The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-17
Participants Testimony of Deg
radiation Accompanying De-
portation From Mons.
SCENES OF FlENDtSH CRUELTY
Women Forbidden to Give Food anc
Clothing to Men Facing Privation
and Cold-United States
Appeal Unheeded.

GermGnS, TO their everlasting DIS |
grace, the deportation from Mons 4 |
prominent. Official documents pub |
fshed Jy the committee on pubiI
Information tell part Of the harow
ing story.
y vivid sketch of the deportatioas
from Mons, ordered by German author
tiles, drawn by participant, may well
be cited here
Il Will take the 18th of November
of last year [191Cl. A week or 50 be
fore that placard was placed on the
walls telling my capital city of Mons
that in seven days all the men of that
city who We're not clergymen. who
were not priests, who did not belong tc|
the city council, would be deported.
AT half past five, in the gray Of the
morning on the 18th Of November.
they walked out. 600 men ut Mons
myself and another leading them down
the cobbicstones of the street and out
where the rioting would be less than
in the great city, with the soldiers on
each side, with bayonets fixed, with
the women held back.
THE degradation Of it. The degra-
dation Of it as they walked into this
great market square, where the pens
We're erected, exactly as if they were
cattle-all the great men Of that prov
ince-the lawyers. the statesmen, the
lis of
made the capital Of Hainaut glorious
during the last 20 years.
There they were collected; no ques-
ton of who they were, whether they
were busy or what they were doing
or what their position in life. Go e
the right! Go to the left! Go to the
right SO they We're turned to the
one side or the other.
Trains We're standing there ready,
steaming, to take them 10 Germany.
You saw on The one side the one
brother taken, the other brother left.
a hasty embrace and they were sepa-
ftfad ana 'gone. q.
You saw the women in hundreds,
with bundles in their hands bcseecb-
ing to be permitted to approach the
trains, t. give their mea the last that
they had in life between themselves
and starvation-a small bundle OF
| clothing to keep them warm on their
! way To Germany. You saw women ap-
/ proach with q bundle that had been
| purchased by the sale Of the last
| of their household effects. moi
one was allowed to approach to give
her man the warm pair of stockings on
! the warm jacket, 50 there might be-
some chance Of his reaching there. on
/ they went"-John II. Gade, in the Ma.
tional Geographic Magazine, May
/ 1917.
The Belgian women sent a touching
appeal to Minister Whitlock:
Appeal of Belgian Women.
Brussels, Nov. IS, 1916, 46 Rue de Ii
Madeleine.
His EXcellency, Mr.. Brand Whitlock
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary of the United State.
of America.
Mr. Minister:
From the depths of our well o.
misery our Supplication rises to you.
I'm addressing ourselves to you, w,
denounce to your government, as vel
as to our sisters, the women Of tn
nation which you represent in on
midst, the criminal abuse Of. force O
which our unhappy and defenseles
people is a victim.
Since the beginning of this afro
clous war we have looked on impotent
ly and with our hearts torn with ever,
sorrow at terrible events which pu
civilization back into the ages Of tn
barbarian hordes.
Mr.. Minister, the crime which i
now being committed under your ewes
namely, the deportation of thousand
of men compelled to work on enem
| soil against the interests of their cour
| try, cannot find any shadow of excus
on the ground Of military necessity, 70
! 1t constitutes violation by force of
sacred right of human conscience.
Called "Monstrous Extremity.
Whatever may be the motive. !
cannot be admitted that citizens ma
be compelled to work directly or ind
rectly for the enemy against thei
brothers who are fighting.
The convention OF The Hague ha
: consecrated this principle
Nevertheless. the occupying powe
is forcing thousands of men to thi
monsuous extremity, which is col
trary 70 morals and international Law
both these men who have already bee
taken to Germany and those who t,
morrow viii undergo the same fat
8 if from the outside, from neutral FL
rope and the United States, no help
offered.
oh The Belgian women have ais
n known how to carry out their duty i
II the hour of danger: they have ne
II weakened the courage of the soldier
II of honor by their tears.
II They have braveIy given to the
Il country those whom they loved.
Il rhe blood of mothers is flowing on th
: Nearly all Of the principal cities