The Irish standard., 1919-05-17
How Father PHILIPPE, Valiant K. Of c.
Chaplain, Delivered Document to
Belgian Printate After Passing Thru
Torture by German captors.
By Calvin s. Chalmers.

pipe, his trench coat bespattered with
the mud of Flanders and of every 9th
er soil thus far trod by the soldiers
of the world in this big war, makes
Father PHILIPPE Mussche not one whit
different from host of army chap.
lains who have forsworn for the
time the sombre cloth of the cleric to
become the intimate companions of
battleworn men in arms.
Yet there is a difference, something
intangible, elusive, but nevertheless
present-the mark of intense and long
endured suffering.
Father Mussche is Belgian priest,
a chaplain in the service of the
knights of Columbus. He has recent
ly been assigned to duty at Havre. He
is now minfstering to great and
I, rapidly increasing body of American
and French soldiers, some there for
embarkation and others for perma-
nent garrison duty. But this is not
the story; it is not of his untiring and
unselfish present activity that I am
writing, but of those dark days in the
life Of the little priest Immediately
following the terrible raid of the Uh.
lans upon his country, and of the tor
lures that followed and which have
led to his conservation to war service
as long as there is soldier on active
duty in France.
Father Mussche was teacher in
the Institute st. Louis at the begin
mig of the war. He was one of three
brothers, all priests, the others being
assigned to parishes in and near
Brussels. It is not necessary to tell
in detail of the activity of Father
Mussche in the now famous "secret
paper" tragedy in which many of the
most faithful clergymen under the
guidance of Cardinal Mercier stood by
their country and church until the
very end. It is needless to relate the
brutal treatment of these heroes thru
out the carnival Of hate and lust which
swept Belgium as no scourge in all
history has wrought it's devastation.
All three of the young priests were
arrested by the Germans, and two of
them were shot; but Father Mussche
was spared for the exercise of the
fiendish ingenuity of his captors.
The teacher-priest was suspected of
having In his possession valuable docu-
ments, and it was the purpose of the
Germans either to secure these papers
or compel their captive to divulge the
matter therein contained. Their de-
mands were refused, and Father Phil
lipe was thrown into solitary confine-
ment in a German prison.
Solitary confinement in German
prison is thing horrible to contem-
plate. For two years and nine months
the Bedgian priest was kept aloof
from his fellows, and at frequent
intervals was placed upon the rack
of inQuisition. But that precious pa
per which was sought so diligently
was never found, Yet the captive had
the document in his possession during
all those soul-trying months, and has
restored it to his Cardinal.
The story of Father Mussche was
hard to obtain. Our meeting was
purely casual. In the Paris club rooms
of the Knights Of Columbus, near the
big fireplace, sat most usual man.
We was writing q letter, and in his
interest in the written thought had
allowed his huge pipe to go out. He
asked me for a match, and as, he
leaned forward to accept the light his
trench coat opened. On either
shoulder was the cross of all army
chaplains. His collar bore the insig-
mia Of the Knights Of Columbus. 9th
erwise there was nothing to indicate
his branch Of service.
"You see that am not supplied with
the little needful things" said the
wayfarer. II have just reached Paris
from Hayre, and must return tomor-
row, for have much to do"
The conversation had started, and
under the pressure Of frequent and
pertinent questions Father PHILIPPE
told the following story:
eyes. am knight of Columbus
and am proud to be in that service,
for It offers a wonderful chance to
bring to the men still fighting the con-
ISOLATION and material help which was
denied me for two years and nine
months. Fighting? Yes; for the bat
ties in Flanders, the big drives along
the great frontier, were not the only
terrible incidents of this big war. And
when the armistice brought cessa-
tion of the carnival of blood there
came other battles, bloodless but terri
BILE. There came discomfort, illness,