The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-01-11
LILLE KISSING ORGY
PICTURED BY YANK

evacuation beyond the terrific explo-
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. it had
been the experience of four years to
have the city alternately filled with
Germans then suddenly emptied
When the explosions had brought the
people into the streets they were i'm
pressed by the complete disappear
ance of the enemy. About nine o'clock
brave soul went into the headquar-
ters Of the kOmmandantur in the large
building. of the prefecture of police
and found ii vacated.
British Flyers Over City.
British airplanes began to fly 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., 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 Matin Of
Paris trudged, after long walk,
through the Armentieres gate into
Lille. Mellett and | entered the Port
de PoStes. Who was first probably
will never be settled. nor Is II at all
important that it should be settled, ex-
cept to the entrants.
If we were beaten by few minutes,
which we dispute, we know we had
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 Mellett and
had reached the swooning point.
Hundreds EneircIe Car.
When We reached the Port des
Postes, with its several traffic aisles,
hundreds Of people came running out
Of the gate, a never-ending stream
that tightly encircled our car.
Les Anglaises sont lei! Vive les
Anglaise was what they shouted as
they tumbled toward US, and we even
heard 1t beins 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. I un-
wisely established a precedent fol
lifting up babies, kissing them In the
French fashion on either cheek, giving
them little spank and tossing them
back to the first woman In sight. This
was unwise In a way because It at
tracted hundreds Of mothers who
wanted their offspring kissed and
spanked by the bogus great English
man. and undoubtedly resulted II
many delirious mothers extricatint
themselves from the mob only to fine
themselves in possession Of strang'
infant, for In tho o=eiteEIent of TIN
moment I could take no responsible.
for making correct returns.
Kissed by Swarm Of Maids.
Yet it showed that had a famil,
heart, and, while / was paralyzed b.
the sea Of babies surging up to me
! many Of them back for a second &C
no doubt-still there was the satisfat
ton Of seeing that among the babie
, were the flowers Of Lille. the pretties
mademoiselles. Mellett, In the meal
| time. was struggling with a swarm 4
buxom housemaids, who were busst
, him four and five at a time. In
/. he had all the La Bassee mud kifu
7 off one ear.
remember his tussles with thePut
r girls quite distinctly, and the re- &c
3 ton always flashes upon me WI he
4 happens to mention my gracioue's u
the bearded gentlemen.
3 "For Gods sake, climb ouer we
$ are lost!" shouted Mellett. per
J. mitted several of my lissom4eauties
\ to assist me dismount, collie rev
1 warm oscillations. and. wi Fhree OF
+ the loveliest on either surged
forward.
q The crowd gave way snout'
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