Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-07-24
the bombardmsns lasted the whole

Of August 2i and 20. 1914. They cen.
tered their nre on the prison. the hos
pIial, and the railway station. They
entered the town at four o'clock In the
Afternoon Of August 20. During the
hrst tweniy.four hours. they behaved
themselves but on the oath they began
firing at anyone they pleased. and set
Are 10 different houses on Ave OF the
principal squares.
Then they ordered every one 10 leave
his house. and those who did not were
shot. The others. nbout four hundred
IN NIL, were drawn up In front OF the
church. close 10 the river bank. The
Belgian said he could never forget how
they all looked.
II can remember just how II was"
no said. ~rhere were eight men. whom
I knew very well, standing In a row
with several priests. Next came two
good friends OF mine named Balbnu
and GuIllaume. with Balbau's seven.
teen-year-old son; then two men who
had taken refuge In barn and had
been discovered and blinded; then two
other men whom I had never seen be.
fore.
1T was awful 10 see the way the
women were cryIng-'shoot me too,
shoot me with my husband"
"The men were lined up on the edge
OF the hollow. which runs from the
high rond TO the bottom Of the vlllnge.
One Of them was leaning on the shoul.
ders Of IN old priest. and he was cry
Ing. I am too young-I can't face
death bravely.'
II couldn't benr the sight any longer.
turned my back 10 the road and COW
cred my eyes. ! heard the volley and
the bodies falling. Then some one
cried. Look. they're alf down But a
few escaped" ---,-ess 49,
This Belgian had escaped by hiding
he could not remember how many
days--in an old cart filled with manure
and rubbish. He had chewed old hides
for food. hnd swan ncross the river,
and hid In a mud bank for almost a
week longer and finally got TO France,
lie took II very hard when we talked
about DIxmude. and l told him that
the old church was Just shot to pieces
He asked about painting called the
"Adoration Of the Magi." and one Of
the other prisoners told us II had been
saved and transported 10 Germany. II
that ls true, and they do not destroy
Il meanwhile, we will get Il back. don't
worryl
My wound was Just clean runshot
wound and not very serious, 80, al.
though II was not completely healed
they LET me 20 nfter three weeks. But
before went. l saw something that
no man OF us win ever forget. Some
Of them took VOWS just like the men
Of the legion have told about. ~
! One OF the patients was German
doctor. who had been picked up IN Nc
Mans Land, very seriously wounded
He was given the same treatment M
any Of us, that Is, the very best, but
finally. the doctors gave him up. They
thought he would die slowly. and that
II might take several weeks.
But there was a nurse there. who
took special interest In his case, and
she stayed up day and night for some
time and finally brought him through
The case was very well known. ant
everybody said she had performed q
miracle He got better slowly.
Then few weeks later. when h,
was out Of danger and was able tt
walk. and II was only q question oi
time before he would be released from
the hospital, this nurse was trans
ferred to another hospital. Everybod,
knew her and liked her. and when sh'
went around to say good-by. all tn
men were sorry and gave her it'll
presents, and wanted her to write I,
them. She was going to get a nurs'
she knew In the other hospital to turl
uoE icttctS inso hhkhSh, " uhot ch'
could write to me. l gave her a rinl
I had made from a piece Of shell case
but guess she had hundreds Of then
at that.
But this German doctor would no
say good-by to her. That would no
have made me sore, but It made thiI
French girl feel very bad. and she be
gan to cry. One Of the French officers
saw her and found out about the doc
tor. and the oiIlcer went up. and spok'
to the German. Then the French Of
ficer left, and the German called t
the nurse and she went over to hin
and stopped crying.
- 10 be continusd.)