The Sentinel=record., 1914-09-17

''The German army penetrated into
Louvain after having set fire to the
surrounding towns and villages.
''E'rom the moment of their ell
trance into the city they requisitioned
lodging and food for their troops.
They entered every private bank and
looted its reserve. They entered pri-
vate residences and sacked and pi'-
LACED them, and INDUCED in orgies of
all kinds.
They took hostages; all the promi-
nent men of the city were detained.
Women and children were outraged
and ill-treated by the soldiers.
Previous to the German invasion
the whole city had been warned re-
peatedly not to offer any resistance
to the German troops, or to oppose
hostile acts. More than that, all
arms belonging TO civilians, down to
fencing foils, had been ordered depos-
tied several days previously in the
city hall, and there was not a weapon
found ON any civilian.
"On August % an engagement took
place in the neighborhood of Louvain
between German and Belgian troops.
The Germans, repulsed and pursued
by the Belgian troops, retreated to-
wards Louvain in full panic. Many
witnesses testify that at that moment
the German garrison in LOuYain was
enormously informed that Belgians
were entering the city. Immediately
the German garrison, stationed at
Louvain, withdrew towards the sta
ton, where they clashed with their
own troops, which were beiHg pur-
sued by the Belgians. Everything
seems to point to the fact that a con
tact took place.
From that moment, pretending
that Belgian civilians had fired on
bombardng the city, and kept UP
their bombardment until 10 o'clock
that night. At the place where the
ARRAY started not a single body was
found of a civilian, proving that the
population had not participated IA the
shooting. The houses which had not
taken fire were set ablaze by rockets
The largest part of the city of Lou
vain, especially the Hauteville, that is
to say, the part comprising the mod
ern houses, the cathedral of St. Peter
the university halls with the old and
famous library of the university, its
manuscripts. it's collections and scien-
tific institutions, the theater and
many more buildings were consumed
by flames.
THE fire continued for several
days. Numerous corpses of civiliahs
covered the streets and squares. An
eyewitness testified that in one place
he counted more than fifty charred
bodies. Many persons who had
taken refuge in their cellars trying
to escape fell into the furnace Of the
blazing city.
The fire started a little above tbs
American college; the city is entirely
destroyed with the exception of the
city hall and the station. The fire
continued for several days and, far
from trying to stop it, the Germans
seemed on the contrary to feed it by
throwing straw into it. The library
of the university was destroyed. The
town resembled, an old city in ruins,
i'm the midst OF which drunken sol
diers were carousns around bottles
of liquor, the officers themselves
were installed in arm chairs, drinking
like their own men.
The procedure of the Germans
first of all, they requisitioned food
and drink, OF which they partake to
the point Of drunkenness. Then they
began to shoot wildly from the %A
dows of abandoned houses, declaring
the inhabitants have fired on them.
Then the firing an dshootlng scenes
being over, murder and especially
pillage and acts of cold cruelty are
witnessed; neither age nor sexis rl.
spected. Even where they claim ID
know the perpetrator of the deed
they allege, the Germans do not con
tent themselves with the execution
summarily of the culprit-they wreak
their vengeance on the whole town.
After a massacre, somewhat at ran
dom, they shut the men into the
churches and order the women to go
back to their homes and leave the
doors open.
In several Instances civilians were
sent to Germany to be compelled
there, it seems, to labor in the fields,
as was done in the days of slavery
Since collecting the foregoing tes-
timony the following cables regarding
the same subjects we're received
from the minister Of foreign affairs
OF Belgium:
September S--You have received