The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1914-10-03
HORRORS OF THE war AS seen BY
correspondent ON BATTLEFIELD


which month ago was the pride of
the district. Then it had a fine collec-
ton or Flemish pictures, now the On.
frances, corridors, and various rooms
are mass of charred woodwork, with
here and there head of a statuette or
plaster cast left. One of the chiefs
OF the gallery came in while l was
there and gazed at the wreck of the
place which had been his life's pride.
With clenched fists he cried, 'Canaille,
Canaille.'
The Wrongs Of the People.
"Termonde is a city of ghosts. 1t
seemed impossible that street after
street of crumbling ruins could week
before have been a, busy, pleasant,
prosperous Belgian town. There was
the church of the Benedictine fathers
with the roof off and the interior
gutted and burnt. All that was left of
a massive oak door were the iron
hinges. Still standing in place was
the religious statuary, which had been
deliberately shattered with the butts
OF rifles before the place was set on
fire. ! noticed the figures at the sta
tions Of the cross with the heads Of
Mary, the Christ and the attendant
crowds smashed in.
"Melle and Termonde are typical of
large part of the country, but there
are exceptions. In some places the
German soldiers carried out their or
ders to destroy houses with evident
reluctance and did no more than they
ff. do aytf froy h,,r
ing houses they behaved with mercy
and kindness. In other places |
found that the troops and followed the
burning with a policy of deliberate
outrage-a policy which l believe the
German people, If they could under
stand it. would repudate and de-
nounce.
THE most painful side OF the busi-
ness was the innumerable accounts OF
wholesale outrages against women,
| young girls and even children, One
responsible official told me of some OF
| the horrors and he was almost in tears
as he spoke. OF these cases. he said.
we can tell. but of most of them we
can never learn anything. Often out
! rage was followed by murder and of.
ten. too woman hides her shame.
The Policy Of Terrorism.
Where does the responsibility for
/, these doings lie? They are the direct
| outcome of the policy OF the German
| general staff, which decided on pol
icy of terror 1t should be known that
| soldiers employed in burning and loot
| ing are bound in part to get out of
hand and follow the burning and loot
ing with outrages that make all hu-
manity recoil. But the Germans have
defeated their own purpose. Out OF
the grief, agony and loss of the little
| people a new nation is arising. Two
months ago Belgium lacked unity, and
apparently all those great, inspiring
| forces which make race supreme,
| Germany has given her these, The
| people are being made great and
strong by suffering.
"As l went among the Belgian ar
mics during my journey | saw soldiers
often poorly armed unsuitably dressed
and not over well organized resisting
| great German regiments and my heart
! went out to them. CHEEKY and un-
afraid, the officers and men greeted
one everywhere. 1t was splendid be-
| yond words.
Now Winter Is at Hand.
81 wish l could say something that
would bring home to the sympathetic
and kindly American people the real
need of Belgium. Today tens of thous-
ands are still living torn from their
homes and In sore distress. England
is looking after many, but vast num-
bers remain without shelter, with lit
tie food and with everything gone.
| Winter is on them and unless some
thing is done the frosts and SHOWS OF
the coming weeks, the lack Of food and
the absence Of clothing will complete
the work the Germans began.
81 may seem to speak strongly.
tell you that any decent man who saw
the saturnalia Of cruelty and passion
in that devastated land could not well
say less"