The sun., 1919-08-26
ORDERED SHOT, GIRL
WON FRENCH CROSS
Mile. G0mbier Saved by Battle
From German Firing
Squad.
BRINGS DECORATION HERE
Pierre MOnteux, Successor to
Carl Muck, Also Arrives
on La Lorraine.

-"it' hdTle LOUISE 1omOler, VINO ar
rived yesterday on the French liner La
Lorraine. wears the Crolx de Guerre
with two palms in memory of her de-
votion In continuing TO serve the wounded
man shells had wrecked the building,
Killed numerous patients and nurses and
wounded others, including Mile. Gombier
herself. But when that happened in
June. 1915, the little Belgian girl. then
but II years old, was already a veteran
or the great war. had already exhibited
the indomitable spirit Of Belgium and
evinced her willingness to sacrifice her
life In defending her country.
Almost with the first shots of the war
Nile. Gombier's adventures began. With
two companions she fled from the Brus-
sells convent in which she was a student
to her fathers home at Dickebush farm,
that same Dickebush farm, by the way,
where many New York lad then drill
ing casually in Manhattan and Brooklyn
armories was to prove once and for all
that he was more than a match for the
best trained soldiers in Europe,
Before many days the field gray
columns moving across Belgium with the
resistless force Of tidal wave swallowed
up the little farm in their progress. At
first officers were bllleted on the family.
but the place was near YpreS and
wireless station was installed In the
cellar OF the farmhouse, which became
station for the German intelligence
service.
The ease with which they had over
whelmed little Belgium made the over
confident Germans trife careless, and
one day the sentries who were guarding
the wireless plant left the cellar for
few moments. Before they could return
Mile. Gombier had slipped into the cellar
and smashed the delicate apparatus with
her shoe. The station was out OF SER
vice for a few days, critical days they
were for the Germans then, and the
guard was redoubled after repairs had
been effected. But 1t was not long be-
fore the little convent girl found another
chance to wreck the plant. this time
using a heavy wine bottle as hammer.
Unfortunately the seutries returned be-
fore she finished work and the German
commaudant ordered her shot without
even the Formally OF court-martial.
Battle stayed Execution.
But the first battle of Ypres had be-
gun and there were other and more
pressing tasks before the German army
than the execution Of a seventeen-year-
old girl. An officer of higher rank
ordered her beaten and sent to the rear
for further punishment, and she was
placed In cart with two wounded
French prisoners. But every road was
choked with reenforccments. supplies
and ammunition. for the high command
was exerting every effort to crush the
Canadians by sheer weight of numbers
and gun power.
The effort failed the Canadians were
so far from being Rnnihilated that they
actually advanced their lines little, and
in the confusion the cart with the Bel
gian girl and her remaining companion
4 one of the Frenchmen had died from his
wounds was captured by Dominion
troops. She was sent to Il hospital for
treatment and subsequently enlisted as
nurse with her rescuers and repaid
with four years service in the hospitals
her debt to the men from the other side
of the Atlantic. The occasion behind
Ypres which brought her the Croix dc
Gucrre was only one Of number Of
instances In which she exhibited bravery
beyond the line of nurses duty and She
has half a dozen citations from British
and French commanders.
She is coming to America to live with
Mrs l.. Dowdy In Los Angeles, cal,
Y. NJ c. A worker. who decided to
adopt her What was the fate OF her
family and the companions who fed with
her from the Brussels convent she has
never learned,
Muck's Successor Here.
Among the other passengers on the
Lorraine was Pierre Monteux, the new
director of the Boston Symphony, for
merry director of French operas at the
Me tropolitan. He succeeds Dr. Carl
Muck. who expressed the opinion on
sailing from this country last week that
the symphony Or, hestra would never
sur vive the loss OF the twenty eight Ger
man members OF the organization who
had been informed during the war
There will be no ban on German COM
positions, Mr.. MonteuX said, but he in
tends to feature French music in his
programmes, French music has never
been properly Interpreted in America"
he said. My aim will be to give Amer
leans the kind Of music their tastes call
for, l do not believe there has been
much change in taste on account of the
war For the last two years there has
been lack Of good music and the gen
eral public Is eager for music al the
present time"
Dr. Alice Barrow Brown OF Chicago
r, turned from two years OF war work in
France, the last few months of it passed
in a study of rehabilitation possibilities
among the chi dren Of the Invaded dis
tricts. Sixty per cent, OF the children in
the war sptnt area have tubercu osis
she said, and their condition was made
worse by the habitual smoking and
drinking among the boys.
The greatest progress in treating
them is made by applying American
methods OF sanitation and feeding" DR..
Brown said, 1T seemed impossible at
frst to get tho children to eat American
cereals for breakfast. Almost the hard
est work We had to do was to get them
to like American oatmeal and corn
bread"
French colleges have made prepara-
tons for the return this fall OF $500
American soldiers who are desirCus of
completing the courses they began in
France after the armst!ce, according to
Samuel Ross Fisher Of Fan River Mass,
who served as director, OF educational
work for the Y. NJ. c. A.. Most of them
will go to the SOrbonne, the school of
arts OF the University OF Paris, Mr.
Fisher said, and France will take at
once the place formerly held by Ger
many as centre for post graduate
work for American college students
To Appear In Russian Play.
Nine. Ostoya, widow OF Major julius
Ostoya OF the Polish army, n former
resident OF Los Angeles, Cal, who was
killed at Danzig few months ago, also
rturned on the SKIP. She will appear
In a Russian play which is being trans
lated into English for her and has four
weeks to learn her part and the English