And the police watched all these misdeeds with crossed arms or
even assisted. Probably what took place in Petersburg also occurred in
other Russian cities; we shall soon know.
There are a great many complaints against the French and the Belgians.
On the evening of Aug. 1 the mobilization was announced, and the next
morning the official order was posted on the walls, that within
twenty-four hours from the beginning of that day all Germans and
Austrians, irrespective of sex, age or profession, would have to leave
France. Those who remained and could not reach the boundary would be
taken to the southwestern part of the country and imprisoned. There were
few trains for Belgium or Switzerland. Thousands and thousands who had
to abandon their property rushed to the stations with wife and children,
fought for room in the overcrowded trains, surrounded by a howling mob,
and even then were punched and slapped by policemen. During the trip
there was nothing but misery. Men and women fell ill, children died. The
refugees had to cross the Belgian boundary, walking a distance of six or
seven kilometers in the middle of the night, dead tired, their luggage
stolen--sometimes, it is said, by officials. In Belgium the same tragedy
occurred as in France.
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