The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915Various
History
The New York Times Current History of the European War, Vol 1, Issue 4, January 23, 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
At one point of the march a lame hawker offered flowers for sale to the
soldiers. As he held up his posies a Captain of Hussars by a movement of
his steed sent the poor wretch sprawling and bleeding in the dust. Then
from the crowd a Frenchwoman, her heart scorning fear, cried out, "You
brute!" so that all might hear.
There was one gross pleasantry, too, perpetrated by a gunner who led
along a bear, evidently the pet of his battery, which was dressed in the
full regalia of a Belgian General.
The bear was evidently intended to represent the King. He touched his
cocked hat at intervals to his keeper.
This particularly irritated the Belgians, but they wisely abstained from
any overt manifestation or any unpleasant feature of behavior. The
soldiery as they passed tore repeatedly at the national colors which
every Belgian lady now wears on her breast.
A more pleasant incident was when a party of Uhlans clamored for
admittance at a villa on the Louvain road. They disposed of a dozen
bottles of wine and bread and meat. The non-commissioned officer in
command asked what the charge was and offered some gold pieces in
payment. The money was refused.
Near the steps of St. Gudule a party of officers of high rank, seated in
a motor car, confiscated the stock of the news vendors. After greedily
scanning the sheets they burst into loud laughter.
Hour after hour, hour after hour, the Kaiser's legions marched into
Brussels streets and boulevards. Some regiments made a very fine
appearance, and it is well that the people of England should know this.
It was notably so in the case of the Sixty-sixth, Fourth and
Twenty-sixth Regiments. Not one man of these regiments showed any sign
of excessive fatigue after the gruelling night of marching, and no doubt
the order to "goose step" was designedly given to impress the onlookers
with the powers of resistance of the German soldiers.
[Illustration: The First Rush Into Belgium.]
The railway stations, the Post Office and the Town Hall were at once
closed. The national flag on the latter was pulled down and the German
emblem hoisted in its place. Practically all the shops were closed and
the blinds drawn on most of the windows.
At the time of writing I have heard of no very untoward incident. The
last train left Brussels at 9 o'clock on Wednesday night. Passengers to
the city cannot pass beyond Denderleeuw, where there are strong German
pickets.
*The Fall of Antwerp*
*By a Correspondent of The London Daily Chronicle, Who Was at Antwerp
During the Siege.*
[Special Dispatch to THE NEW YORK TIMES.]
LONDON, Oct. 11.--A Daily Chronicle correspondent who has just arrived
from Antwerp tells the following story of his experiences:
Antwerp has been surrendered. This last and bitterest blow which has
fallen upon Belgium is full of poignant tragedy, but the tragedy is
lightened by the gallantry with which the city was defended.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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