The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-11-01
BRUGES ACCLAIMS
RETURNING RULER
King Albert, Queen Elizabeth
and Prince Leopold Ride
Through Streets.
MORE VANDALISM PROOF
Art Treasures RuthleSsly De-
stroyed Where German or
ficers Held Debauches.
ny PERRY ROBINSON.
Special Gable Despatcn TO THE Sun from the
| London Times Serrice.

Special Gable Despatcn to THE suS from the
London Times Serrice
Copyright. 1915; al rights reserved.
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE,
Oct. 81 have Just returned from an
other trip through that part OF Belgium
recently evacuated by the Germans. with
Bruges my headquarters.
The formal entry OF King Albert and
Queen Elizabeth on Friday morning
created immense enthusiasm. Both King
and Queen already had visited Bruges
informally on Monday when they ar
| rived In n motor car When their pres
ence then was discovered the people were
! almost delirIous with JOY. On Friday
/ their Majestles with Prince Leopold rode
on horseback. The King and the Prince
| were In uniform and the Queen in white
/ rode her horse admirably. Their prog
! ress along the streets was accompanied
! by continuous tumult OF enthusiasm,
and the crowds with difficulty were kept
in bounds by the military,
| After the royal party dismounted and
! assembled the steps to the Governor
house In the great square the people no
longer would be restrained. II was an
unforgetable scene when as with one i'm
{
! from all sides swept forward, carrying
the lines of guards with one universal
| rush to get near their sovereigns
| King Albert spoke a few words, his
voice clear. but faltering with emotion
while the crowd remained in dead
! silence. As soon as he ceased the same
tumultuous scene renewed itself. The
square was one sea of waving flags, from
which stupendous roar OF cheering and
snatches OF lie Brabanconne" assembled.
Common suffering never made the King
| and the people more indissolubly one
than is the case OF King Albert and the
Belgian people to-day.
Germans Fear Blow From Rear.
/ Officers tell Of wonderful scenes as
soldiers OF all ranks in the Belgian
! army now for the first time In four
years return az conquerors to their
homes to see their families again.
The Germans are In continuous dread
OF British invasion through Holland
and attack from the rear. so they have
fortified second line. which leaves the
other near Stroosbrug, thence runs due
east, facing and parallel to the Dutch
frontier in the north. This line Is the
subject Of immense hilarity in the Bel
gian and the British armies.
spent an hour in an ancient house
in Bruges and heard from witnesses OF
an indescribahle spectacle OF groesness
and wanton destruction. There were
fragments OF broken furniture and OBJ
jects OF art on the floors and other
evidences OF orgies held here with fe-
male companions. One would have sup
posed orderles at least would have
hidden or burned these things
l have called their vandalism liz.
norant because they evidently do not
recognize with what they are dealing
From series OF valuable old prints
they would take four or Ave. replacing
them pe<haps in frames with pictures OF
nude women from German periodicals
and leave others A few oil paintings
out OF many which did not appeal to
their gross tastes they left, obviously
unaware Of their value.
Panels OF an old Chinese cabinet had
all bits OF ivory and mother OF pear
picked out with knives just the way
children would II attracted by the gilt
ter, and the rest OF the panels was left
Beautiful emhrolderles undeniabl worth
stealing have been torn into bits and
used for kitchen cloths 4 charming
Louis Nv. table having In the early
days been taken into the servants
quarters as an orderly's wash stand was
overlooked
For mere brutal vandalism il BAN -
description. With what toll and with
how much labor did they break large
pieces off solid marble staircasen How
and why did they set a fine old dining
room table on fire from underneath" For
what pleasure did they take curtains
and other things from this house a
distribute them in othe-s and various
parts OF the city and bring things from
those houses into this?
An old seventeenth century woode.
statue they Clipped to pieces with axes
and knives. Where the arrangements
of the house did not suit them or they
wanted a shorter way from one room
to another they merely knocked a hole
In the wall Panellings and mouldings or
walls and ceilings are defaced. Glass Is
broken In way that can only have beer
done with missiles which perhaps largely
Is explained by tales of orderlies how
after orgies, their masters would stay ir
bed most of the following day, drunk.
Visited There by Kaiser