NEW ZEALANDER IN ANTWERP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 132, 28 October 1914, Page 8

NEW ZEALANDER IN ANTWERP.

ytJM DESCRIBES SOME THRILLING EVENTS. TRIBUTE TO THE BELGIANS. i MOItP TESTIMONY TO GERMAN i BRUTALITY. The following letter lias Ik-cm received by tbe Rev. Jiiiot Oliamluus, of Lytlelton, from Alee Ban-, formerly chief officer of the ferry steamer M.aor>, who at tho time of writing was engaged in tile defence of Antwerp, onys the Christclmrch Evening l News. Mr Ban, who some years ago msrtjc<l the daughter of an English merchant resident' in Antwerp, left New I'Ccalninl some three months ago as an officer in the 'Whakatane for 'he purpose of going to Antwerp to sec his wife and family. On arriving there h e signed on for the defence of the city, and h I practically the only New Zcalander who took an actire-part in resisting the IGi-r.irart assault. j Those who knew Mr B.arr when he I was in New Zealand will agree that lie lis one of !lie lust men to exaggerate 'anything. Ilia slatranents are those of l an eye-witness of German atrocities and | ;•>■■- Mieivfore of deep and painful inibereat. I 'j.'n,' letter rung as follows. —

ATTACK BY ZEPPELINS. "A* L.'s mother n,nd' father leave for England to-night 1 am taking this op-por'-nn Iv of getting a few lin-v; away to you. All's well so far. We stop here in '(lie house. Another attack has betn made on tiie city by liepnol'ns. < UKhouse is only a hundred yaids inside tin- inner forts on tin; true south side of ire city, and it was at this part the ;al;-,v:U w;i,; made, so that we bad a good view of it-. All bombs thrown fell I into tbe wafer that surrounds the forts, i so lliil lilt:« damage was dene to the i surroundings. The noise, however, was I terrific, and the guns shook the houses | like a violent earthquake. The attaelc j failed, but a repeiilion i ri expected anr night,

"Til,' oily is quid enough. Yet llicl'i. I is a continual strained feeling. Tin (people sit on the footpaths tl j tin; situa: ion in ;l\vflil (ours. Tin' niei I keep watch while' the women ami kid j dii's sleep. At tlio signal of allack al | hands get into the cellars, which ai\ ! all rJrongly built, and under every house | The Bed Cross flics everywherc,*nml al . !;iv.\.'lais are full of wounded. I HATS OFF TO KrliTrf*

'■Even' Britis'ttr shoniil tmi.c off lis kit to Belgiu to-day. The gallantry of their lillle army is flic tali, of nations. E. and 1 are 'privileged, as Britishers, to witness the arrival of the wounded at Ihe big hoepilal e!.osc to us, after the b ; g batilo of Mechlin. There were thou" sands of them in specially-titled trains f 10111 file sialion. Officers sfi.od to attention as they were \earriod in, and saluted ihcm as they passed. H was a great sight, one we shall never forget. ' The confidence, of tlide people in England is tremendous. We however,

are disgusted with 'die number of Biitishers who left as soon es war .-darted. —-young men and girls whose knotvle.lge of languages would have made them invaluable here, and the. Belgian people have noticed it and comment in no honored terms irbotit them. Everywhere we go we hear the expressions of surprise in flemish 'Why, 'there's an Engli»hnian here .Yet!' It, is 100 true, unfortunately, that fcH- beside ourselves remain. L., my plucky little wife, has Belgian naoplt! sleeping here, They fee! safe because we are British, and their men folk are away fighting. Uer dad {J:>es to England *te- deposit all 'his money and papers in safety, for if this city were bombarded they would be ruined.

"The Belgian army has suffered tremendously at Liege,, Namur, Mechlin, yet they fight and hold the Germans south.

At Eouvain it is dreadful. Such a lovely city blown to pieces for spite. All night heavy field guns •bombarded the town, and the Oermans have some beautiful guns. PRISONERS SHOT DOWN.

I ''This was told us by a rehire on / liii way (o Holland. I "iu his own words:—'On ;i:'i..i] aI. tfie railway elation we had >o part woiii.u one side, men oiutbc other. All the nu:n wore haiidculled. .War '.ho n:oi)iui:r :;L (o General Van D,r -U>.ci' on the station square, dead bodies' of citizens were j)iltd up. The town was a uia-TS of names. Escorted to Ca,::pnhout, we witnessed the murder of six priests. Locked in- a church fresh pri souers were admired Tile cries of the women and children -were awful. If a prisoner remonstrated he was allot. Ultimately we were taken out and placed in front of ihc German troops to check the lieigian advance, and in this wav hundreds were shit down. Then they escurfel ua lack with fresh, prisoners added, and stood us in rows by the station, and every iiro'e a German soldier was «Wt, ten'of these men and -women were, not shot, bu slaughtered, and tliu women outrag.d. Then' was no niercv. Th ■ town was aglow with fire anil the gutters run With blood. The beautiful 1-mleTiird ; was strewn with corpses, uiC!-,, >■ omen and ehildren, and pries, s, and the sun We on what was left of us. Kaint'ni"' 1 was left for dead.' TORTURES XJPOX WOMEN".

"«o told by a friend of l.'s dad. mid I this is only one liille incident of thin?, 'that daily ccme under our notice. The worst, feature of tlie whole war if, th« frightful tortures the. Germans hare indieted on the, women and girls. 1 wiu at Mechlin just before the Germans came in. llriglvt-faeed girls attended to the cafe,, who in a few hours were prey to the bruUlity of the Germans. It is |awful beyond description, but 1 your -papers tell you better thaa 1 can, and whatever they tell you in not too .bud, nor would it be possible to exaggerate the sadness of it all.

. "Aow, dear friend, au re.™ir. R f . member the. Belgian womenfolk j a y imv | ■pi-ide of the. British nation, nnd when i bursting your lung,, with « cheer, don't, , forget the Belgian army, for if thov had I not held tile Germans as lon.w n» fhev ■ did, God' knows tile result, for VraiuM I was not ready, mid England—!" '■.Gd'ei&sqmMif <S»k»" t«w