The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-20
GERMAN BARBARITY
REVEALED ATLILLE
Women and Girls Lined Up in
Night and Carried or
d Into Captivity.
CITY UTTERLY SACKED
All the Treasures in the Art
Museum Carried OFF by the
Teuton Invaders.
NJ PERRY ROBINSON.
spsciai caois DespafcA TO TEE suN from tAs
London T,rsss Service.

sSsciai Cable Despafch 10 TEE sur from tAs
London T,rss Service.
csprrirAt. 1878: on rioAn rsssrpsd.
WITH rHn BRrrIsH ARMY IN FRANCE.
Oct. 1s.--Lato last night sent de-
spatch of o few words detailing an
account Of my visit to Lille. which was
the most wonderful experience any man
, could hope to have In the course Of q
life time. Two or three hours before
an oficer Of Liverpool regiment and
his men had gone into me city and
made an oficiai call Upon the Mayor :
small party Of French and Belgian
correspondents also made their way in,
out ! was the only Engiishman. except
the press officer accompanying.
The streets for. miles, were sursing
mass Of people. cAledy women and
children who were waiting, very nearly
dslirious, anticipating, since the Ger
mans had gone in the darkness OF the
early morning. The rumor spread that
WAS an. Erglish General II was
useless to deny, for who could argue
with hundred thousand people mad
with Joy, and on me was poured the
gratitude for It's deliverance by a popu-
iation which has suffered so much for
four years.
It was necessary to. walk some miles
u street. battling ones way every yard,
through q throng Of cheering. laughing.
scbbipg women and children. with a
ssw men scattsred among them I was
ehowered VITA flowers and draped with
tri-colors and strsainets.
A Fren.fed, Cheering Crowd.
Fifty times, with. difficulty. saved
babies thrust at me TO be touched or
Kissed from beins trarupled under foot.
Women struggled to kiss some part Of
my hand. cheek or clothes, II did not
mAtter much to, them. Men fought to
grip ones hand. II never ceased. Nile
AFTER male II the crowd continued and
grew more ,frensisd. one great mass OF
shouting, cheering. weeping humanity,
every face glowing with delight, almost
every cheek wet with tears. Cries mailing
ons ~ q savior and deliverer mingled
with shouts Of "vive rAngieterre" rose
~ in q constant refrain. Those are
ShingS which no man ever could forget
An extraordinary thing was tho multi
eude Of French fass which draped the
streets. hanging In every window. All
ehees flags had been cherished and hid
den away for four years. Many were
faded and mouldy from lying in damp
ceIlars, but most had kept their colors
bright In the darkness where they had
hin concealed.
The city 10 practically unhurt. Some
damage was done by the German bonn
oardment at the beginning OF the war.
but Il was trivial. II 10 notorious that
NO have not shelled the place. and
equally well understood that the. Ger
mans hoped we would. They hoped we
should be compelled to attack Lille d.
rect, but history will give credit to the
strategy that enabled us to force svaeyi-
ation of the splendid city without .
night.
AS regards property. In the first stage
there was universal plundering Of shops
and stores Whatever an officer wanted
he took under the guise OF requistion-
ina. giving a bond. Needless to say. those
bonds remain unhonored. Then came
successive proclamations oonfiscating
goods. First wine. all OF which was con-
flscated, and next metals. Squads OF
soldiers visited each house, stripped IL
OF all metal objects and left. Next they
began to take such things as bicycles
and all rubber goods. Then all houses
were stripped of woollens and mat
kresses. All horses were taken.
The lace and cotton making industries
1scation OF their stocks and the removal
to Germany Of all objects of value.
Everything was taken from the great
museum OF the Louvre itself, as the Sec
ond finest art gallery IN France. The