THE "GENTLE" GERMAN.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 October 1919, Page 5

THE "GENTLE " GERMAN.

B‘RU’l‘ALl’l‘Y 'I'() A NITRSE. VICTIM LEFT FOR DEAD. ‘ CHRISGHURCH, Sept. 30. % After rescuingthree British marines from 9. burning hospitwl at Antwerp, and being shot in the neck by Ge-1-nla~ns, Mrs Dixon (nee Mlle. Marie Somcrs), a Belgian nurse who was known as “the angel »of Antwerp,” and ‘who is now in Chl'istchm-ch, escaped Wiih her rescued soldiers to Ostend.

Re turning to her hospital at ‘Antwerp, she was taken by the’ 'Gerl;la.ns and subjected to such brutalitics as only Geunans would mere ou-t to women, being whipped, stabbed, and cuf, half starved, and imprisoned, She came to New Zealand by the troopship Col'int‘m'c as the bride of 3. New Zealand soldier, Stafi’-Sergeant G. E. Dix on, of Christchurch.

‘The guxse recounts one experience she had near Ostcnd.-

I was paraded before the c-orllllna;ld-anf, who demanded to know where the four boys (ihe British. soldiers I had been .~;uuCoul'ing) were. “I :70 nof know,’-’ I mpliod. I

“They” are not Belgians,” he said, “but British. If you don’t tell me I vvillrwhip you until you do.” “If you want to know,” I replied, “they ‘.\ cre British.” “'\Vh§rc are they?” he «asked. “I give you two minutes to thinkit over.”

Anoihur Uhlan general stood over me wit}l a horsewhip. I became afraid.

“Fla.u]in, will you speak now?” he asked.

“Z\’-0,” I replied They tore the clothes from my back, and pushing me into the centre of the room, whipped mo aunmercifully. I fainted. On coming to, they asked: “Are you satisfied now?” . “No,” I replied. “I will never -‘tell YOU.” ~ They dragged the diamond earings I was wcahxing from my ears, tearing the lobes, as you see. -a-nd tore -the rings from my fingers. They rushed me into u call until I should decide to tell.

“1.-]c:.-..Se don’t think,” I said, “that I shah ever tell, because I won’t. Kill me! ”

“N-0,” said the general. “You shall sufi'o.' like a dirty swine.” A ltng time after he said: “If you dozft tell what you know We will drawn you,’ saying which he s-mash:-:1 the W. ter pipes running at the top cf my CL‘l:; um] zzllowed the water to ‘four in. In Belgian houses we have, 110W-SW2l‘; miter meters after the “style of your English gas meters, and at length I was able to turn off the water. not before it had come up as far as my knees. I stayed in this wn~.tel' for a day and night xvii. outfood, when my tormentor I'eappeal=ed and said that he had changed his mind. Would I now become a Red Czoss nurse and render assistmiee to ‘Germ-awn wounded‘? “I will never be a nurse for Inul'<l.-:1'-ers,” I I‘eplied. He merely laughed and said: “If you don “a want -to be. a nurse, will you go to Berlin as my wife‘.?’’ “You aiid the money you stole from the Belgian people could not tempt me,” I said. He came to the edge of the water ~zm.d fried -to embrace me in his arnis, but I st.l'u~ggled and repulsed him, .<hie‘l<ling my face with my right arm, ' ' The ‘rn.:_—w flu:-n drew a short" sword he was eazvzyihg and slashed me through the hand »and cheek, lineeking out one of my teefh. You can see the }llal'k here and here. I reeled hack, and as I turned from him he stabbed me in the back with his sword. I sfill suffer from the effects of flint. lln-usf. He left me for dying, and I strayed in Ilmt Water-logged cellar for nine days. existing on rice find water.

One sentinel was sorry for me. He had married :1 British woman in Be]gium, and his synmaivhics were not with the (¥m'm:ans. One night he gave a fellmv gml’rx-y a bottle of c}x:a.mpag*ne. making ‘him drunk, and he gave me the man’S overcoat, enabling me to cscape.