Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1919 — LILLE KISSING ORGY PICTURED BY YANK [ARTICLE]

LILLE KISSING ORGY PICTURED BY YANK

Pretty Maidens Lead in Osculation as Correspondents Enter City. PEOPLE ARE MAD WITH JOY —A— i - Delirious Women Surround Ntwtpfr per Mon, Among Flrot to Enter Freed City, end Smother Them With Kisses—Meant as an ’ Outburst of Gratitude to British. By GEORGE T. BYE. American Headquarters, British Front.—ln the early morning we set out over the south route into Lille by way ot Mervllle, Estalrs and La Basse®. There was a heavy mist that Would have prevented any distant view, but luckily we pressed on. We came across some balloon observers who had descended because they could see nothing. Artillery was moving forward, an encouraging sign. Racing on over the fine cobblestone La Bassee road we •lowed up through a little village and saw a brigade headquarters in the methodic military act of moving. “We’re going on to Loos,” a major said. He had heard nothing of Lille beyond a report that British patrols had established themselves beyond the city. Willing to Take Any Chance. Our map showed Loos to be a suburb immed I H telycon nee tedwl and we hurried on in great expectation. A military order forbidding entry by troops would not apply to correspondents. We were roused enough to declare we wopld swim canals apd walk miles for the chance to penetrate France’s fifth Metropolis even if we had to dodge enemy outposts. The British engineers already had a pontoon bridge across the canal at Hauhuordin, and at indiscreet speed we clattered over it. There were some shouting, crying people of Haubourdin who wanted to clamber aboard the car, but we wouldn't stop. By following street car tracks we reached Loos in a few. minutes and had the first taste of what was to follow. We slowed down to inquire directions, and a mob seemed to rise magically in the street. People fought to reach us and then climbed over the back and sides of the car to embrace, and kiss us, crying continually, “Hurrah for the English !” to which we could only respond in French, “Good day! Good day!” Boys Lead Kissing Squad. Some little boys managed to squirm into the back of the car, and, standing on our typewriters, gas masks and uneaten lunCh, tried for a monopoly of the kissing for a minute until we pushed them' out. Our hands were seized and kissed. The Tommy driving us was half pulled, from his seat by a hysterical old' lady who cuddled him as If he were a baby and cried: “My dear English boy!” He had to wipe her tears from his face when she released him. And the car was kissed. “Please, please. We must hurry into Lille. Which way, please?” One tragically happy girl, whom I had to seize by the shoulders to keep her away from me, finally pointed up the road and said: “Straight away. There are no boches in Lille. They have gone.” She was still talking when the driver frantically twistcjd his klaxon and we began to plow through the jam, which had collected far ahead of us. 1 We finally backed onto a circuito.us road which led up to the Port des Postes, . the southern gate to Lille. Here we were to leave the.’ 1 British captain, also the driver .and car, and exercise our civilian privilege of entering the city. .. Lille had had no notice of German

evacuation beyond the terrific explosions «t six o’clock that, morning when, the bridges were blown up. Many soldiers had been moved from their billets in Lille homes. However, It had been the experience of four years to have the city alternately filled with Germans then suddenly emptied. When the explosions had brought the people Into the streets they were impressed by the complete disappearance of the enemy. About nine o’clock a brave soul went into the headquar ters of the kompiandantur in the large building of the prefecture <rf poijce and found it vacated. British Flyers Over City. British airplanes began to fly low over the city, but not a British Tommy was in sight . . After tense minutes of anxious waiting three things happened. Charles Delasolle, Jr., a French aviator and, son of the mayor of Lille, flew over from Dunkirk and lighted on the Champs de Mars. Two correspondents of the Petit Parisien and Le Matin of Paris trudged, after a long walk, through the Armentleres gate into Lille. Mellett and I entered the Port de Postes. Who was first probably will never be settled, nor Is it at all important that it should be settled, except to the entrants. If we were beaten by a few minuter which we dispute, we know wp had the only parade, a procession that went through the heart of the city, covered a mile, lasted an hour and included many thousands of dancing and singing celebrants. If we had not been rescued in the Place de la Republlque and hurried inside the gates of the prefecture the parade might have ended only when Mellett and I had reached the swooning point. Hundreds Encircle Car. When we reached the Port des Postes, with its several traffic aisles, hundreds of people came running out of the gate, a never-ending stream that tightly encircled our car. “Les Anglaises sent id! Vive les Anglaise!” was what they shouted as they tumbled toward us, and we even heard it being taken up in alarming crescendo on the other side of the city wait As soon as the kissing started Mellett surrendered his face and handsr but, with his mind still on business, managed to slide out of the car. I unwisely established a precedent for lifting up babies, kissing them in the French fashion on either cheek, giving thenSMi* little spank and tossing them back to the first woman in sight. This was unwise in a way because it attracted hundreds of mothers who wanted their offspring kissed and spanked by the bogus great Englishman, and undoubtedly resulted in many delirious mothers extricating themselves from the mob only to find themselves in possession, of a strange infant, for in the excitement of the moment I could take no responsibility for making correct returns. Kissed by Swarm of Maids. Yet it showed that I had a family heart, and, while I was paralyzed by the sea of babies surging up to me—many of them back for a second go, no doubt —still there the satisfaction of seeing that among the babies were the flowers of Lille, the prettiest mademoiselles. Mellett, in the meantime, was struggling with a swarm of buxom housemaids, who were bussing him four and five at a time. In fact he had all the La Bassee mud kissed off one ehr. I remember his tussles with the stout girls quite distinctly, and the recollection always flashes upon me when he happens to mention my graciousness to the bearded gentlemen. f “For God’s sake, climb out, or we are lost!” shouted Mellett, so I permitted several of my lissome beauties to assist me dismount, collected a few warm osculations, and, with three of the loveliest oh either arm, surged 'forward. ■ The crowd gave way with a shout.

and tumbled back through the gnte ahead of us as the heralds of our procession. Seeing that it was unwise for Mellett and me to be too distantly separated, I unhooked - two of the girl' and Mellett took the arm of the one between us, Mlle. Eerthe Dubauts, by thejvay. Frapce never made ’em piyt tier than Mlle. Berthe. Everybody Wanted Two Kisses. The enormity of what was ahead of us was not realized until we were through- the gate. Our heralds were shouting “The English are coming !” Wave upon wave of men, women and children bore down upon us and at times there were collisions that must have hurt. Everybody wanted at least two kisses and a handshake. The dear old ladies of Lille had the highest average, going at the rate of 70 in a possible 100. The younger women (and I am not referring to Mellett’s contingent) wanted to do the thing tenderly and gently and as a result often got only a little bump against iny nose dr ear, the second kiss missing fire or ricocheting to one of my winsome escort. only trouble with the escort was that they could not tell us where we wanted to go. We just staggered on, pushed and pulled at from all directions, sometimes almost carried down by the weight of some wildly joyous person who would spring at us, throw both arms around our necks and kiss us rapturously. As we were entering Rue des Postes we heard a booming voice call out: “Can I help? Just a minute while I get through these blinking girls.” He was M. Auguste Vonherzeele, a Belgian tailor, formerly of London. Because he was sixty-four years old the Germans had not forced him to work. He had kept his son hidden Tor four years, but, he said, “the little fool insisted finally on getting out and had been seized and taken away by the Germans when they deported all the able manhood, even youths in midteens, shortly before the evacuation. M. Vonherzeele introduced us to M. Fernand Hanciaus, Lille representative of the General Electric company of Schenectady, N. Y. “Will you —smack —take us through —smack —the main streets —smack— to the mayor—smack —and back — smack —to our ear —smack?” we begged, between kisses. The two turned about and talked .very fast to the mob. A way opened for us and we started. All went well for two minutes, then a fresh battalion of kisses went over the top and cut M. Hanciaus off from all communication with us. We never saw him again. K

Ribbons, Badges, Rosettes. We now began to be entwined with red, white and blue ribbons, and many badges and rosettes were pinned to us. We also got bunches of red, white and blue paper flowers. There was nothing amorous about the kisses. They were given by old and young to the “good English.” One trim mademoiselle in my retinue kissed me once -for the allies, once for England, once for myself and once for my wlfq,. (Note —I am not adding this to square myself at home. This true and accurate history of the great occasion must be complete in all details.) What happened to the kissers after theyjiad battered their way into our parade and finally got within kissing reach? They formed in lines fifteen abreast and danced or stamped ahead or behind us, singing the Marseillaise. When we got back to our car we found it indistinguishable in the mob. The British captain had twt> babies on either knee, and he sat so they were between him and the kissers. The < driver had given up fighting a long time ago and quite miserably hung f over his seat in a liipp position within , reach of short or tall. F*or him it was ! more cheerful to give than to receive. The brave British deliverers of Lille later did get a tremendous ovation from the city. We saw a few sentries when we returned then* having their guns held by girls and being bedecked with garlands and fed with cakes. We sd'wofher Tommies having their guns and packs carried by Lille girls. 11 Is a pity that the flrst spontaneous outburst of gratitude to the British should have been centered on two Yank correspondents.