The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-03-21
BELGlANs EASILY
OUTWIT GERMANS
Hugh Gibson Says Governor Gen.
eral Gets Suppressed News
paper Regularly.
SPIRIT REMAINS UNDROKEN
Stupid Proclamations Of German Com
manders Cause Much Amusement
Among BeIgians-says Stories
of Atrocities Are All True.

New York.-Up to the entrance OF
the United States in the war against
Germany, approximately S5.OOO Bel
pian civilians had been shot, taken
into Germany as prisoners, or nneo Ior
| OFFENDING the German authorities IA
! Belgium in various ways, ACCORDING 10
! Hugh Gibson. former secretary or the
American legation at Brussels ana at
| nresent chief of the division OF foreign
intelligence of the state department,
described with many poignant details
the sufferings of the Belgians ana tne
irrepressible and buoyant spirit o. tlie
neonle. which, he said. has not been
, ouenched by the Teuton invaders.
The stupid proclamations OF the Ger
man commandants posted daily ahu
oftener on the buildings and Doaroihss
!, Of the streets Of Belgian cities caused
tbe population considerable amuse-
n ment at first, Mr.. Gibson SAID. Until
o It was announced from German neaa
e quarters that any one seen Laughing
e around an official bulletin would be Sc
/ yerely punished. Thereafter persons
: reading the bulletins would mume
,, themselves up In neckcloths tnat CON
u = cealad half their faces and laugh &c
themselves.
All the Belgian newspapers wer'
srnnressed. and the population re
IS ceived Its news from publications IL
on sued by the Germans. which TOLD Q
al their military victories. Mr.. Gibson ds
clared.
Papers Published Secretly.
ice "1n spite of this fact, the Belgian
of under the very nose Of the governe
Tor general, published clandestine newsp'
nars" he continued. 1.-THE governe
gs' general would get his copy regular
Sometimes he found it under his plat
go sometimes it came into his home WI
or the vegetables, sometimes II "
mailed to him in an official enVeiol
aid of the German military headquarte
leir itself. but. In spite of the fact that
OF offered 100000 marks for tnformau
leading to the arrest OF those C
,all cerned In publishing the. paper,
sriAs - copy 4oIlv-s1f -tnc aStfgfan
the cret newspapers he fell into I,
per- trum."
Mic English and Dutch newspapers ",
&C smuggled into Belgium. Mr.. GIBBS
~, s1 continued, though copy Of Lond
~. paper sold as high as $50 at til
when the German authorities were
seal ing their utmost to stop the sml
18th Cling. The papers Struggled in Wa
rented by the hour and the owl
:. would sit on a. mans doorstep uE
at he had finished 1t. whenlhe would p;
Nov. n IN IN receive anothel fee from i,
~ next customer. Mr.. Gibson REFER
to Cardinal Mercier as "the splen,
old figure whose work has undone
labars Of many German army corp
The stories of arson. pillage. murd
torture, and mutilation committed
the German invaders are all too tr
according to Mr.. Gibson. The II
story, he said, will not be told uT
the Germans have been driven out
Belgium and northern France, WI
the population Of the invaded distri
will show the world the proofs of
German atrocities.
German Spies Poorly Paid.
The hordes of spies hired by I
Germans are for the most part pr
and i'll paid, according to Mr.. GIBBS
who said that he had the honor
having one assigned to follow him c,
stantly. The man would stand in fri
Of Gibson's house in all sorts of wea
er and would scan the visitors. F
quently Mr.. Gibson would inform |
spy that he might leave, as he "
not expecting any more visito
Members of the secretary's staff wo,
use the spy as messenger, and wol
bestow liberal tips on him in retr
for fetching cigarettes and other
ticles.