Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-10-09
IN HUN PRISON
THREE YEARS
Doctor Beland, Once Canada's,
Postmaster General, Cannot
See Dying Wife.
EXCHANGED after DELAY
Says Kaiser Envies Hindenburg Pop
ularity and Tries to Appropriate
His Victories--Saw Cap
ture of Antwerp.

An Atlantic Port.-After being kept
in German prison for three years DR..
Henri SEVERN Beland, postmaster gem
erdl of Canada under Premier Wilfrid
Laurier, and who lives at Beauce, in
the province of Quebec, arrived here,
accompanied by his daughter, Miss
Jeanette, who was held In Belgium by
the Germans while her father was in
Germany. Added to the sufferings of
his imprisonment was the death of
his wife in Belgium after he had been
locked up for IS months.
His jailers refused to allow him to
90 from Berlin to see her when she
was dying. The news Of his wife's
death was withheld from him for II
days. and he was only given the date
after he had begged to be allowed to
go to her funeral, to show that 1t was
too late.
Doctor Beland was only postmaster
general for two months in 1911 when
the Laurier administration was de-
feated over the reciprocity question.
It was because he had held this politi-
cal appointment that the Huns would
not permit him to leave Germany two
years ago when arrangements were
made between that country and Great
Britain for the exchange of civilian
prisoners more than forty-five years.
old.
During the three years he lost 20
pounds in weight, and his luxuriant
black hair became thin and turned
gray. The only occupations he had
were to attend the prisoners and
the officials of the prison when they
were Ill and to learn to speak. read.
and write German fluently. He was
finally released in exchange for the
brother Of Prince Won Bulow, who was
the head Of the Krupp Gun company in
London before the war.
The doctor was in northern Francs
In August. 1914, and his wife was stop
ping at their estate in Cappellen, near
Antwerp. He promptly offered his
services as surgeon to the Belgian
army and was with them In the fight
ing at Liege. From that city he went
to Antwerp and was there when the
British expedition sent out by Winston
Churchill arrived in October of that
year. He saw the city captured by
the Huns in October. Doctor Beland
continued to live with his wife at Cap
pellen until she converted the house
into Red Cross hospital and trained
herself as nurse
hn +,I CT .tn
ped occasionally to think Of his
words. He explained that, like the
majority of the prisoners he had met,
he was suffering from loss of memory
caused by his long Imprisonment,
which had interfered with the recep.
tiveness of the organs In the brain.
"Up to May 10. 1915" the doctor
said. 81 practiced medicine among the
poor in Antwerp and my wife carried
on the Red Cross hospital at Capped,
len. Then the German commandment
sent an officer to tell me that was
to be interned. When I pointed out
that physicians practicing as civilians
were immune from internment the Hun
officer replied that l was not receiving
fees from my patients. l was arrest
ed and taken to the Grand hotel which
was used as military headquarters
and residence of the staff officers in
Antwerp. After three days I was sent
to Berlin and locked up in the Stadt.
vogel prison.
"The prison fare was rough, con-
sisting chiefly of black bread, greasy
soup and potatoes. This did not trou-
BILE me as I received parcels of food
and supplies weekly from London. The
treatment was about as good as it gen.
orally is in places Of that kind.
"When, after two years confinement,
I was allowed to walk in the park op-
posite Garden straSse in Perrin, was
not allowed to speak to any person.
One afternoon I took my escort to
luncheon at the Hotel Bristol on the
Inter den Linden, which has not
changed its name. The Piccadilly res
taurant, noticed. had been converted
, into the Vaterland. Another time I
saw a crowd running and, looking in
their direction, l saw an automobile
go by containing Hindenburg and
his staff officer. He is the idol
Of the German people and more popu-
lar than the kaiser. Ludendorff Is
regarded as a strong man all over
Germany. but never takes the trouble
! to make himself popular. He does not
care what the people think about him
so long as they do as they are told.
''The kaiser envies Hindenburg's
{ popularity, and whenever the Huns
gain a victory he hurries to the
side of the marshal and issues bulle-
tins and sends kilograms to the kali
serin. so that the people believe it
is the kaiser who has gained victory.
All this time my daughter Jeanette
was In Belgium living with the family
of my late wife at Cappelen, and
three times I tried to reach her, first
through the United States minister at
Brussels and after America entered