The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1914-09-25

taken aback BY the amount and exact
ness Of my data
such things are horrible. IL true,
he said. ~Of course. our soldiers, Ike
soldiers Of all armies, sometimes get
out OF hand and do things which we
would never tolerate If we knew IT,
At Louvain. for example, ! sentenced
two soldiers to IL years penal servt
tude apiece for assauIting a woman
Logvain Library Incident.
~Apropos Of Louvain," remarked.
why did you destroy the libraryg 1t
was one OF the literary storehouses Of
the world"
I'VE regretted that as much as any
one else answered the general. III
caught fire from burning houses and
We could not save II"
~But why did you burn Louyain al
aiI?p ] asked
Because the townspeople fired ON
our troops. We actually found ma
chine guns in some Of the houses
And smashing his fist down on the
table, he continued: Whenever civil
ians fire upon our troops We will
teach them a lasting lesson. II women
and children insist on getting in the
way Of bullets, so much the worse for
the women and children"
How do you explain the lombard
ment of Antwerp by Zeppelins?" ]
Queried.
Explains Zeppelin Bombs.
"zeppelins have orders to drop their
bombs only on Notifications and sol
diers." he answered.
"As a matter of fact" / remarked,
they only destroyed private houses
and civilians, several of them women.
II one OF those bombs had dropped 200
yards nearer my hotel wouldn't be
smoking one of your excellent cigars
today"
This is calamity which thank
God didn't happier"
IF you feel for my safety as deeply
| as that, general" said earnestly.
you can make quite sure Of my com
ing to no harm By sending no more
Zeppelins."
i WCht ne Sd1uf ldu60tn6S WC WAh
think about it." He continued grave
/ ly:
| Il trust you will tell the American
people through your paper what l
have told you today. Let them hear
our side of this atrocity business. 1t
is only justice that they should be
made familiar with both sides of the
question"
! have quoted my conversation with
the general as nearly verbatim as
can remember 1t. have no comments
to make. will leave it to my readers
to decide for themselves just how con-
vincing are the answers of the Ger
man general staff to the Belgian &C
cusations.
Photographs German Army.
Before we began our conversation
asked the general if Mr.. Thompson
might be permitted to take photo
graphs Of the great army passing.
Five minutes later Thompson was
whirled away in military motor car
ciceroned by an army officer who had
attended the army school at Fort
Riley. Il seems they stopped the car
beside the road in place where the
light was good, and when Thompson
saw approaching a regiment or bat.
terry of which he wished a picture he
would tell the officer, whereupon the
officer would blow his whistle, and
the whole column would halt
"Just wait few minutes until the
dust Settles Thompson would re
mark, nonchalantly lighting a cigar
cite, and the Ninth imperial army
whose columns stretched over the
countryside as far as the eye could see
would stand in its tracks until the air
was sufficiently clear to get picture
Thus far the only one who has sue
ceeded in hating the German army is
this little photographer from Kansas
Show Thompson Gunnery.
As field battery of the Imperial
guard rumbled past, Thompson made
some remark about the accuracy Of
the American gunners at Vera Cruz.
Let us show you what our gunners
can do" said the officer. and gave ar
order. There were more orders, per
; feet yolley of them, a bugle shrilleG
harshly, the eight horses strained
against their collars, the drivers
cracked their whips, and the gun LEFT
the road. bounded across a ditch. and
swung into position in an adjacent
: field.
4 On knoll three miles away an
. ancient windmill was beating the all
with its huge wings. The shell hit the
windmill fair and square and tore il
i into splinters.
Good work, Thompson observed
critically; IF those fellows of your:
keep on they'll be able to get a jot
: in the American navy after the war
: In all the annals Of modern war
: do not believe there is a parallel te
this American war photographer halt
] ing with an appraised. peremptory hanS
: the advancing army, leisurely photog
raphing regiment after regiment anf