AN HEROIC PRIEST.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 October 1919, Page 4

AN HEROIC PRIEST.

NURSE OAYELL’S ASSISTANT. (Ly Electric Telegraph—Conyright.y f AUSTRALIAN & 11. Z. GABLE ASSOCIATION J LONDON, Oct. 9. Sensational revelations are made of the part played by the Rev. Fathe r Meuss, of the Jesuit Order, during the first two years of the war. He was a well-known social worker in Belgium before the war, and originated a daring scheme with the object of maintaining the moral of the Belgians under the Gorman yoke. As director of the organisation he assisted in forwarding 1200 letters from Belgian soldiers to their wives in the invaded districts. He also assisted Nurse Cavell in helping 400 British soldiers over the frontier in addition to soldiers of many other nationalities. The prisoners were taken to Brussels to he disguised. Here they met a little girl who said nothing, but the prisoners followed until the child stopped outside a house in which Nurse Cavell was waiting to meet them. Here they were bandaged up and transformed into hospital patients, until Father Meuss was able to arrange their transfer over the frontier. On one occasion Father Meuss dressed up as a cattle driver, and went to Ostend, where he found the lurking place of the German submarines. Another time, dressed as a pastry-cook, he attended a dinner of Zeppelin officers, and learned of an impending raid on Great Britain. He notified the British Admiralty by carrier pigeons, sent via Holland. Father Meuss chanced to be in Holland when Nurse Cavell was arrested, and thus escaped the fate of the majority of the leaders of the orgnisation. Belgium has conferred a decoration upon Father Meuss.