Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-07-12
:: The Truth About Belgium
BY BRAND WHITLOCK

OF transmitting themselves into
"chiffons de papier' tscraps of pa
per- that I was prey TO I'M
worthy suspicious, and so sent a
dispa;ch TO Washington saying that
if the government desired, Gibson.
then at antwerp. could be instructed
TO bring the indications of the bUilc-
ings IL Brussels.
Tnsn one morning-it was the
sixth OF October-we were getting
off the English nurses. one hundred
and twenty of them, that day, and
tne doctors as well, including Wy
att .o- all Of which we were duly
gratef.l--calne HerinaHcito, always
= very mlcc of gossip, and told me
thai The presence Of military at
5aches proved that the kaiser was
in Belgium, perhaps IN Brussels.
Antwerp was 10 fail on the NOR
row: the city had been summoned
TO surrender and the time had ex-
PRED At SIX that day. The news
spread abroad, in the way ii used
20 do IN those dumb days without
n press. The city settled under a
socdeD melancholy; as the troops
marched down the streets the men
stood on the corners and watched
them in despair.
The next morning-Wednesda
the seventh of October-Villalobar
being at my house, at 10 o'clock the
Baron Won der Lancken and a Col
onel Won Leipsig arrived; they came
10 ask US to inform the government
at Antwerp of the Germans inten-
ton 10 lombard the city unless
they surrendered. They came Off
bearing official documents-The
Hague Conventions, no less, or what
was left of them-and on these they
squarely placed themselves.
Article twenty-six was the rock
that yet projected itself from the
welter of chaos about US; they said
that according to article twenty-siX
it was their duty 10 use all means
to notify the town. and inasmuch
as the Belgians refused to receive
any parlementaires, they had TO
have recourse to us. Curiously, al
most at that very moment, ! had a
despatch from Washington about
the preservation of historic mOnu-
ments ST Antwerp. 1t had all been
arranged nicely and we set to work
on a letter, citing the premonitory
article twenty-six and communicat-
ing to the local authorities at Ant
werp the request made to us by the
Germans We decided finally to
send the letter by Senior Sorela,
VfIlaIobar's white-bearded naval at
tache. He was to so iii my motor
with Adrien-one Of our chauffeUrs
TO drive him and Boron Won der
I.ancken to see him safely through
the lines. wrote a letter TO
Davignon and one to our consul
general, Mr. Dietrich, setting forth
the facts, and Colonel Sorela de-
parted in state under the Spanish
and American flags, with white
flag to use at the lines.
News Prom the Capital.
Colonel Sorela, who, according to
some Spanish rule, was colonel,
even though he was in the navy
and Arien came back from Antwerp
the next morning at O'Clock. They
mac l,.r = wild adventurous time;
II vs. 8. q difficulty that they had
&c. o.. o. antwerp, and once out
tLe,y I'D ever. more difficulty in get
r,y,g back into Brussels, for the
.,r.,arcment nad begun and shrap-
ne, was bursting over the hood OF
ths utomobile. Mon brave
Adrient' said Colonel SoreEa en-
Enthusiastically. laying a hand oh the
Itttls chauffeur's shoulder, as
though he were giving him an &C
coIade. Arrived at Antwerp, Col
ouel Sorela had gone to see Cen
4raI de Guisse, who did not at FIRST
understand and refused TO receive
the colonel and his message. lie
1vosIl6 receive, indeed, no parlamen-
tafre. would not surrender. would
fight to the death. But when Col
onel SoreIa explained that he had
nor come demanding surrender
ana that he was merely placing the
local population in possession of the
reformation. the general thanked
him for his services to the city of
Antwerp.
such was Colonel Sorela's official
report officially delivered with APP
nropriate salutes. But it was his
unofficial report that was the most
interesting, and that 1 did not have
from him until / had had IL from
Aarien. Arriving at 3 nj the morn
ing. Adrien had not been able TO
arouse the house and had patiently
sat in his motor before the door un-