The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-12
BELGIAN GIRL TELLS
OF WAR EXPERIENCES
Lord Chief Justices Daughter De-
clarcs Her people VIII Fight on
With T.. s. Aid.
VISITS NEW YORK CITY
Peels Potatoes for SoIdicrs-Tclls of
German Atrocities In Her Home
Iand--Says Food Is Exceedingly
(, Scarce and Prices High.

New York, March Belgium
brave little Belgium, has not
been whipped. and now that
America is in the fight, praise God,
she never will be whipped. Her spirit
is not broken and IL never will bIeak.
even if the Germans hold her for 100
years, Belgium fought for the wori ID
in tn use first dark days--now let the
world fight for her"
Wearing the bright colored co.'s
tune of the Belgian peasant girl.
Miss Suzanne Silvercruys, the nine
teen-year-old daughter of the chief
justice OF Belgium, told the story of
her experience during the first six
months of the war. The little exile
Is visiting friends I'm TN city for "A
few days, and she made her first New
York address before 400 members Of
the Advertising club att No. ~ East
Twtnty fifth street
AT the end Of the first six months
of the war l was suffering from ner-
yous prostra ton. and the doctor told
my parents that ! would not live Two
months If / did not leave the country
Immediately" she said in explaining
her presence in this country. i
guess what really troubled me was
the unbearable repression and re-
straInt which forbade me giving vent
TO my hatred by scratching the eyes
out of every German---or twentieth
century barbarian-I met
Il was playing with nay little dogs
IN the yard Of our country home at
Maeseyck. twenty miles from the
fortress at Liege. on that afternoon
in August when I heard the boom
boom OF the guns" she began, Il
ran into the house and called daddy.
but when he came out they had stop
ped. That evening when we went
to get the newspapers with the latest
news we heard them again---so clear
" on the night air that We could dis
tinguish between the German guns
and the answer of the Be1gtans
We got back home TO find mother
CRYING. because my brother was in
that first regiment at IAege. Every
shot all that night tore our hearts
because we knew each one meant the
death OF some of our 10000 boys who
were trying to hold back many times
their number. The next morning we
had a card from my brother telling
us not to worry. that the Germans
were only bluffing. they would never
violate our neutrality
Ny father, being chief justice, had
TO leave that morning for the Capt
toll she went on, 80 we started trav-
eiling from village 10 village In the
trolley cars. When we got TO Louvain
we saw Belgian soldiers crouched be-
hind barbados of rocks and plankg
with their machine guns, and they
called TO us to leave as the Germans
were advancing. In the trains TO Brus-
sells the refugees, weeping and moan
ing, were carrying as many OF their
belongings as they gould in bedclothes.
When we got TO Brussels | found that
many of the women and girls had
offered their services al nurses Even
then we thought II would all be over
in week at the most. asked 10
be taken on as nurse, but they
laughed at me because / was so young.
my bit, or rather, my best, so when
was to go In the kitchen and peel po-
tatoes and wash dishes. went
eagerly. ] was Aired with 3 burning
to be shot for my country"
After two days OF kitchen service,
Miss Silvercruys was allowed TO serve
In ward No. 2 OF the palace OF Jus
tice. which was being used as hotel.
That was in charge of a German
officer, of course" the little exile went
on. They took over everything as
soon as they came, and one night the
doctors and nurses all agreed to let
the twenty wounded Belgian soldiers
who were able to walk escape. The
next morning when the Germans saw
the empty cots they punished us by
putting US all in room guarded by