The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-09-23

cident of mistreatment of any sort b
German officers or soldiers.
City Virtually Destroyed.
Buissere-particula the lowe
part OF the city-had been virtual.
destroyed by cross fire from French
and German artillery. The whole cit,
lay in smoking ruins. But here, two
days after the battle, women and chill
dren We're moving comfortably abou
the town and not single complain
was uttered against German conduct
THE town of re-sur-Sambre is ;
small village about five miles south o
Buissiere
Into this town $50 French killed
and more than hundred wounded
were brought in single day. Aug
uste BlariauX, burgomaster, said thai
he knew Of no cases of German cruel
ties save distant rumors which he had
learned to discredit.
112 Killed in Renouchamp.
There are, of course, reported out
RACES beyond investigation, either on
account Of their vagueness or because
it is impossible to weigh the provoca-
ton. 1t is known, for instance, that
112 natives were killed in RenOuchamr
not far from Ardennes; German sol
diers say that they were killed be-
cause they fired upon them from the
roofs and windows of the houses.
The history of the absolute de-
struction Of the historic city Of Lou
versity, is by this time well known.
The German version of this is that
the inhabitants, under the direction
of the burgomaster. established them
selves in the church, where they also
installed machine gun. They pro-
ceeded to greet the Germans with a
deadly fire.
"The.. .Relgians say, on the other
hand, that part of the German army,
installing one of their own retiring
divisions for the enemy, opened fire
upon them, whereupon, deluded into
thinking this an assault by Belgian
civilians, the Germans RACED the whole
city.
Puts Blame on Belgians.
81 have not been able to acquire any
direct evidence in regard to these last
two instances, but the explanation
generally credited by disinterested
persons is that the Belgians, who had
laid down thir arms according to the
burgomaster's proclamation on the en-
trance of the enemy, took them up
again when it looked as if the Ger
mans We're retreating from the town.
"The most authoritative German de.
NAL of German OflienSes comes from
Major General Thaddeus Won Jarotz-
sky, military governor OF Brussels,
who informed me that in numerous
cases he had been received with
pretense of friendliness by Belgian CT
villains, who later fired upon the Ger
man soldiers from windows and from
between the roof tiles.
Germans Apply Torch.
"In such violations of the rules OF
war, the general said, he punished the
offender by burning the houses from
which the shots We're fired.
"rhis explanation of the burning OF
villages is given with such perfect
unanimity by all German officers and
men that to go into separate instances
is unnecessary. l can only say that
in every case of reported outrage or
reprisal which was susceptible of in
vestigation | have found either that
the outrage was Pigment OF the Bel
gian mind or that it was more than
half excused by circumstances.
81 have actual knowledge of the
sniping by Belgian civilians at Man
age and other towns, and even the
Belgians admit that in few instances
they have been guilty of this.
Used Priests as Shield.
"a Belgian fugitive from suburb
of Charleroi brought to Nivelle story
of the Germans marching the priest
and several of the inhabitants before
the army as protection against fire
from the houses. This has received
ample verification, but hardly comes
under the heading of atrocities.
1.-THE prevalence of the Belgian
practice of sniping from the houses
was perhaps indicated by the warning
of the .Gsrman officer who acted as
guard fols five American correspond
ents, including myself, who were be-
ing taken as prisoners from Beaumont
to Aachen in an army train. we were
advised to lie down on the floor Of the
car as the Belgian snipers would shoot
at us from the houses. But there was
no firing.
German Troops Courteous.
81 witnessed numerous cases of the
most careful courtesy on the part OF
German soldiers. In Brussels they
not only paid their cafe bills, but tip
ped generously. Along the road. when
a German officer or soldier entered a