Gunnison news-champion., 1914-10-02
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reieEesara 70 a1oltof - asA.st taiiiH .ss&o
bsrbaritiss alieGed b. have bsso
praetioea ay the herman trgays. ses-
sral weeks ct CLOSE scr9tsny coaEiaoe
me that II IA extrouely ariiNels ss.as
tke sses OF this great oTgsui<atioa.
probably the best diaoipliued troeps
ever brought lEso the heia have
played the bart Of a. bartar.sn and
have wansonly piiiagee saa sarHes VII
lsges and mnrasred Esaeoss sasants.
ssch shsotiugs a. have taken place
appear 90 have been reprisais nasas
Necessary by hostile acts on the psss
I Of civilians
These couclusious are the oatcouo
q observation Of German methods. ~
the course Of which | visited prse-
tically all parts Of Belgism where
German troops passed ON their Vay -
the French froHtier
Not only vas II impossible to verify
the gossip Of the countryside, but n
most instances the troops we're found
to have suffered from midnight am
huscades. and civilians we're found to
have fired IN the dark on officers and
rlen. TO have cut on the ears Of Ger
man wounded and TO have robbed the
deae on the battle fields.
Punishment for those individuals
Was swift and sure. and the action
taken b. the Germans vas such ~
might have been followed by every
army IN the world.
The German general star does noe
countenance the presence OF war cor
Respondents. II acts promptly ana
effectively 10 keep correspondents b.
yond ts lines. yet In the course q
the German march through Belgium
A. was possible for FIVE American cor
respondents 10 mingle freely with Of
hcers and men. to dine at their mess
and to march with their troops.
These men we're Irwin 5. Cobb q
the Saturday Evening Post, Johs z.
McCutcheon and James O'Donnell
Bennett OF the Chicago Tribune. Roger
Lewis Of the Associated Press anl
the representative of the Daily News.
Until their arrival at the headquarters
OF the general stan In Beaumont these
men had every facility for observing
the conduct of troops, especially -
the villages through which thsg
|
passed
o. the night q Thursday, Auguse
~, Z sat In the tiny back parlor q
the cafe at Beaumont. . quaint ~
kian village scarcely two kilome.ers
from the French frontier, when Lieu-
tenant Millendorfer, temporary com
mander Of the village. threw himself
In q chair opposite me with tired,
detected expression. He stared sof
a Moment ct the table, then e.
claimed
Il have Just had . disagreeablo
task. l ordered two persons to -
shot. They we're old. more than s0v-
enty, . man and q woman. Their -
alone should have entitled them -
clemency. But II was impossible.
The law Of war is inexorable."
What did they do?" ! asked.
FED poisoned coffee to my eol-
diers" he exclaimed, with blazing
eyes. MEAN, dirty business. They
confessed II and they died"
II was the law of war. 1t Is the Law
of war, too. that a man who harbors
combatants or who fires on troops
shall have his house burned over his
head. II 10 the law of war likev ise
that = city which plans an ambuscads
and fires on soldiers shall be burned.
] had heard of German cruelties
from Belgian soldiers on the retreat
OF the columns to Malines. ! had been
told that farm houses had been ruth
lessly destroyed. Peasants moving
along the countryside with their lit
tie bundles Of goods had reiterated
the story, but no one had been able
to give first hand Information. Cos
sip pointed to Landen as the source
Of some Of the rumors. yet the burgo-
master Of sanden. Octave Remarquez.
who had interviewed the German
troops and knew what had occurred In
his part of Brabant, said that the Ger
mans had been courteous to a marked
degree had paid for their entertain
ment, had pillaged no homes and had
asked no favors.
He had heard Of one shooting, that
of a Belgian farmer who had cut
holes in his shutters out of which to
fire at the Germans. and he had sus-
picion that the farmer might have
been even more seriously implicated.
/ Subsequently I passed through
dozens Of Belgian villages. sometimes
with the German troops and sOme-
times after they had passed. and for
two days ! remained in the town Of
Binche, famed for its annual carnival.
while thousands of Infantry and cav
airy soldiers and miles Of transports
proceeded TO the French border
From NiveIles the route lay through
Senehe, Monage and Faytles-Senefsa.
thence to La Louviere. Marlemont
Morlanvelz. Pieton. Bfnche, Merbso,
Ste Marie. Merbesle-Chateau. Bonne
Cspsrance. Sorle-sur-Sambre. Sor-ls-
Chateau and other villages. all q
which had been visited by troops 90
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