The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-10-18
Men and Women Sob Be
tween Cheers for the
French and British
CORRESPONDENT
DESCRIBES SCENE
News of Presidents Reply
To Hun Brought Wild
est Demonstration
lRv Associated Press.l J

Paris, oct. 1S.-"T have just wit
nesA,d the most touching spectacle
of my life. The whole city, in a. de-
lirium OF joy, ready to throw itself
upon us, the first to enter Lille, 3"
telegraphs the war correspondent OF
The Petit Journal, from that city,
Tonight at 9 o'clock, near Armen-
there's, an officer shouted to us, Lille
is taken We speeded our auto on
the road of victory. Two miles from
Lille two young girls ran out in
front of our auto, crying amid sobs
of joy, They have gone, they have
gone. Vivent les Anglais, viva la
France
1--WE went little further and then
huge shell hole obliged us to
abandon our machine and proceed
on foot. Two more girls came out
Of the city to meet their deliverers
sooner, and cried while tears
streamed down. their cheeks.
"a hack appeared and we got In,
but a crowd, every member Of which
was weeping stopped us" One man
climbed on our. .sh onl nlders.~---,-.e.z-.... !.
ttAnother shouted to us, My name
lis Guiselin, i am city counsellor. The
Germans offered me a million to be-
tray my country. The towards, the
eoWards,' and then he burst into Sob
ing. r
Carried by the crowd we arrived
at the city hall. Deputy Mayor Rau-
don stood at the door. When we en-
tered everyone rushed to- embrace
us. An old man with white hair
stood with a violin at the top OF the
grand staircase and played the Mar
seillaise.' Outside the crowd seeth-
ed like sea. We were the first
messengers from the motherland.
Speak, speak to u.s. they cried.
'They opened the windows and told
Of our victory. A shout went up that
filled the city. We told of the Bull
garian capitulation. Again the cheers
rang out. We told of the Turkish
promise to quit the war and again
the crowd cheered. Then we told
them that President Wilson had re-
fused to grant an armistice and de-
manded Emperor Williams head. The
crowd, in a frenzy, tossed everything
it could lay hands on into the air.
''At the prefecture the acting pre-
feet. M. Regnier, embraced us and
there was fresh outburst of cheer
ing from the crowd. It was for Mayor
D0salle and for his son, a French
officer OF the legion Of honor and
wearing the war cross. This officer,
an aviator heard at II o'clock that
the city had been freed. He leaped
into his machine, flew quickly to
Lille and landed in the Place de
Theatre. Alighting, he rushed home
to his father.
First French Uniform.
aHis was the first French uniform
the liberated citizens had seen and
the sight OF it increased their delir-
ium of joy. There remain 10000
inhabitants in Lille. The Germans
had carried off all the male popula-
ton more than Il years of age. The
city is not greatly damaged and the
public buildings are intact"
News of the deliverance of Lille
spreads rapidly in Paris arousing deep
and quiet joy. Flags were hung out
on all sides and a crowd of refugees
from the Lille region paraded to the
Lille statue in the Place de la Con-
cord where they sang the Marseil-
laise and decorated the statue with
allied flags.
Numbers OF refugees waited most
of the day, Thursday, at the offices
OF the committee in charge OF the
refugees Of the department of the
Nord, on the chance that news of the
evacuation OF Lille would be receiv-
ed. When a. messenger arrived with
the glad tidings many Of them wept.