Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-10-24
GIRLS OF LILLE TORN
FROM BEDS by GERMANS
AND SENT TO GERMANY
CONTINUED from Page One.)


Continued from Page One.)
Germany long ago passed the
bare windows say the empty rooms
beyond. l did not go in, but l was
assured that the whole building Isl
completely bare.
Apparently it was the intention of
the enemy at the end to strip the cityI
or everything as other towns have
been stripped before. About a fort
night ago the Inhabitants of Sonmel
and other suburbs through which II
passed were ordered to leave theirI
homes and go into Lille. taking wi h
them four days rations, with a view
to evacuation. AThey obcyed he order
and as nothing more was done they
remained in Lille. While they were
| away their homes were absolutely
cleaned out. Presumably this was
the beginning of a systematic robbery
which would have worked from the
suburbs inward and was stopped
only by the rapidly Of our advance
and the necessity Tor such a hasty|
withdrawal by the Germans that all
channels of transport were checked
with military supplies, leaving no
room for the carrying out of the usual
systematic robbery.
But of all the things which have
gcorchea themselves INFO the minds
otsthe people of Lille, the deepest scar
has been made by. the removal of
women in 1916. On April q of that
year notice came that from the area
Of Lille, Roubanx and TOurcoing 50,-
GOO persons-men, women and chill
drer--were to be taken to work in
Germany. Nobody was 10 be outside
his proper residence after o'clock
at night, hut at the first ring of the
dodrbcll all members Of the house
hold were to assemble in the door
| way.
at 10 O'Clock on q Monday ntght
unspcakable scenes began to he en-
acted. starting in the outer suburbs
and working toward The heart of the
! CITY Squads of soldiers presented
themselves at house AFTER house ard
from the parties assembled at the
doorways they picked men, women,
girls and children as they saw fit. with
regard neither to relationship nor to
those who were left.
Girls Taken From Reds.
Guided only by their Judgment as
to which was most desirable. they
entered houses where all the members
did not present themselves and tore
from their beds girls of seventeen
! and eighteen years of age who were
hiding in terror and carried them off,
! For six nights the city lhy under the
horror Of this thing. From Monday
night until saturday night, through
hours of darkness squads of men con-
| tinued their brutal work in each
street and each part of the city In
| those parts of the city which came
last members of every family listened
| in dread for the awful summons
which would decide which of them
were to remain and which were to be
taken to an unknown fate. There
was no detail which could make the
! whole thing vile and repellent to
| every civilized instinc' which was
| omitted. The midnight visits, the
| ruthless tearing apart of families and
! the herding and examination of
| women all combined to make it ter
rible. 1t was the SiXty-fourth regi-
| mcnt of German infantry which car
ried out the hideous work in Lille, and
to do some OF them justice, my inform
| ant told me that he had seen men in
| the streets the next day hagEard and
| almost sick Mt the horror of their pre-
ceding nights work. Officers, truly or
| otnefWlSe, declared that their hearts
J bled for the people. Two officers are
said to have been punished for refus-
| ing to do their part.
Compared with this outstanding
! outrage all other hardships the resi-
| dents Of Lille have experienced sink
| into insignificance, although one can
never forget the pitiable cries. Nous
! aVons tant souffert' on the whole the
! mass of German Soldiery don't seem
to have behaved badly except for con-
tinued thievng and minor brutalities.
| Officers as a rule have been overbear-
ing arrogant rough and have done
much drinking"