deliberately to foster
! i'll will against the airmen. burst on Or
near the ground instead Of 1000 yards
high. Mr.. Edwards had investigated
several cases personally and vouched
that they all were caused by land shells
along a regularly defined axis
The artist gave vivid description
1 of the entry of the King and Queen
into Bruges amid the tumultuous cheer
ing of the frenzied population. On the
central square they were received by
the burgomaster with an escort of a
solitary gendarmie. named Georges
Joye, who had refused to give up his
uniform and old-fashioned rife to the
enemy. Despite fines and imprisonment
he declined to reveal the hiding place,
and the Germans finally abandond the
attempt to overcome his obstinancy. As
he stood there alone with fixed bayo-
net, the King and Queen shook him by
the hand and congratulated him. Joye
greatly moved. stammered. at is toe
great an honor. too great an honor"
Their majesties' visit. which was
practically unattended" concluded the
American, was great contrast t0 the
Kaiser's coming. The finest house In
town always was ready for him and
GRATED, of course. at the expense of tn,
corporation. Hundreds of thousands on
marks were thus spent. though the
Kaiser was actually in Bruges perhap ps