Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1914-09-23
DRIVEN 10 ATROCITIES, GERMAN
COMMANDER
S3AE
By z. ALEXANDER POWELL

BY z. ALEXANDER POWELL.
10y Cable, y The Chicago Tribune'l
Headquarters in the Field OF the
Ninth Imperial Army, Chateau Lafere'
near Renaix, Belgium:--Three weeks
ago the government of Belgium re.
Quested me to place beforetthe Ameri-
can people a list of specific and au'
thenticated atrocities committed by
the German armies upon Belgian non
combatants.
Today General Won Boehn. com
manding the Ninth Imperial field
army, acting mouthpiece Of the Ger.
man general stan. has asked me to
place before the American people the
German version OF the incidents in
question.
So far as ] am aware l am the only
correspondent In the present war who
has motored for an entire day through
the ranks Of the advancing German
army, who has dined as a guest OF the
German army commander and his
stan, and who has had the progress
of the army on the march arrested in
order to obtain photographs Of the
German troops.
This unusual experience came about
IN q curious and roundabout way.
Invited bySsGsnersl Won soehn.
After an encounter In the streets of
Client last Tuesday between a Ger.
man military automobile and . Bel.
gtan armored car, in which two Ger:
man soldiers were wounded, American
Vice Consul Van Hee persuaded the
burgomastsr to accompany him i'm
mediately to the headquarters Of Cen
ssal Won Boehn to explain the circum-
stances and ask that the city should
not be held responsible for the unfor.
tunate affair.
i the course of the conversation
with Mr.. Van Hes General Won Boehn
remarked that copies OF papers con-
tanning articles written by Alexander
Powell critlcixing the German treat
ment of the Belgian civil population
had5come to his attention and said he
regretted he could not have an oppor-
tunity to talk with Powell and give
him the German version.
Mr.. Van Hee said BY . fortunate
coincidence I happened to be in Client,
whereupon the general asked him to
bring me out to dinner the following
day, and issued 4 safe conduct through
the German lines.
Though nothing was said about q
photographer, took with me Pho
tographer Donald Thompson. AS there
was some doubt regarding the pro
priety Of taking a Belgian driver into
the German lines, I drove the car
myself.
Ia Mldstsof kalssr's Men:
Half q mile out of Sottehem Jul
road debouched into the great high
way which leads through Lille to
Paris. We suddenly found ourselves
In the midst OF the German army. It
was q sight. never to be forgotten.
Far as the eye could see stretched
solid columns Of marching men, press-
ing westward, ever westward.
The army was advancing in three
mighty columns along three parallel
roads: These dense masses of NOV
Ing men in their elusive blue gray
uniforms looked for all the world like
three monstrous serpents crawling
across the countryside.
American flags which hutteredf from
our Windshield proved q passport in
themselves and as We approached the
close lockedsranks they parted to let
% through. :5
SEFOr5 hye solid hours, travelling al
Ways at express train speed, we mo.
tored between the walls OF the. march;
Ing men. IN time the constant shufle
OF boots and the rhythmic swing fof
gray-clad arms and shoulders grew
maddening and ] became ! Diseased
with the fear that I 5would send the
car blowing into the human wedge
on, either side.
Miles Of German Soldier.
II seemed that the ranks never.
would end. and as far as We were con.
cerned they never did. for we never
saw heard the end Of that mighty
column.
WI passed regiment after regiment;
brigade after brigade OF infantry, and
aftsr. them h~ussars. uhlans, .cuiras-
siers. field batteries, more infantry.
more field guns, ambulances, then
siege guns, each drawn by530S horses.
engineers, telephone corps: pontoon
wagons, armored motor cars, more
suhlans, the sunlight cleaning onttheir
forest OF lances, more infantry III
spiked helmets. all sweeping by sas
irresistible as q mighty river, with
their faces turned toward France.
This was the Ninth field army and
composed the very flower$of the EN-
spire,a including the magnificent troops
of the Imperial guard. 1t was first
and last a fighting army. The men
were all Young. They struck me as
being keen as razors and as hard as
nails. The horses were magnificent
They could not have been better. The
field guns Of the Imperial guard were
almost twice the size OF any used by
army.
Thirtytwo Horses Draw Howltxer.F
But the most interesting Of all. OF.
course, were the five gigantic howit-
gers, each drawn by 16 pairs Of horses
These howitzers can tear a city to
pieces at a distance Of a dozen miles.
Every contingency seems to have
been foreseen. Nothing was left to
chance or overlooked. Maps Of Bel
GUM, with which every soldier is pro-
svided, are the finest examples OF