On Good Friday night at three o'clock the troops who were
going to occupy the designated section, Fives, came through
our houses. It was dreadful. An officer passed by, pointing
out the men and women whom he chose, leaving them a space of
time amounting to an hour in some cases and ten minutes in
others, to prepare themselves for their journey.
Antoine D. ... and his sister, twenty-two years of age, were
taken away. The Germans did not want to leave behind the
younger daughter in the family, who was not fourteen. Their
grandmother, ill with sorrow and terror, had to be cared for
at once. Finally they met the young daughter coming back. In
one case an old man and two infirm persons could not keep
the daughter who was their sole support. And everywhere the
enemy sneered, adding vexatious annoyance to their hateful
task. In the house of the doctor, who is B.'s uncle, they
gave his wife the choice between two maids. She preferred
the elder and they said, "Well, then she is the one we are
going to take." Mlle. L., the young one who has just got
over typhoid and bronchitis, saw the non-commissioned
officer who took away her nurse coming up to her. "What a
sad task they are making us do." "More than sad, sir, it
could be called barbarous." "That is a hard word, are you
not afraid that I will sell you?" As a matter of fact the
wretch denounced her. They allowed her seven minutes and
took her away bare-headed, just as she was, to the Colonel
who commanded this noble battle and who also ordered her to
go, against the advice of a physician. Only on account of
her tireless energy and the sense of decency of one who was
less ferocious than the rest, did she obtain permission, at
five o'clock in the afternoon, to be discharged, after a day
which had been a veritable Calvary. The poor wretches at
whose door a sentry watched, were collected together at some
place or other, a Church or a school. Then the mob of all
sorts and conditions of people, or all grades of social
standing, respectable young girls and women of the street,
was driven to the station escorted by soldiers marching at
the head of the procession. From there they were taken off
in the evening without knowing where they were going or for
what work they were destined.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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