The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-01-10
CHAPTER i-continusd.

NuAVI u-S0U9sUOO0.
-.
But there was no time to be spent
In speculation. With fixed bayonets
we went from house to house. door to
deor. and while the results were negli-
glble because We found no soldiers We
"a not come out quite empty-handed.
We made the Inhabitants deliver all
guns and munitions and 10 forth In
their possession. The mayor. accom-
panying the soldiers. explained to
every citizen that all found with arms
after the search would be punished
according to the rules Of war and
German rules Of war In Belgium
meant execution.
An hour might have passed when
~ were again aroused by the sound
Of artillery and gunfire. A new battle
had begun. Whether the artillery was
busy on both sides could not be Judged
from our village. The bombardment
was tremendous. The ground shook
from the growing and moaning that
relied backward and forward, always
seeming to become stronger.
The ambulance columns now
brought in the nrst wounded. Cour-
iers sped BY N. War had set In In
all it, phases.
Darkness came over US before We
had finished our house-to-house search.
We dragged all the mattresses. straw
sacks and feather beds that We could
lay our hands on. to the community
school and church to care for the
wounded. They were made ~ com
Portable ~ possible. From other sur
rounding villages now came the drst
faSitives. They may have bsen march
ing. for they looked tired and utterly
exhausted.
Women. old men and children were
huddled together in one mass. They
had saved nothing except their bare
Nvss. In baby buggies or on wheel
barrows these unfortunatss carried
whatever the rude force Of war had
left them. In contrast to the fugitives,
whom We had met before. these were
extremely frightened, appearing to be
In mortal terror Of their enemy. When
ever they looked upon one Of - Ger
man soldiers they cringed In terror.
How different these were from the
iAhabitants Of the village where We
had nrst stopped. who had met ~ In
. friendly. even polite manner. We
tried to learn the cause Of this fright
and discovered that the fugitives had
witnessed In their village bitter street
Aghtng. They had become acquainted
With war-had seen their houses
burning. had seen their little property
destroyed and eould not forget the
AsAt of their streets filled With corpsss
and wounded.
It dawned upon - that not merely
tear gave these people the appearance
q huAtod animals: there was also
hatred toward the Invaders who had
fallen upon them and drivea them
from their homes ~ night.
In the evening We departed and
Belgians had concentrated somewhere
to the rear under cover Of darkness.
We were quite near the neighborhood
ef the fortified city Of Lisge. Many
eettlensnts through which We passed
stood in flames; the Inhabitants driven
out. passed NJ In drovss. Women.
children and old men were bufeted
about and seemed TO be everywhere In
the way. without aims or plans. with
out place on which to lay their heads
tAess poor people dragged themselves
by.
Asain We reached Q village. which
to ali appearances had been inhabited
by contented people. Now indeed
nothing but ruins could be seen.
Wrecked houses and farms. dead SOL
dises German and Belgian. and among
tAsm many civilians, who had been
aAot By military order.
Toward midnight we reached the
German lines. The Germans had
tried to take a village which lay with
il the fortified belt Of Lege and was
defended tenaciously By the Belgians.
Here all forces had to be used in or
der to drive the enemy out. house By |
house and street by street. 1t was not
very dark yet, % that We had to Wit
No. with all Of our senses the terrible
ashts which developed here. It was q
neu-to-man fight. With the butts Of |
ear guns, knives, nsts, teeth We went |
aeainst the enemy.
One Of my best friends fought with
I siant Belgian. The guns Of both had
faIlea to the ground. They hammered
one another with Asts. i had just |
cloeed IN account with . twenty-five
year-oaa Dslgian and was going to ~
NJ NJ friend because his antagonist |
was ef superior strength. Ny friend
suecsodsd suddealy In biting the Bel
dan a tAe cAin - dssply that hs tore
z plece ce AeGh out with hls teeth. TAe |
Dslglaa's paiR nnst have bssn tsss1-