Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-21
Germans Placed Machine
Guns in Streets Before
Conscripting the Women and
Girls
Many Went Mad and Their
Shrieks Mingled With the
Wailing of Parents

andretta. For that treason. also. Rou-
bax had to pay a fine OF 10000 francs
Tho same tragic scenes as IN Lille
| happened when the Germans made the
conscription of women in Tourcoing ana
Roubaix. with machine guns posted
! in the streets and German othccrs max
ing an arbitrary choice OF the young
women and girls for forced labor IN
| fields far from their homes, this seizihg
| of girls was done at mght WITHOUT
previous warning. and the dark horror
| Of II made the girls go mad and their
shrieks rang down the streets, ana even
| those who had most courage wept bit
| tcrly. and IA great wailing arose from
mothers and fathers and sisters ana
children who feared the worst Tor those
who were taken.
Even some of the German officers
| revolted from this order and SAID. we
will not do this filthy work" And soin"
Of them then and later. when despair
| took hold of them. committed suicide.
| II is no wonder that there is no par
don in the hearts Of French women for
/ other women of their own town VINO.
in weakness in character and looseness
| of heart. were bcguiled into relation
/ shin with the Germans. Trainloads OF
these women left some Of the towns
that | have named because they had
been seen intimately with German olli-
GERS and mon and yesterday at the CIT
trance of Brugcs, I saw the portrait ot
a woman nailed up and was told that
it was to pillory her name for her un-
! faithfulness to pride and race.
That was one of the worst tragcdi:
Of war. II is inevitable among wars
horrors and pitiful Let us forget these
things in our genial 10Y though they
will he remembered while history lasts
But do not let us forget that while
many cities are being liberated and arc
| full of gladness, the British soldiers It
whom this is largely due are still fac
ing German gunfre and machine -gur
bullets.
British Stiil Fighting
Sunday morni,g British troops of the
First, Second and Third armies advanced
on n general line east of Courtrai
Roubaix and Douai. Tho Fourth Army
on the right in touch with the French
Is also moving forward against opposi
tion from machine-gun rear guards ant
have taken a large quantity of war ma
terial in lie Cateau.
With them American troops have ad
vanccd with fine gallantry and hav'
taken many prisoners.
On the Third Army front there was al
attack at o'clock Sunday morning anC
a number of prisoners and machine guns
were taken. Around St Python. south
west of Nalenciennes, there was hare
fighting
The village of 81. Python was stub
bornly defended with barricades in th'
streets and machine guns in the houses
ON the Second Army's front the British
troops crossed the River Lys and came
astride the Courtrai-Tournai road an,
are advancing toward ROlleghem sOutl
of Courtrai itself,
In Il recent message I described how
$4,000 people on one side of the canal
with 5000 others among the British troop
on the west side. were waiting in thei
cellars with heavy fire very close t'
These people should now be free afte
a terrible experience of fear and hun
ger and agonizing hope, which has last
ed through several days and nights.
They have had worse times than tn
people in Lille and Tourcoing. Roubai,
; and Bruges. where the enemy had no
fought long before his flight, but nov
they, too, will enjoy the best things
which is freedom from hostile rule ant
their thanksgiving will go UP in tina
chorus which Is travelling over Belgium
and northern France and Is the voice o
the brave people who have suffered fou
years of misery and now are glad,