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Show GERMANS OUST RICE Last of Teutons Get Out After Over Four Years' Occupation. Hun Soldiers Refused to Believe William Had Really Abdicated. By DAMON RUNYOK", Universal Service Staff Correspondent. WITH THIS AAIKUICAN' PKI-'S DLVf-SIOX DLVf-SIOX HADKI FOR THIS KULN'K, Nov. It was our lot today to see the lust arnipd German quit the north of France, which he has occupied for more than lour years. The thins came to pass quite by acei-' acei-' " dent. It was really not our intention to got mixed up wit li Germany, especially armed ones. In fact, nothing could have heen further from our thoughts. Hut we :nisscd the road to I.ongwy. That wn s the beginning of our relations with the last of the dormant-. We had been going pleasantly along' bo-side bo-side the Thirty -second division of General Gen-eral Joe Pickman's conquering host which is marching to Germany. The Thirty-second (Michigan-Wisconsin) is one of the crack divisions of the American Ameri-can army. Followed Americans. We greatly desired to see Longwy. We passed a band with its instruments squatting squat-ting at the side of the road eating: their midday corned "willie" and bread. It occurred oc-curred to us this must be the head of the column or close to it. However, American Ameri-can soldiers were still guing down the road beyond, so wo went, too. Wo passed over the road through the ruins and came again into open country. As far as we knew we were headed for the ma in part of I.ongwy, al though i t struck us that American soldiers were conspicuous by their absence. Suddenly Monsieur Gaston des Champs, veteran director of the Paris newspaper Le Temps, our guest riding in the front peat with Richardson, the Worcester. Mass., driver, because we thought it would be warmer for him there, b'gan coming out of his head wrappings, layer by layer, showing signs of interest in the civilians going past. All showtd white, lines above their overcoat collars. They were waving. Murmurings of "bon jour" began issuing issu-ing from M. de Champs's lips. Suddenly, Sud-denly, too, Cameron Mackenzie of the Ixmdon Daily Chronicle, who had been dozing in the back seat, doubtless dreamily dream-ily conjuring up visions of a large luncheon lunch-eon in Longwy, took a squint ahead and remarked casually: Headed Wrong Way. "There's a bunch of German prisoners headed the wrong way." Sure enough, just beyond, a irray file was moving down the road. More suddenly sud-denly than anything that had previously I tra n spired, however, on mo a whoop from Tom Johnson of the New York Sun: "Hells fire," ho said, "it's the German anny"' Richardson jammed on the brake. Our car came to a jarring stop in the middle mid-dle of the road, right at the heels of a column of hf avily-laden, heavily booted Germany infantrymen with their guns slung over their Lucks. They were marching in a column of twos. At the rear of the column was a little cart with nil sotts of camp equipment. He hi ml the, cart trudged two bland looking German privates, one much begoggled. They turned at the so'ind of the car and stared. Thu rest of the soldiers turned and stared. Frum around he head of the column came a slim German of fie er in a long ovi'p'oal, riding boots and spurs, p care slung over one arm. lie also started. They didn't stop, but went on down the road. Out of the car we piled, Johnson and Kurr Price of the New York Herald, un-slinging un-slinging their cameras with glad shouts. M. des Champs remained in the car with Lieutenant 1 la r I soil, assistant censor of the press division. They felt the situation situa-tion might develop certain complications as far as they were concerned. Flags Were Flying. There was a little town ahead with fla.s living from ever window. There were i'omc French flags, but the rest of them were unfamiliar to us. One look at them caused us to inquire the name of the town. It was Aubang. Only then did it dawn on us that we were at the Lielgian border. Further inquiry developed devel-oped that the boundary line itself was only a few yards beyond with the German file bearing down on it. Away went all hands on a gallop to get ahead of the Germans. Johnson and Price were set on fighting them as they crossed the border. They couldn' t qui te get ahead of the column In time, but Mackenzie managed to clutch the last t wo men and halted them right on the line. i They stared in wonder, but as soon as they saw the cameras they got the idea and posed with wide grins on their faces. Then they lifted their heavy feet across the Hue. Then we all resumed the gallop nftr (he columns. The German officer turned as we ranged alongside him. He glared for a moment then lie said in perfect English: En-glish: Pleasant Hun Officer. "Ah! you want to take a picture." We allowed wo did. One word led to another and finally he slopped to have conversation with us. He said a word to the men and they moved to the side of the road, halted and laid down their packs, stacked their arms and gathered around us. The officer turned out to be jpiite a pleasant fellow. He was Kitt-meiser Kitt-meiser (captain of cavalry), he said. Ho had thirty men of the Third landwehr witli him. They were the rear guard. He said the rest of his command was on ahead some distance He had remained to turn over an aerial station and other propertv to the Americans. lie said he had heard about the kaiser's leaving German Ger-man v, but didn't believe he had abdicated. abdi-cated. Neither, did he believe the tales of the revolution in Germany. He said he had fought on nearly alV fronts as a machine gun commander and was glad to hear the war was over. "Kverythlng will be all right In Germany Ger-many when the army gets home," he said 1 confidently. Meantime, M. des Champa was having his day back with the car. The populace popu-lace had gathered around him and he made a speech. rutting his hand on Harst ill's shoulder, he toid them tiie blushing lieutenant was the forerunner of the great American army that was com-ine com-ine up the road. He told them, furthermore, they must give the army the proper reception. Everybody cheered vociferously. Wore Iron Crosses. We distributed cigarets among the German Ger-man soldiers, most of whom wore the ribbon of the Iron cross. They snatched eagerly at the snvkes. They hadn't had much tobacco. The captain declared thev had always had plenty to eat because be-cause they took it with them. Then we left him ""reassembling his command in thy road and went back to M. des Champ.-. The Frenchman was leaning far out of the car dropping bon jours lavishly. It was noticed that at no time did lie go near the Germans. It is not to be won-, dered at. He lost a son in this war. , In about twenty jerks .of the big f,ar I we were out of Uelgium and on the border bor-der line of Luxemburg through the town ; uf Athus. 1 There were a lot of German soldiers ' still there, lugging their stuff out of the ' biilets. Some of them saluted the car. An armed German, stood on the bridge leading out of Athus, but paid no attcn- j lion to us. i Keli-'ian and French flags fluttered from , 1h windows along with the flag of Lux- -n i burg, which is the same as that of j Holland. Here and there were homemade home-made American flags, done with colored chalk. There, wab one big. real American flag floating from a store in Athus. They were hoisting it as we passed. They had probably Just heard the Americans were coming. Fat Butcher Waved. M. des C'bnmps did his best to let them all know. He shouted the news at every group of loungers on the corners and the people on the road. Athus is a pretty, prosperous looking place. Cameron Mackenzie, eyed a butchershop window filled with meat. He eyed it longingly. A fat buicher stood in front of the place and waved as we passed. Now wo were In a town called I'etanges. a clean, brisk-looking little place where there was an inviting looking cafe called "Hotel Duchateau." Afterward we learned it is the famous eating place of the grand duchy of Luxemburg. Lux-emburg. We had halted there. Just as we passed a vehicle exactly like an old-time old-time American town hack passed with two German soldiers on the Beat beside the driver. The German officers, followed by orderlies, galloped down the road on good-looking horses. Occasionally a column col-umn of German infantry went by. In the cafe we were greeted by a young woman who said she was the wife of the proprietor. pro-prietor. He was away, she said. She almost al-most wept at the sight of us. They had seen no Americans yet. They had heard of thir coining only by rumors. She brought forward n little girl, who kissed ea'-h member of the party solemnly. Meantime the population of the town was gathered about the car, forcing. Its way into the eal'e. We were great shil-labcrs shil-labcrs for the placf Several German officers of-ficers came in, looked (iH over casually and sat down, ordering drinks. Center of Attraction. Monsieur ries Champs was the center of attraction as lie was narrating the news of the day, int'-rriiptlng himst if now and then to "bon jour" somo newcomer. Lieutenant Lieu-tenant Harlsoll, who talks very good French, was also surrounded. A telcgniph message eamo from a nearby near-by town called Rortangos, saying they had h'-ard of the arrival of our party and wanted us to stop there and have a reception. re-ception. HartHoll had all he could do to prevent the burgonu.ster from getting out tl e band and starting a celebration at Petangf-s. Th't-y had even sent for the chief musician, who came bringing hid cornet, to consult about the matter. There were rumors of food from the kitchen, much to the delight of Mackenzie. Presently It came on, such a baiiquet as was never set bf-U re a king, in war time, anyway. It included meat, but blackish German bread went with it. There were also vegetables. Madnnv hersMf set up a round of champagne, she had it. .served . bv her little daughter, whom die had. dressed in a French costume for the occasion. occa-sion. Told of Troubles. I'eoplo gathered around and told us some of their t roubb-s during the war. Th-y said the G :rnians had worked everybody every-body up to sixty vi-ars. Th" German oit'i-rerv oit'i-rerv sitting ft the table listened to the conversation htoically. Vhf-n it wis time lo go, Richardson had a bard time gutting his car out of the mob of people Si i round in-- il. There v-'-ie ..id men mill young m- n, mere bovs, voumk women and ohl women and little irirls. M. des Champs's hand nui.-l he :;me fp-mn iie exercise. G lua 1 1 1 ; c g." n -''aiiofv in I lonald Hit;: 1 1 coM;jia'H towered over rue hearis of all other:. We passed out of I'etangis while the crowd cheered I'tid went back down the 1 roads lined with blocks of German gun:! j , and other equipment which they had left in accordance with the terms of the armistice. arm-istice. We hu'ln'i gone far before some-ono some-ono was struck by a. horrible thought: ".My Cod," thry said, "that diun.-r we trot in in probably ;is fixed for General Pershing or Genera 1 1 Meknu! n or somebody. some-body. "I don't u'ivc a il:imn," nid M.-icheezie slc-i ily. "I ll like to see them g. t it away from me now." "t-tou j oir:" tall'-il yj. d Champs at a p.issniir .rouj. "lain jour!" they yelled. " Lori .1'nr !" sa id all of us in unison. The last armed ( ' e i ' 1 1 .t n was out of l-'rance. |
