South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-17
Woman Taken From Home at
Vim and Fired on But ES-
CapeS-HuSband in Dying
Condition.


WASHINGTON, Sept. 1.-THE Bel
rian commission Wednesday night is
sued through the Belgian embassy
the following:
The atrocities in Linsmeau and
Orsmael
German cavalry occupying the
village OF Linsmeau were attacked by
some Belgian troops and two gend-
armes. A German officer was killed
by the Belgian soldiers during the
fight and subsequently buried at the
request OF the Belgian officer i'm
command. None of the civilians had
taken part i'm the fight; nevertheless
the village was invaded at dusk, on
Aug. 10 by a strong force of German
cavalry artillery and machine guns
In spite of the formal assurances
given by the burgOmaster that none
of the civilians had taken part in the
fight two farms and six outlying
houses were destroyed by gun fire and
reduced to ashes. All the male popu-
latiOn was then compelled TO come
forward and hand over whatever
arms they possessed. No recently
discharged firearms were found.
Nevertheless the invaders divided
/ these peasants into three groups.
Those in one group were bound and
eleven of them placed in a ditch,
where they were afterwards found
dead their skulls fractured by the
butts of rifles
Woman Carried orr.
During the night of Aug. TO- Ger
man cavalry entered Vein in great
numbers. the inhabitants were asleep.
Without provOcation the Germans
fired on Mr. Deglimme's house. and
broke into It, They destroyed furni-
ture and looted valuables. They
implements. cattle and his farm yard.
They carried off Mime. Deglimme half
naked TO a place two miles away. She
was then released and as she fled
was fired upon without being hit
however. Her husband was carried
to a point in another direction and
fired upon; he is dying. The same
troops sacked and burned the house
of a railway Waterman.
Farmer JEFF DkeerkX. of Neer-
hespen. is an eye witness to the fol
lowing atrocities committed by Ger
man cavalry at Orsmael and Neer-
hespen on Aug. IL and II. An old
man had his arm cut in three longi
1 tudinal slices; he was then hanged
7 head downward and burned alive.
Young girls were raped and little
/ children outraged at Orsmael and
mutilations. too horrible TO describe
were inflicted on other inhabitants.
+ Prisoners were hanged. while others
We're tied To telegraph posts and
shot
An engagement at Haelen. Com
mandant Van Damme was SO severely
wounded that he was lying prone on
his back. lie was murdered by Ger
man infantry firing their revOlvers
into his mouth.
Persons Are Killed.
Numerous wounded and Unarmed
soldiers were ill-treated or killed by
German troops, and in different
places doctors and nurses and am
balances were fired upon.
AT times the Germans went into
the battle with a Belgian flag.
while digging trenches, and with
the white flag hoisted, Belgian sol
diers were set upon by Germans and
shot
Another time. near a fort at Lone
in. a group OF German infantry hoist
ed the white flag and when the Bel
gian soldiers approached them 10 take
them prisoners they were fired upon
at close range.
The Massacre OF AerSChOt.
"Aerschot. a town OF $4,000 inhab-
itants was invested by the Germans
in the morning Of Aug. No Bel
gian troops remained behind. No
sooner had the Germans entered the
city when they began by shooting
several inOffensive civilians. In the
evening. claiming that superior Ger
man officer had been shot by the son
OF the burgomaster. or. according TO
another version OF their story. that a
conspiracy had been Matched against
the German commandment by the bur
gomaster and his family. the Germans
took hold OF every man in the city.
CARRYING them 80 at a time. within
some distance ca he town. There
they grouped liz lines OF four men.
made them run al cad OF them and
fired upon them. killing them after
ward with their hdyOnets. More than
forty men were found thus massacred
They pillaged the whole town,
taking from private residences all
they could lay their hands on. The
following morning they took one man
out of every three they had arrested
the previous evening. and. leading
them outside the city shot them.
I Among these were the burger aster OF
7 the town. Mr.. Tielemans. his 45-year-
old son and his brother.
Then they compelled the re1Hain
ing villagers 20 dig holes 10 bury
their victims
Set Fire To Everything.
For three whole DAYS they contin-
ued 10 pillage and set fire 10 every
thing in their way.
About so habitants OF Aerschot
are supposed 10 have persisted
The LARGEST part OF the city is de-
stroyed. Five times the Germans
tried 20 set fire 60 the big church.
having sacked the interior OF It's con-
I tents The town records were de-
stroyed OF carried off.
II