Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-03-26
Continued Prom last Issue)
Sixth Instailrnent.
N TR. GIBSON and Mr.. Nasmit
MI we're up all night sendiT
4 - ~;

N N X. GlbSON ana MI. NaSmlIn
MI we're up all night sending
ANA off the Germans. Mr.. Glib
son had driven away from the lego
ton that evening with the German
American and his wife and little
boy to the Cirque Royal, the wom-
an covering all the way in terror
in the bottom of the car.
Her fears, of course, were ground
less, the Belgians being by nature
kind and generous, and when the
motor drew up to the Cirque Royal
and the crowds pressed around it,
Mr.. Gibson took the child and held
it aloft and said:
LES Belges ne croquent pas les
bebes!" 1.-THE Belgians do not
devour children!")l
A big gendarme put forth his
hands, took the boy and said:
"Mais non! Nj leurs meres nj
leurs peres non plus!" Ono, in
deed; nor their mothers nor their
fathers!")
And so he and the child led the
way into the great Cirque. There
nearly five thousand Germans were
gathered, twice the number ex-
pected. They were, of course, all
in excitement and alarm, and Mr..
Gibson had to go about reassuring
them. The officers of the gen
darmes and the Garde Civique, with
their own money, bought chocolate
TO give to the children, and later
Nine. Carton de Wharf, wife of the
Belgian minister Of justice, came
with hot milk and other comforts
for the women and children.
The Belgian authorities promptly
provided additional coaches, and
after midnight the transfer of the
refugees to the station began. It
was carried on without incident,
and that morning at daylight the
last of the four long trains drew
out of the Care du Nord, bearing
the Germans toward Esschen on the
Dutch frontier.
But the Germans continued to
gather; we had to provide another
train that night, and trains for
several nights afterward. Mr.. Ethel
bert Watts, our consul general, had
been in France on his vacation
succeeded, after many adventures
by sea and land, in returning to
Brussels. coming around by way of
the coast, Knocke and Ostend. He
then took the matter in charge, and
with the aid of Mr.. Gibson, Mr..
Nasmith and NJ. de Reval, finally
sent off most of the Germans to
Holland. There had been 5000
that first night, and there we're 500
the next night, 1900 the night
thereafter, 400 the next, and so
on in diminishing ratio until all
of those who wished to go had left.
The action of the Belgian gov
ern ment in this emergency was SUI
perb in spirit and in execution and
the population nobly generous and
could not resist the temptation
to write a note to Monsieur Car
ton de Wharf expressing my appre-
citation and admiration. Not a Ger
man was injured during those days,
and no more serious harm was
done than that resulting from the
breaking of windows in the first
ebullition of excitement. The Ger
man proprietor OF the great depart
ment store known as Tietz did in
deed consider that an auspicious
moment to adorn his place of bust
ness in the crowded rue Neuve with
German flags, and they were prop
erly torn down The bourgmestre
of Brussels, Mr.. Adolpe Max, issued
proclamation appealing to the
population to remain calm, while
the minister of the interior pub
lished a statement explaining the
laws and customs of war. And
that day, Friday, state of siege
was proclaimed.
This is the proclamation of
Bourgm Max:
Nous addressons un aouvel ap-
pei az calme ct au sangfroid de la
population.
s'Toute atteinte porte a la pro-
priete de sujets allemands toute vio-
lence contre ceuxci, pourrait etre lie
pretaxte de grave represailles.
Les citoyens Belges qui commet-
traient de pareils actes, so rendraient
done coupable dun veritable crime
contre al patrie.
I'll convent de s'absrenir de tout
sevice a regard des sujets allemands
qui seraient soupconnes convaincus
d'espionnage ct qui devraient etre
arretes de ce chef. II est de plus
haut interet de laisser Iautorite
nilitaire seule lie pouvoir d'exercer
les chatiments qui comportent de
samblables feints."
owe address a new appeal to the
calm and self-possession of the pop
ulation.
"All attacks on the property of
German subjects, all violence against
them, might be the pretext of grave
reprisals.
Belgian citizens who commit
such acts, then, make themselves
culpable of a veritable crime against
their country.
at is expedient to abstain from
all assaults on the dignity of Ger
man subjects who might be sus-
snatch this and I yronft STAY so Ionr n-ert time