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Show LIVED THHEE YEARS IN WM ZDKE GELUR Concealed Frenchman Set Free by British Drive After Aft-er Frightful Experience. LONDON, Nov. 2:1. Civilians who were released from .Masnieres today told something' of their experiences in the last three years. They rejoiced at their new found freedom and many of them tod ay still w e p t with j oy w hen t li c subject uf their deliverance was brought up. It was a motley crew which came out of this place people in all conditions con-ditions ami from many walks of life. Among them was tho mayor, M. Lea-lain, Lea-lain, a middle-aged man, who acted as spokesman. They first learned of the approach of the British from machine ma-chine gun fire in .the distance. They were immediately thrown into a state of excitement and watched for the coming com-ing of their friends from every vantage point available. They had their first sight of the advancing forces at the bridgehead and saw coming with the attacking troops t strange monsters which they never' dreamed existed. They were the great tanks, and the people stared in amazement as these mighty engines ploughed their way forward. for-ward. Only 3S0 Germans were holding the town and all except a few left in the cellars withdrew five minutes before the British entered. With the civilians who greeted the British were two German Ger-man soldiers, one from Alsace, and the other from Lorraine, who had deserted and were waiting to give themselves up to the British with whom they sympathized. sym-pathized. During the three years of their captivity cap-tivity the civilians were fed by the American relief committee. AH other food was requisitioned bv the Germans who placed heavy penalties on those who concealed any. J'or instance, the secreting of a bottle of ordinary wine called for a fine of JO francs ora long term in prison, and there was twice as severe a penalty for hiding a bottlo of champagne. Many persons served terms in jail for alleged violations of the orders. They were well fed, however, owing to Amrican relief and all ap-pared ap-pared healthy. The Germans stripped all the houses of t he town of their furniture as soon as they entered. Among the houses thus pillaged were live magnificent chateaux. All men of military age were arrested and were sent to Germany. Women were compelled to do all manner man-ner of work, such as sweeping streets, washing clothes of German officers and waiting on officers. The mayor declared his belief that Germany was actually starving. He said there seemed to be no doubt that tho civilians in Germany were undergoing under-going great hardships. Among the most interesting of the refugees was a man of military age who had hidden in a cellar for three years to escape the Germans and had been fed by his wife with an extra ration of food allowed her because she had a baby. This man is 35 years old (and in the ordinary course would have j been arrested and sent to a prison camp j as soon as the Germans entered th ; town. He did not want to leave his ! w i r'e and baby and so hid i n a sec ret ' pla'-e in the cellar, thereby making him-: him-: self liable to the death penalty if delected. de-lected. Gorman o dicers came to live in his house, and daily he heard them tramping about above him. In accordance ac-cordance with the custom this house and ! all other! were searched every little while to see if anyone was concealed, but the Germans never discovered his hiding place. Kach day while the officers of-ficers were away h is wife smuggle'! his little store of food and water to him. When the British entered the town the wife, after making sure that they indeed were British, went home and brought out her husband, who had his lirst glimpse of the outside world since August, 11) U. The Germans were to have searched the house again the day the British captured the town. This refugee seemed to be in fair health, notwithstanding- his confinement, but his nerves were badly shattered and lie wept continually today as his storv was being related, lie was clinging cling-ing to a bag containing severa hundred I francs which he had carried "with him into his cave. |