The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-09

Published by special arrangement
with the Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.
Copyright. 1918. by Brand WhitlocN,
under the title, Memories Of Belgium
Under the German Occupation MI
rights reserved. Copyrighted in Great
Britain, Canada and Australia. All
rights reserved for France, Belgium,
Holland, Italy, Spain, Russia and the
scandinavian countries.)
The story Of the quarrymen OF Les
sins who resisted the Germans when,
by using the most barharous methods,
they tried to compel them to work for
them in Belgium itself, had already
become well known in Belgium. Later
these quaTrymen had been sent TO
Germany, where they were put on a
diet similar TO that of the Soltau camp
Besides hunger, other means were
used to compel them to work. one day
they were lined before a machine gun
and told that If they did not imme-
diately consent 10 work they would be
shot. They all replied that they would
rather die from bullets than die from
hunger. The machine gun did not fire.
Before such splendid resistance even
German persistence grew weary, some
of the workmen were released and re-
turned to their homes; they were in a
lamentable condition, and some of their
| heroic comrades died.
1t seems indeed to rave been the
custom generally in the slave com
pounds to menace the working men
with machine guns. One returning
group was composed of two or three
hundred men Of all ages, who came
from the camp near Munster; the
greater number had been able some
how 20 endure and to survive the suf-
ferings that they had been made TO
undergo.
To force them to work, their Ger
man taskmasters had almost entirely
deprived them of food and had left
them exposed for 10 hours to colo and
rain; then, thinking that they were
sufficiently reduced, they ranged about
80 of them before machine guns; the
order TO work was again given; II
they refused they were to be shot. And
they all refused.
The order was given to fire. They
did not finch and the Germans fired
in the air. Before such resolution II
was said that some of the authorities
present were not able to conceal theil
emotions and that they announced tC
the men that they were free and coulC
return to Belgium.
Another group, less numerous, re.
turned to the Hainault from the sam,
camp; one of them was found deaC
in the train on its arrival at Mons
about so were SO enfeebled and eX
hausted that they could scarcely walk
and were led away from the railwa,
SlaLlOh w NlNl lOlAlCS chHBOl NNb ",
two or three relatives. And yet all o
the men had been examined by Ger
man doctors before they were deportet
and all those who were not PHYSICAL,
fit were rejected, In six weeks tim
these strong, healthy, vigorous work
men had been turned to skeletons.
One of the men was the son of
manufacturer at Chin. who had bee
the foreman of his fathers factory
where 80 workmen were employed. Al
ter a heroic resistance of IS days h
: was no longer able to endure the fooC
7 became i'll. surrendered and agreed {
work. He was set to digging, in spit
of the fact that he was not PHYSICAL
fitted for such work, and, far fror
being a chomeur, his factory at Chill
i in the meantime had never ceased t
operate.
t After the protests made by the pres
ident and the king of Spain at Berlin
; certain influences were set in motto
in an effort to have the slave drive /
g Belgium stopped. and, returning froi
a visit to Berlin undertaken as a RI
suit of these efforts, Lancken brougl
pack word that If Cardinal Merci'
e would appeal to the emperor, the en-
peror would suspend the deportation
and order the return of the men. TT
cardinal therefore prepared and sci
an appeal, signed by all the personal
g ties in Belgium. Lancken took the ca
dinal's letter to Berlin and came bat
"a with the reply. The emperor had be-
70 graciously pleased 10 grant the reques
Nv to Belgium, but-the inevitabl SIM
h ter but in all German negotiation
a they must work for the Germans
l. Belgium,