Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-17

ed the previous evening, and, leading
them outside the city, shot them.
Among these were the burgomaster of
the town, Mr.. Tielemans, his fifteen
year-old son and his brother.
'"Then they compelled the remaining
villagers to dig holes to bury their
victims.
For three whole days they con-
tinued to pil1age and set fire to every
thing in their way.
about $50 inhabitants Of Aerschot
are supposed to have persisted.
'"The largest part Of the city is de-
stroyed. Five times the Germans tried
to set fire to the big church. having
sacked the interior of it's contents.
The town records were destroyed or
carried off.
1T must be borne in mind that the
civil population of Aerschot had been
repeatedly warned by their burgo-
master not to offer any resistance or
commit any hostile act toward the In
vaders. They. the Germans. shot upon
the fleeing citizens, set fire to private
houses and sacked them. They wanted
to make the victimized citizens declare
that they themselves had set fire to
their homes. Everywhere 'along the
road of the German march the same
horrors were visible; The witness men
lions the names Of eighteen persons
who, to his knowledge, were mas
sacred at Aerschot.
1.-The German army penetrated into
Louvain, after having set fire to the
surrounding towns and villages.
From the moment of their entrance
into the city they requisitioned lodg-
ing and food for their troops. They
entered every private bank and looted
their reserve. They entered private
residences and sacked and pillaged
them and INDUCED in orgies of all
kinds.
They took hostages; all the promi-
nent men of the city were detained
Women and children were outraged and
il1-treated by the soldiers.
Previous to the German invasion
the whole city had been warned re-
peatedly not to offer any resistance to
the German troops, or to oppose hostile
acts. More than that. all arms belong
ing to civilians, down to fencing foils,
had been ordered deposited several
days previously in the city hall, and
there was not weapon found on any
civilian.
august 25 an engagement took place
in the neighborhood of Louvain be-
tween German and Belgian troops.
The Germans, repulsed and pursued by
the belgian fTGops Msav w,t0sasea
testify that at the moment the Ger
man garrison in Louvain was erro-
neously informed that Belgians were
entering the city. Immediately the
vain. withdrew toward the station.
where they clashed with their own
troops, which were being pursued by
the Belgians. Everything seems to
point to the fact that a contact took
place.
From that moment. pretending that
the Belgian civilians had fired upon
German troops. the Germans began
La fv
bombardment until 10 o'clock that
night At the place where the ARRAY
started not a single body was found
Of a civilian, proving that the popula-
ton had not participated in the shoot
ing .I, ,o,,.os n,,c, had M. ..psn
IRE were set ablaze by rockets with
which the German soldiers were sup
piled. The largest part of the city OF
Louvain. especially the sHaute Vile
that ts to say, the part comprising the
modern houses. the Cathedral Of st.
Peter, the university halls, with the
old and famous library Of the univer-
sity. its manuscripts, its collections and
scientific institutions, the theater and
many more buildings were at that time
consumed by flames
THE fire continued for several days.
Numerous corpses of civilians covered
the streets, and squares. An eyewit-
ness testifies that in one place he
counted more than fifty eharred bodies
Of people, many persons who had taken
cape and falling into the furnace of
the blazing city.
''The fire started a little above the
American College. The city is entirely
destroyed with the exception of the
city hall and the station. The FIRE