Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-17

continued for days, and far from try,
ing to stop it, the Germans seemed,
on the contrary, trying to FEED II oy
throwing straw into it. The cathedrai
flames and fell into ruins. The library
of the university is also destroyed.
The town resembles an old city IN
ruins. in the midst of which drunken
soldiers were carouslng, carrying
around bottles of wines and liquors.
The officers themselves were installed
in armchairs, drinking like their own
men.
.aThe procedure of the Germans seems
to be the same everywhere; First OF
which they partake to the point OF
drunkenness. Then they begin to shoot
wildly from the windows of abandoned
houses, declaring that the inha
and shooting scenes begin. and murder.
and especially pillage, and acts OF cold
cruelty are witnessed; neither age nor
sex Is respected. Even where they
claim to know the perpetrator of the
deed they allege the Germans do not
content themselves with executing
summarily the culprit. They wreak
their vengeance on the whole town.
After a first massacre. somewhat at
random, they shut the men into church
es and order the women to go back to
their homes and leave the door open.
I'm several instances the civilians
were sent to Germany, to be compelled
there, 1t seems, to labor in the field,
as was done In the days of slavery.
Advices From Belgian Minister.
"Since collecting the above testimony
the following cables. regarding the
same subject. have been received from
the minister of foreign affairs of Bel
GUM:
September s.
"'You have received the reports of
the commission of August rs and
81. Since then a great many locali-
ties situated in the Vilvorde- Malines-
Louvain triangle, an extremely fertile
and densely populated district. have
been partially pillaged and totally de-
stroyed by fire. Their Inhabitants have
fed, while q number of them. among
others women and children, were ar
rested and shot without trial, and
without apparent-reason. except to In
spire the population with terror. This
was done in Sempst, Weerde, EleWyt,
Hofstade. Wespelaeg. Wilsele, Busken,
Eppeghem, Houtehrh, Tremeloo, It's
telt, Gelrode and Herent At Wavre,
where the population was unable to
houses were set on fire. The largest
part of Cortenberg Is burned. To ex-
cuse these attacks, the Germans al
lege that an army of civilians resist
ed them. According to trustworthy
testimony no provocations can be
proved at Wis, Aerschot, Louvain,
Wavre and in other localities situated
in the MalinesLouvain-Vi dis
trict, where fire was set and massa-
cres committed several days after the
German occupation.
September Is:
Uniform the Belgium commission
that the Belgian committee of inquiry
continues to report ruins and devasta-
lions and pillage. systematically or
gained by German troops In the towns
Invested by them. The city of Ter
monde was destroyed without any hos
tile participation on the part of the
civilian population. Out of the 1,400
houses only 295 remain standing
others were destroyed by fire and RACED
from the ground, after the Germans
had entered the city. Several civilians
were imprisoned and executed with
bayonets in the presence of their rela-
nine civilians were killed and forty
five properties destroyed, without any
reason. The reoccupation of Aerschot
by the Belgian army reveals disas-
trous deeds. Dwellings which are not
destroyed by fire were completely
sacked and pillaged September be-
fore the return of the Belgian troops.
Four hundred civilians. among them
thirty clergymen. were locked since
food, carried of and sent to destina-
lions unknown. Localities in the
neighborhood are completely de-
stroyed. everywhere along the road
are corpses. Women and young girls
were outraged. Systematic pillage.'"