New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-09-27
McCutcheon Finds Rain
and Dust Fatal to
Popular Belief.
JUSTlFIES GERMAN
CONDUCT AT LoUVAIN
Invaders Admit, However, Exc
ecutlng Telephone Girl
and Physician.
BY JOHN T. McUTCHEoN.
Copyright. 1915 by John 7. Aecutchson)
=. =, nL - III. 10

I
and with field glasses, camera and re-
volver strapped about him. he IS 2
romantic and striking character. Not
80, however, were the correspondents
who found themselves on August 70
down at the French frontier with the
sounds Of great battle to their right
and their left.
By no stretch of the imagination
could we have been considered very
striking or very dashing in appearance
| One was walking, two were jogging
along in a cart drawn by motherly
! looking roam horse, and two were
mounted upon cheap bicycles. A! wore
dusty and rather rumpled street clothes,
wet with a drilling rain, and the total
of our field equipment weighed less
/ than q pound.
We had come out from Brussels for
/ an afternoon drive, intending to return
| that evening, but the fortunes OF war
were such that we went on and on,
always expecting to be stopped Dy the
/ Germans. but, always. BY some strong
/ stroke Of luck being allowed to pass
| further within the German lines.
! For three days we had continued
southwark and were now on the French
/ frontier, with the big guns Of the Ger
mans laundering away at MAubeuge, ten
miles away. We felt that we might go
! on 10 q point where the artillery was
| posted without being stopped or turned
! back. Our relations with the officers
| and soldiers we had previously met had
been most pleasant and we saw no rea-
son to expect q change in their attl-
tude toward us. Whenever we got out
side the German lines we looked for
ward eagerly to again rejoining them.
/ have talked with q number Of Ger
mans about the atrocities with which
thew are charged. Practically all OF
these alleged atrocities have occurred
on Belgian soil. The German soldiers
have been accused of numbering de,
fenceless men, children and women, and
even of inhicting the most barbarous
of tortures upon the people.
Saws Germans Are Slandered.
II is doubtless true that my attitude
toward Germany has been influenced
in its favor by the kind of stories that
have been sent out. / do not believe
the Germans have been committing
atrocities, During the time l have
been with the German soldiers nave
seen no evidence of brutality OF dis
position among the soldiers or men.
Their attitude toward citizens has been
uniformly kind so long as the citizens
refrained from any hostile act.
In nv own observation, covering
about hundred miles with the army
and over two weeks, | have seen not
the slightest exhibition Of brutality
toward the Belgians, IT brutality were
a Characteristic of the Germans 1eei
sure | should have seen evidences OF
it during that time. So far as know,
have seen more OF the German army
In the field than any other correspon-
dent eYcept the four who were with
me. and the opinion of all of US coin
rides completely in respect to the al
legged atrocities. We are neither pro-
German nor anti-Germsn; in fact,
those of US who have been anti-German
are less inclined to be so after having
seen how unfairly the Germans have
been slandered.
In expressing my opinion as to the
atrocities 1 am basing it entirely upon
my own observations. l have seen no
evidence of brutality and have found,
after investigation, that number Oh
atrocity stories were groundless.
Naturally, the German officers resent
being placed before the world as par
barians. They say, too, that II tnese
stories persist they inevitably VIII IeaG
to the actual commission OF frlgntlul
acts. If the Russians believe the ger
mans are committing atrocities, they'
too, will commit them, ana the cohse-
auences will be awful. -,
of course, towns have been burned
s,d citizens killed. There is no deny
inc this. The Germans not only admit
il, but Justify it as inevitable in carry
ING out a rule of warfare. The people
are warned, however, that any attacks
unon the soldiers will be visited with
nnrelenting punishment, in which the
innocent may possibly suffer along with
the guilty; that if any person hres
upon or molests German troops, that
person will be shot on the spot, ana
that all persons suspected of harborlng
or aiding him will also be shot; finally,
that if any shots are fred from the
houses at the Germans, the entire VII
lage will be destroyed.
This was the procedure at Louvain,
in which Inflated city | happened to be
when the Germans drove the Belgian
soldiers out. The proclamations were
posted both by the Germans and oy
the burgomaster, who was held as
hostage, along with two magistrates
and a number of prominent citizens
Praises Conduct at LOuvain.
During the three days i'll which the
German army passed through the town
had an opportunity of seeing how
both the soldiers and civilians be-
hayed. There was not q single IN
stclce that ! saw or heard of which
suggested brutality. The soldiers and
the townspeople seemed to be on the
most friendly relations. In fact, the
citizens were eager to show friendly
shirt when they saw that the Ger
mans, instead of being insOlent or over
bearing, were friendly and polite. The
citizens were warned to commit 70
overt act, under penalty of severe pun
ishment, and so long as the army occu-
pied the town their behavior was
peaceable.
Immediately after the army had
passed, however, the sniping began and
the city was destroyed. The Germans
claim that the citizens began an attack |
in concert with an attack that origi- !
mated in Antwerp and that light sig |
nails from Antwerp started the fighting. !
The Germans accuse the English of !
using dum-dum bullets. At Maubeuge |
a number of prisoners were found 70
have Ely .450 cartridges, such as ute
used in big game shooting. They are
lead bullets with q small copper tip, |
which mushrooms the lead when It
strikes a body. One Of these bullets
was shown to me here in Aix-la- Cha |
pplle, and it was said to have been !
found on a British prisoner.
Other atrocity charges are made By
the Germans. Yesterday l talked with |
a young German soldier in hospital. !
His name is Wolfgang Koecher, and he |
is the son of professor at Magde- !
b re-. He Is nineteen years old and