New Britain herald., 1919-02-26
BELGIAN MARTYRS
SUFFERED QUIETLY
Underwent Torture and Pain
Rather Than Betray Country

heroism, patriotism and devotion "I
Belgians during the German occupa-
ton are continually coming 10 the
surface of the miasmal pool Of IN
| trigue, treachery and selhshAeSS
| which the Germans left pehllo III
| Belgium.
How two men gave up their lives
/ and two went to prison tor perloo
/ which would nave lasted 20 years mad
, the Germans been victorious, that Lhe
man higher up" might live ana con-
finue managing the underground Or
sanitation which was sending Vaiu-
,ib1n information out of the occupied
country has now been related 10 the
Associated Press correspondent DE the
man whose life was saved py thelf
sacrifice.
Adolphe BuyI, liberal member Of
IN, Belrial parliament, alderman of
1ht. commune of IeIles i'll the city Of
F;russelS is the man for whom two
men died and who for four years con-
Quoted the organization and lived
continually in the fear of execution
By Germans.
Late in 1914 the Germans had not
. organized the Dutch frontier with
that murderouS efficiency which sent
to their graves manYx young Belgians
attem pting to cross into Holland.
+! Buyl had access to the seals of the
municipality and every evening i'll
various out of the way cafes, 20, 30,
sometimes as many as so young men
would assemble, reaching the place
sngly and by devious ways The
seal of the municipality was there in
the hand Of a different man every
night Passports and identification
blanks We're there, aud the young
men would emerge from the cafes
supplied with proper, or rather i'm
| proper Identification and make their
way into Holland and thence join the
! Belgian army" battling on the User.
! More than 1000 men were sent out
| between October, 1914, and February,
/ 1915.
Then the Germans became aware
| of the leak and the frontier was her
| medically. electrically sealed and the
! work became more dangerous and
difficult. Guides had to be provided
generally smugglers of gasoline and
other commodities across the Dutch
! border--Who for a consideration aver
aging so francs for each man would
| pilot them across the frontier. Rub
| Der gloves and wire cutters were ne
| cessary tools of their trade and many
a German sentry was found by his re-
lief with a knife deeply sunk in his
| throat and lying alongside break in
| the wire fence.
At no time were there less than 100
! men engaged in the work. They in
GUIDED railroad station masters, cross
| ing tenders, mail carriers, cafe keep
! ers and many others in humble walks
! Of life, all volunteers DESTROYS of serv-
1oir ot1-1y at iSl 0f
being stood against the wall and shot,
and as a matter of fact. many of them
were But at no time did more than
two or three men engaged in the work
know that Buyl was the man higher
up"
The first member of the orgaliza-
ton to be taken by the Germans was
/ PHILIPPE Baucq, whose arrest was
simultaneous with that of Edith Ca
! velI the English nurse, whose eXecu-
ton by Germans sent a thrill of hor-
ror throughout the world. Baucq
was shot on October Il, 1915, with the
! brave English nurse. Miss Cavell,
however,, was never charged by the
Germans with espionage, but with
! aiding Belgians and others to oscar pc
from Belgium.
Bauco was succeeded as Buy1's
right hand man by another man nam
/ ed Dubois. On June 1, 1916, Dubois,
with so others was arrested and i'm
prisoned at Hasselt The Germans
! boosted that they had smashed the
| Belgian organization which had evad-
! ed them for two years. Dubois and
! three others were shot on September
! rs, 1915, and sentences aggregating
| 220 years were imposed upon others
| accused of acting with them.
| Tl,1ho hot
Alderman Buyl was head of the Or
ganization and both took their orders
from him. For days before the exc
| cution the Germans endeavored by
| offering to spare their lives to induce
| them to de1ounce their leader but
they refused and were shot. Neverthe
less the work went on.
In 1917 Buyls secretary was ar
rested and Buyl went into hiding.
For nights I could not Sleep
Buyl told the Associated Press, the
slightest noise would make me start,
[ coud not eat and there were mo-
ments of depression when I would
gladly have faced a machine gun at
the edge of a little wood to escape the |
mental torture of those long endless !
days and interminable nights His |
secretary escaped with a short SEN
tence. Buyl emerged from his hid |
ing place and went on about his work. |
1.-TWO days before the armistice I
sent out a, courier to Holland" he |
said with a, tinge of pride
"Heroism is the work of an instant |
but what 1 have gone through during |
those last four years is not heroism, |
it is hell" said Buyl. Before the war |
he was a ford, happy, jOVial man but |
he is now emaciated and haggard, but |
Of
And we fell to talking of Dubois |
and Baucq and tears welled up into |