Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-20
Held in FiLthy Dungeon


in through crevices in the iron beams supporting the
ceiling.
The prisoners walks took place in a little backyard
fifteen yards in length. They lasted at first half
hour, later hour. When the time for walk
came the father had to repair to the yard matter
what the weather might be.
He asked to say mass, affirms the report.
That is false At the German chaplan's first visit,
Father Van Nylen put his painful before him, in
sstng especially on his privation of holy mass The
chaplain went to the kommandatur; but there he was
told that they could not grant imprisoned priests ia
cities for saying Only after three weeks, fol-
lowing visit from the Governor Generals chaplain,
did Father Van Nylen receive the much-desred perns-
sion.
One day the Kreischef himself went to the prison
ers cell and asked if he had any complaints to make
The father told him that against all law to keep
any in prison on suspicion for three months in
dungeon where only young soldiers confined and
that for only few days. The only answer he had was
the Kreschefs assertion that it Begians who had
built this dungeon and that there were other places
at his disposal.
The Kreischef excels in audacty when he asserts in
his report that Father Van Nylen has always declared
that he desired nothing than what he already
had"
The Cardinal, in his letter of November 9Th puts
things in their perspective and cleared himself OF
Won Bissng's allegation that he msnformed re-
gardng what took place in the prisons alluded to.
Archbishop's House, Malnes,
November 9Th, 1915.
To His EXcelency Baron Won Bissng, Governor Gen
eral, Brussels.
sir-On November 1st l received the letter
P. 2O001 with which your EXcellency honored me
dated October 30th In it you express the opinion
that the information contained in my letters of Oc-
tober 7h and 10th about the conditions under which
Fathers Quevit and Van Nylen imprisoned is
without foundation.
cannot do better than put the facts before your
Exceency and give you the precise dates. Then you
yourself will that it is the unvarnished truth
Nv 6rct otto ie dated October |
your Excelency that Fathers Quevit and Van Nylen,
though merely under suspicion, were being kept in
dungeon. I asked for mitigation of their lot and
facilities for saying mass.
Very kindly on October 18th your Excellency
wrote to that the result Of orders given i'm
medatey by you, the priests accommodation would
without delay be altered to suit their dignity and
that steps would be taken to enable them to say
mass long the judicial investigation of their case
lasted.
had all the more reason to hope that the two
religious would not have to wait long before enjoying
the improvement asked for because, the occasion
of visit he paid October 9th, the Baron Won
der Lancken seemed disposed to second my request
to your Excellency.
This is what actually took places On Saturday
October 9th in any case am assured, certainly
before October 18TH Father Quevit taken out
of his dungeon to be tried found guilty and i'm
mediately deported to Germany. Therefore, neither
did he know anything about mitigation of his SEN
tence had he the satisfaction Of saying mass
OOeyed Y on btSSWg
As regards Father Van Nyen after having been
shut up on July 31st in dungeon at the barracks in
Louvain and then transferred to the Jail of the
town, he imprisoned in dungeon at the Lancers'
barracks in Malines October I'd. On October 26th
he was still there and had not yet obtained leave
to say mass.
1t was only on Monday the 25th that the pro-
vncaI military chaplain, Father Gierlichs, came to
me with the news that leave going to be given
to Father Van Nyen to say mass, but that the
requisites for this purpose did not exist at the bar
racks. Immediately secretary from the Archbishops
House, Canon Van Olmen, commissioned to pro-
all the necessary requisites; building was pre-
pared on the 26h and the 9th the father had the
consolation of saying his first mass in prison. Since
the 9th your Excellencys orders concerning the cee
bration of mass have been carried out.
Replying a report dated October 9th of the
Kreischef M. Jochmus, your Excellency reproaches
me with having complained without reason of the
treatment meted out to religious detained in prison
Your Exceency expresses yourself as follows: "Your
Eminence must therefore have been quite misn-
formed when you think itSright to reproach me with
the way in which the clergy is being treated"
Nevertheless, truth compels me to uphold the
correctness of my communications.
Little LiOHt in Cell