Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-11-15
:: The Truth About Belgium ::
- - BY BRAND WHTTLOCK
ing. and when seated he began SOL

Il am very much panied to have
to maze to the communication, eIc."
he SPOKE Jnen Oh the diplomats
having remained IN BRUSSELS by
courtesy OF the Germans, then he
saIu Tnat the publication OF my re-
pore IN the CdNell case was a great
injustice 10 Germany; that ii was
Dreacn of diplomatic etiquette; that
ne LeVal was largely responsible;
that our legation was furnishing an
arm to England, GermanyS enemy,
etc. 1 interrupted nm to say that
4 could not permit HIM TO charge
us with furnishing an arm OF any
sort TO England; that had put
communicated the facts to our am
basSador in response TO a request,
and that l was not responsible for
the publication. His tone grew
more calm; "Iet us talk the matter
over unofticially ana in friendly
way and try to reach some conclu-
sion," he said. This was better,
and we discussed the case in all its
bearings.
the Morning Post before him, mark
ed with red and blue pencil. His
objections, il soon developed, were
not TO the report, but TO the fact
that the report had been published,
save that by reason OF what he al
legged as misstatements in de Lee
walls report he himself had been
accused of having broken his prom
Use. He said that /, officially, as
American minister, had not made
frequent inquiries; that it was de
Leval who had spoken to Conrad
and that neither de Leval nor Con-
rad had any diplomatic quality.
What he wished then, at the end,
was that L express regret at the
publication and that de Leval be
instantly dismissed from the lega-
ton; otherwise he could not be re-
sponsible for what would happen
to him. Already the military had
threatened to arrest and deport him.
To this L replied that was re-
sponsible for de Leval, and for his
actions; that l would not dismiss
him, and that my legation would be
his asylum if any effort was made
to modest him.
You don't think me capable of
throwing. him 10 the wolves ana let
this Sauberzweig eat him alive" L
exclaimed.
The baron smiled; his blue eyes
twinkled. AS to the regrets L Salu
that 1 would not express any nor
. make any statement unless INSTRUCT
ed by my government so TO do we
talked calmly and frankly perhaps
as never before, both recognizing IN
oar conversation that fact that the
relations between our governments
were still strained over the Luslta-
mia case. We spoke of the "reVl-
taillement" and the danger involved
TO it i'm any disagreement, but even
so I said, rather than seem TO
shirk any responsibility, or to aban-
don de Leval l should prefer 10
withdraw from Belgium. AT THIS ne
protested. begged me not to mention
sucb a thing. suggested that VILLA
lobar Join the discussion, TO whlch
7 consented, of course, with pleas
ure. and we parted TO meet again
at y. m. And in the END ne was
friendly. shaking hands twice anu
inuuiring solicitously ABOUT my
A Last Discussion
At 5 o'clock that afternoon IN the
yellow salon downstairs the paron
and the marquis and met o,It,i ald
the whole subject again; on the
table before him were copies or the
Iondon newspapers with the Graph
ic. or some illustrated journal CON
tanning my picture and one or ma
lobar-the marquis in a yachtlns
cap, at Cowes, thirty years betore'
he said with a sigh.
Baron Won der Lancken's tone
made 1t clear that they were espe-
cially bitter agains; de Leval. lie
said that de LeVaI was persona non
grata and that his presence com
promised our neutrality. l told MN
that. of course, if de. Leval was
persona non grata ne could pc
eliminated. though not as pun
ishment. and only after communlca-
ton with Washington.
We talked all afternoon, terri
BILE afternoon L was weary ana oe-
pressed. weary of the long StralIl,
weary of negotiations in French OF
all accents, and 1 was still seedy
and under the horror OF that aWIuI
night, The cold rain falling in the
mark. l refused to give the
statement be desired or to au-
thorize ar aggression m the nature
of an exc;~ a disavowal, or re-
greet. So il was left.
Some one brought to the legation
and committed to my care MISS
Cavell's Prayer Book. with It's
touching entries. written in her own
hand, firmly, that last night. with
the verses of Scriptures that had
given her comfort and then, last
entry of all written while she was
vet alive and life still pulsinS within
her, when, in a world otherwise or
dered, long years of devoted service
might have been hers, the legend,
the epitaph that need not yet nave
been: a
1915"
There were few francs 'and
few precious trinkets, all her poor
little belongings. And yet-hoW
noble. how rich an estate!
The modest English nurse whose
strange fate il was to be so sud
denly summoned from the dim
wards of sickness and of pain to
high place among the worlds heroes
and martyrs will have, in happier
freer times, her monument in Brus-
sells; some street or public place
will bear her name, the school she
founded will be called after her. and
continue her mission of healing In
the earth. And when the horror or
her cruel and unjust fate shall have
faded somewhat in the light of it's
emergent sacrifice. the few lines
she wrote and the simple words she
spoke as she was about to die will
remain to reveal the heights that
human nature may attain, am to
sanctify a memory that will be
revered as long as faith and honor
are reVeIed of men.