The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-09-17
GERMAN ATROCITIES DENIED
BY A.. P. CORRESPONDENT

NEW YORK, Sept. 16.-An Asso-
sociated Press stan correspondent Of
American birth and antecedents.
who was sent from the New York
ONCE and was caught in Brussels at
the time Of the German invasion. held
as prisoner for several DAYS and
nnally escaped to Holland. has senr
Dy mail the following story OF his
experiences.
The night before the Germans en-
tered BRUSSELS. when the Belgian civil
suards and refugeee began pouring
Louvain. they brought stories OF un-
speakable German atrocities. NAL
treatment OF old men and children
and thesviolation OF women.
The Belgian capital reeled with
apprehension. Within an hour the
gaiety, the viyacity and brilliancy OF
the city went out like broken arc
light The radiance OF the cafes was
exchanged for darkness: whispering
groups OF residents broke up hurried
y and locked themselves into their
homes, where they put up the shut
ters and drew in their tri-colored Bel.
gian flags. The historic Belgian city
went through a state OF morbid con
sternation remarkably like that from
which IL suffered on June IS. 1915.
when II trembled with the fear Of a
French victory at Waterloo.
In less than twenty-fOur hours the
Belgian citizens were chatting com.
fortably with the German invaders.
and the allegation OF German brutal
ity and demoniacal tortures resolved
into one OF the myths which have ac-
panied all wars.
No Offensive Act.
Neither in Brussels nor in its en-
virOns was a single offensive act, so
FAR as | know, committed by a Ger
man soldier. In a city OF over hait
a million people. invaded by a hostile
army Of perhaps a quarter Of a million
soldiers. no act sufficiently fagrant
to demand punishment or 70 awaken
protest came 10 my attention.
The frightful reports that had pre-
ceded the German army into Brus-
sels included the disemboweling OF
old men and the lmpalinE OF children
on lances just outside Louvain. In
vestigation not only failed TO sub
stantiate these rumors. but could not
even discover anyone In the immedi-
ate vicinity who credited them An
eye witness Of unimpeachable verac-
ity told me that the worst behavior
he had observed during the first Ger
man entry into Louvain august ~
was that Of n German soldier VINO
leaned from his iorse and kissed a
pretty Flemish girl who brought him
NaNa OF peer.
7 marched for lays with the Ger
man columns. often only q DAY be-
hind the lighting with the houses that
had been burned still smoulderinr.
the ground freshly broken By shell
and tram pied by horses and men. ana
The memory OF The German advance
vivid in the minds ~ the Inhabitants.
] Interviewed an average Of 20 per-
sons In each Of the dozen towns ana
found only one Instance OF n non
comhatant who had been killed with
out justi1able provocation.
Not Clearly Proved
In this case The evidence did not
clearly. prove that the man had been
wantonly murdered Re lived In one
Of the typical small Belgian country
side houses which combine the COM
forts of home with the lure of q small
public bar This house was at the
north Of Merbos- II Chateau q town
through which a large part of the
German army passed on the road 90
fcontinued on rage rsn1