Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-19
SACK OF LOUVAIN
LIKE TRIP IN HE'LL,
EYEWITNESS SAYS
Citizens Shot Dead Like
Rabbits and the Torch of
the Firebug Invader in
Every Direction, Is Story.
ROTTERDAM. Sept. 1s.

ROTTERDAM, sept 10
stories OF the sacking of Louvan, which
are almost unbelievable in their horror,
reached here from the frontier.
One of the most vivid is that OF an as
sistant in a bicycle shop, who, though
Dutchman. was given special facilities for
escape owing to his being mistaken for a
German. AT midday last Tuesday" he
begins, "a fearful uproar broke out in
the streets while We were at dinner, and
the crackle of musketry was soon follow
cd by the roar of artillery near at hand
Hearing shrieks from the inhabitants
of our streets, rushed to the window and
saw that several houses were already in
flames Soldiers were smashing the shop
windows and looting in all directions. AS
the people rushed into the streets from
the burning houses they were shot down
like rabbits. With my governor. his wife
and little boy. we fed to tho cellar,
where | and the boy hid under a pile Of
tires, while the manager hid under a
chest and his wife got into O. drain. where
she stood with water up to her waist for
many hours.
NliflI AADE1 1lDbOJS.
might fell and the sound of shooting
| in the streets became brisker. I crept
out Of my niding-place to get some water,
and peepins out of my window saw to
my horror that almost the whole street
was in ruins. Then we found that our
| own house was alieht, and ii was neces-
sary to choose between boiling and being
| b,r tn, T.
| to make dash for II, but the moment
was outside the door three Germans held
me UP with revolvers and asked me where
| I was going. Ny reply was that was
| q. German. that my master and his wife
| were Germans who had been trapped in
| tho burning house.
| Apparently my German was good
| enough to make them believe my state
ment. for they promised to give US safe
| conduct out of the town. Our walk
through the streets to the railway sta
| tion | shall always remember as a walk
through hell The beautiful town with
its noble buildings, was sea of flame.
! Dead bodies lay thick in the streets
Dreadful cries came from many of the
| houses.
1T was $50 on Wednesday morning
when we reached the railway station.
Soldiers were even then still going about
plosives in their hands setting a light tc
any buildings that still remained Intact
In the parks they had already begun tc
bury the dead. but in many cases so shal.
low were the graves that a large part o.
each body was still visible.
NARROWING SPECTACLE.
AT the railway station we witnessed
a truly narrowing spectacle Fifty cltl-
| zens. both men and women. had been
brought from the houses from which the
soldiers swore that shots had been fired
| Ihey were lined up in the street, pro-
! testing with tears in their eyes that
they were innocent. Then came a firing
squad Nolley followed volley. and the
| % fell dead where they stood
rms story IS corroborated BY an indie
pendent dispatch from Dutch journalist
who happened to be at LouVain on his
| way to Brussels.
He said he was standing Oh Tuesday
evening near the railway station at Lou
/ vain. talking TO a German officer. when
he was strongly advised 10 leave the
spot owing TO the great danger
A group Of some 500 men and women
described as hostages. We're ranked in
the open space by the station, and thew
were informed that for every soldier
| fired on in the town ten of them would
be shot. The wretched people sobbed
and wrung their hands and fell on their
| knees, but they might as we'll have an
! pealed 10 men OF stone. Ten by ten. a .
! the night Wore on. they were brought
| from the ranks and slaughtered before
! the eyes of those who remained.