Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-19
SACK OF LOUVAIN
LIKE TRIP IN HE'LL, !.
EYEWITNESS SAYS
Citizens Shot Dead Like
Rabbits and the Torch of
the Firebug Invader in
Every Direction, Is Story.
ROTTERDAM. Sent


Stories of the sacking of Louvain which
are almost unbelievable in their horror
reached here from the frontier.
One of the most vivid is that of an a.
sistant in bicycle shop, who, though Il.
Dutchman, was given special facilities for
escape owing to his being mistaken for
German. AT midday last Tuesday, \.
begins, "a fearful uproar broke out in
the streets while we were at dinner ana
the crackle of musketry was soon fo,loy.
ed by the roar of artillery near at hand
Hearing shrleks from the inhsbita,t.
of our streets, rushed 10 the v,indo,, 49,.
saw that several houses we're alreadv IL
names soldiers were smashing the shop
windows and looting in all directions. A,
the people rushed into the stneets fror,
the burning houses they were shot dor..
like rabbits. With my governor, his v,fa
and little boy we fed to the ce,1,-
where l and the boy hid under a milo a,
tires while the manager hid under a
chest and his wife got into drain. whers
she stood with water up to her waist "a,
many hours.
NIGHT MADE HIDEoUs.
Might fell and the sound of shoot,,.
In the streets became brisker. crer,
out OF my hiding-place to get some water
and peeping out of my window saw "a
my horror that almost the whole stro.,
was In ruins. Then we found that ou,
own mouse was alsht, and 1t was mecca.
sary to choose between boiling and ben7
burned to death where we were. I decidsa
to make dash for it. but the moment
was outside the door three Germans held
me up with revovers and asked me wbor.
l was going. Ny reply was that I was
a German. that my master and his u,ifa g..
were Germans who had been trapped In
the burning house
Apparently my German was poos
enough to make them believe nv state-
mont for they promised to give us safs
conduct out of the town Our waiy
through the streets to the railway st..
tion | snail always remember as a walk
through hell. The beautiful town u,itS
Its noble buildings. was a sea of eana
Dead bodies lay thick in the streets
Dreadful cries came from many OF the
houses. ''o
ut was $40 on Wednesday morn,n,
Soldiers were even then still going about
the streets with lighted brands and ex.
plosiNes in their hands setting a light =,
any buildings that still remained intact
IN the parks they had already begun IA
ourN the dead, but in many cases so shall
10" were the graves that a large part Of
each body was still visible
A NARROWING SPECTACLE
AT the railway station we Witnessed
truly narrowing spectacle. Fifty cltl- :
zens' both men and women, had besn =
Drought from the houses from which tha
soldlers swore that shots had been Hred w
Iney were lined up IN the street. pro-
testihg with tears In their ewes that
they were innocent. Then came a firing
squad Nolley followed volley, and the
oo fell dead where they stood"
rms story is corroborated bv an india
pehaent dispatch from Dutch Journalist
VINO happened to be at Louvain on his
way to Brussels ~
ne said he was standing on Tuesday
evening near the railway station at Lou
SaiH, taking to German officer, when
ne was strongly advised to leave the
spot owing to the great danger,
A group of some 500 men and Woman
aescribed as hostages, were ranked in
the open space by the station, and thew
were informed that for every soldier
nred on In the town ten of them would
pe shot. The wretched people sobbed
ana Wrung their hands and fell on their
Knees. but they might as we'll have ap-
PeaIed TO men of stone. Ten by ten. as
the hlght wore on, they were brought
from the ranks and slaughtered before
the eyes OF those who remained