The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-04-29

through the valley OF Cne SnduoN VI
DEATH" as told by Miss Jacqueline
VanTil, the closest companion Of the
martyred English nurse, thrilled the
less than two hundred Kenoshans who
heard it Saturday evening at the open
meeting of the Sons and Daughters Of
St. George at the former Odd Fellows
hall on Church street. 1t was one of
the most gripping and interesting war
stories that has ever reached Keno
sha and was told in a delightfully."- eff
fective way by Miss VanTil
The speakers part in the story Of
the work of Miss Cavell was scarcely
less hazardous and less heroic than
that Of the famous English nurse, who
was sentenced to death by the Germans
after a drumhead court martial. Those
who heard the lecture on Saturday
evening realized that they were list
ening to heroine, who insisted in
giving all of the praise for the work
of mercy to her directress and COM
panion, Edith Cayell,
A Real COsmopolite.
Miss vanTil, clad in the white dress
u the Red Cross nurse. with the blue
cape of the order, and with white
cap and veil on her head, won the
audience Immediately with her delight
full personality. Although she had
been in America only three weeks, she
had spoken English for some time and
even though she pronounced her words
with pleasing French accent, she was
clearly understood all of the time by
her hearers. AS she was escorted to
the platform, Of the hall, the audience
stood while the Belgian national hymn
was played.
al scarcely know to what country
I belong" she explained, "My father
was a Hollander, my mother an Eng
lishwoman, was born in Holland, liv-
ed most of my life in France and when
the war broke out was nurse in the
clinic of Miss Edith Cavell in Bel
GUM. Now / am in the United States
and have taken out first citizenship
papers" and she smiled charmingly
when she finished this introduction.
Tells of Edith CavelI.
Miss Van Til began her story of
EQlLn OdNeAl' ny bSlAAAAB SAAS auNAVhNC
Of her first meeting with the Eng
lishs nurse. 81 came to Brussels in
1910 and was assigned to the clinic
where Miss Cayell was in charge. l
shall never forget the first time / was
called into her Office.
"She was thin little woman dress
ed in blue matron's dress and wear
Ing little nurse cap from beneath
which peeped her hair, already streak
ed with grey She looked very, very
distant but oh, so kind. She was
very severe and yet we always knew
that it was for our own good"
The speaker then told how in 1907
Miss Cavell had come to Brussels as
private nurse and later had estab
lished a clinic there, which up until
the time of the war had been very sue
cessful. She told how kind she was
to all, both rich and poor alike, and
declared that she was "a wonderful,
splendid woman" She cited instances
in her own experiences with Edith
Cavell which showed the great strength
of character and the remarkable kind
ness which she possessed.
Then Came the War.
The speaker then told how the war
came and interfered with the work
at the clinic. She spoke graphically
and interestingly of how the Germans
came to Brussels and how hunger and
starvation settled over the people OF
that city and community. Then came
the battles of Mons and Charlevoix
leaving hundreds Of English soldiers
separated from their commands in
the shelled districts near Brussels.
each morning." said Miss VanTil,
''the bodies of dead soldiers were to
be found along the roads and in the
nights farmers put these bodies away
in little graves and in the daytime lit
tie children came and put flowers on
their graves"
1t was at this time that Miss Cavell
was drawn into the plan to help save
some of these soldiers from death and
establish her clinic as one of the sta
tions on the underground railway"
which lead them through Belgium to
Holland and England.
"Then Miss Cavell called us into the
Office" explained Miss VanTil "She
told us that she could not stand idly
by while these men were starving and
suffering. My duty is to hide these
poor men and you will help me- she
said
After that wounded English, French
and Belgian soldiers, who had escap-
ed from the trenches found their way
mysteriously to the clinic. Ever so
often Miss Cavell herself at three
o'clock in the morning would lead
them through the dark streets Of
Brussels to the next station. She
never divulged any information to
them-she was not spy, she was
merely helping wounded soldiers back
to life and happiness"
Miss VanTil told how she herself
had risked her life to carry letters
for Miss Cavell. Her story told of
hairbreadth escapes from German of
ficers who were sent to spy on them.
1t was filled with stories so full of
mystery and adventure that they held
the audience deeply interested IN her
story.
Than she told of that historic Incl