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Show WML MERGIER , ANSWERSCHARGES Representative of Catholic Church Makes Defense of Statements jPHELD BY EVIDENCE Situation as Viewed at First Hand Declared Not to Credit of Germany. 1 By GEORGE DOTEESNE S-c!l Cble to The Tribune. PARIS ilMCh 27 1L Kenee Bans ti well known member of the French .aemy tells ma that he has just hd t.6 pleasure of meeting again here in Pans a friend who for several months iu been hiding in the part of Belgium iraieh Is in German hands ThU man who is a personal friend of the herole Cardinal ilereier gives the following inscription of what happened between tis cardinal and the German officers after the publication of the former s toons letter to the Catholics of Bel glum, which he has from Cardinal Mer eier s own Hps. A few hours after the letter had been Snnted a detachment of Prussian sol lers under the command of two of fLerj of high rank arrived at the car dual s palace sent by the German gov , eraor I Replies to Charges After allowing the officers to cool tiJr heels for a considerable length of time in tus antechamber the cardinal admitted them into his presence. They ' iafonned hi that three very grave charges were brought against him J. Of -having said unpleasant and ineied things about Germans 2. Of having ineited the people against the lawful German authorities. 3. Of having published his pastoral letter On Patriotism and Endurance lyithout the permission of the censor J As for the first point, the cardinal plied, if I have said disagreeable things against the Germans, it is be itanso you have committed these things asd what is wicked is not to have re-Ttaled re-Ttaled these crimes, but to have com ?5tted them Then you accuse me of ltdting the Belgian people againBt what jn call the lawful authorities. I ask yoo to read mv letter over again and yon will find that I exhort my people to te patient and to endure your presence U e as a penitence imposed by the Lofi In regard to the third point I can raj say that I am a b shop of the Holy Roman church and as such I aeknowl tvge no sovere gn but His Holiness the Pope. Good afternoon gentlemen. Significant Answer The officers hurriedly stated that the cardinal would the next day receive a rjat from the governor in person, to which Hia Eminence replied 'lco ut tomorrow I am riving no audience tomorrow but I will see the governor tls day after tomorrow , The same man gives the following 'Isscnption of conditions in the occu I pied part of Belgium I The misery Is growing every day and It cannot be otherwise. The un fortunate Belgians are threatened In many ways, and those who remained ' In the country and honestly thought r that It was possible to endure German f rales are now trying every means to i escape. The constant feeling of in security the total absence of all and . any guarantees are the worst part of their mental sufferings. Spies are - everywhere These generous, open hearted people who used to speak j their minds freely are no longer even I I allowed to whisper what they think. ' Only a few days before I succeeded m escap ng from Belgium It Is not necessary to state how or where I ! ood In front of a big poster which epoke of a great battle In which the Germans had taken more prisoners than the entire number of the hos-(j hos-(j tile forces engaged. In front of me stood a big Fleming . who shrugged his shoulders and said, V J without turning around at Is all , Ilea The words had bare y left h s v Hps when an enormous net took hold t ann and he was dragged to prison, the supreme argument of the FniMan superman. I am absolutely i sure that his German Judges re ' Broached him with ingratitude Not . to admire Prues a and everything I Prussian has been the crime of Prus D Poland for more than a century t l Alsace Lorraine for forty five years sua of Be glum for seven months c Wine for Prisoners C ,.,Ie we make It a point of honor . )1 our German prisoners well C Ji"" extent even that German orncers who are prisoners at Dagalg t S? "e vsn champagne with their ""mers. the German statement that t 2f "? are treating their prisoners tfc and wU1 continue to do so unt 1 , ;J. '"fat on imposed upon them by )f iiL. riUsh nayy compels them to ST7 .ul th" maxim that charity be Ettl. J"?? ma-y De Judged by a "tier which a captured French pa nt world wide reputat on, serving i. tl. .p,r h" succeeded In get U j?.22" " frontier irftv,m"j..t0 h wife, who Is It arThS7 We lack everything We ' w?rtgIT and cw Send me every IS. . :our Pound loaf cut In two !l coital me eve,T month ParcI rae fu,a"Ma aausages sugar In m SjJyih.to 0,11 n he eaten We ' blrra t2?te- we " Blanks n ,. and SXhfy 1T frightful y damp 't nil. "withstand ng the cold they 5Sf w2r)f eveo tJiongh we are ' labor n'7 CnmUa emIt $ BaT Life by Wits ,''thtertf?B,Mpl2Lt has t0 b UM t0 Lotto gue a? J?"1? "old er Darned war h .At the nesnnng of the f om v P.T" wounded but covered ' rntlni -1 V and "turned to the j and 1 fo,fWa". "tnt out on Patrol duty j armans mM f faced a dozen J However brav. he aifht be ne 4 not expect to finish off twelve men. He d d not even attempt to fight for his 1 fe Instead of us ng his r fie he employed h s wits An idea occurred to him Turning his back to the Germans he shouted Here they are. Advance. Fix bayonets The Ger mans actua ly thought that a French force was In hiding somewhere and instead of dispatching the solitary Lofforgue they therw down the r rifles and put out their hands shouting Kamarades A few m nutes later the French soder brought to h s captain the twe ve Germans who did not seem to be at a 1 sorry to find themse vea In t e French 1 nea |
