Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1919-01-03
LILLE KISSING ORGY
PICTURED BY YANK

| evacuation beyond the terrific expl0-
sions at six o'clock that morning when
the bridges were blown up. Many SOL
diers had been moved from their bill
lets in Lille homes. However. Ii had
been the experience of four years to
have the city alternately filed with
Germans then suddenly emptied.
When the explosions had brought the
people into the st"eets they were i'm
pressed by the complete disappear
ance of the enemy About nine o'clock
a brave soul went into the headquar-
teFs of the kOmmandantur in the large
building Of the prefecture 81 police
and found it vacated.
British FLYERS Over city.
British airpl,nes began to f1y low
over the city. but not British Tom
my was in sight
After tense minutes Of anxious wait
ing three things happened. Charles
Delasolle, Jr.. a French aviator and
son of the mayor Of Lille. flew over
from Dunkirk and lighted on the
Champs de Mars Two correspondents
of the Petit Parisien and lie ATatin of
Paris trudged, after a long walk.
through the Armentieres gate into
Lille. Mellett and l entered the Port
de Postos. Who was first probably
will never he settled, nor is it Mt all
important that it should be settled, ex-
cept to the entrants.
If we were beaten by a few minutes,
oh mn Il. 4
the only parade, procession that
went through the heart of the city,
covered a mile, lasted an hour and in
cluded many thousands of dancing and
singing celebrants. If we had not
been rescued in the Place de la Re-
publique and hurried inside the gates
of the prefecture the parade might
have ended only when MelIett and l
had reached the swooning point.
Hundreds Encircie Car.
Whed we reached the Port des
Postes. with its several traffic aisles,
hundreds of people came running out
of the gate, a never-endlng stream |
that tightly enclrcled our cur.
LES Anglaises sont lcil Vlve les !
AngIaise !" was what they shouted as /
they tumbled toward us, and we even |
heard II being taken up In alarming
crescendo on the other side of the city
wall.
As soon as the kissing started Mel |
lett surrendered his face and hands, /
but, with his mind still on business,
managed to slide out OF the car. UNI
wisely established precedent for |
lifting mp babies. kissing them in the
French fashion on either cheek, giving
them q little spank and tossing them |
back TO the first woman In sight This |
was unwise In a way because II at |
tracted hundreds of mothers who |
wanted their offspring kissed and |
spanked by the bogus great English
man, and undoubtedly resulted in
many dellrious mothers extricating
themselves from the mob only to find /
themselves In possession OF strange |
Infant. for in the excitement Of the /
| could take no responsibility |
for making correct returns.
klssed by Swarm Of Maids.
ShOWGu lliut ndu Iu0iiY
heart, and, while l was paralyzed by
the sen OF babies surging up to me
many OF Them back for second 90,
no dOubt-stilI there was the satisfac-
ton of seeing that among the babies
we're the flowers Of Lille, the prettiest
Mellett, In the mean
time, was struggling with swarm Of
buxom housemaids, who were busslng
him four and five at time In fact
he had all the Ia Bassee mud kissed
on one ear.
remember his tussles with the stout
girls quite distinctly. and the recollec-
ton always flashes upon me when he
happens to mention my graciousness to
the bearded gentlemen.
For Gods sake. climb out, or we
are lost" shouted Mellett. so I per-
mItted several of my lissome beauties
TO assist me dismount, collected a few
warm oscillations, and. with three of
the loveliest on either arm, surged
forward.
The crowd gave way with q shout,