The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-09-19

ob4o W fctuocf utnduut0 III ISt2xn ~
surety that our Hotel de Vile lofty
hall, Gothic architecture OF the fif-
teenth century. the most beautiful In
the Low Countries. be spared all In
jury.
The City Under Rule Of iron.
I'VE now enter upon period OF
iron rule. Proclamations came daily.
"Ail carriage and street car traffic
must stop. No newspapers. No mail
nor kilograms should be delivered.
All signal wires were cut We lived
In the midst OF alarms--in a mael-
strom OF rumors.
The military governor ordered all
people into their houses at o'clock
and all light extinguished at that
hour. The city was In darkness. We
detected our guard by the rattle OF
rifles, the stamp Of iron-shod feet.
An order came that house doors
must be left open, curtains raised,
lights kept burning. Three times a
day Prussian search parties invaded
homes seeking refugees. Pickets
fired into the lighted rooms to learn
II they were empty.
Brought 1Verboten. from Germany.
I'VE had severe taste of the word
the German people themselves lam
guish under In Germany--the ever
lasting word ,"yerb6ten') (forbidden).
We were forbidden TO leave the
house; forbidden TO nurse the sick
and so forbidden to hang out a Red
Cross sign. The tension was becom-
ing dreadful.
Then. on the evening of Tuesday,
Aug. "a, a dispatch rider brought In
word that the Prussians fighting be-
fore Mechlin had been repulsed by
the Belgians-mark that, the Bel
gians--and were falling back. In
stantly the garrison began prepare
lions to evacuate the city. Oflcers'
kits and soldiers knapsacks were
piled In convoy, troopers lined up,
only a feeble garrison left.
The convoy started at $3.50 p. m.
Before 8 1t met disordered divisions
hurrying toward the city. Their gray
green uniforms were undistinguish-
able In the dark. The moon was hid
den by the gunsmoke from Tirlemont.
The city lights were extinguished.
The PrussIans' Mistake.
Each fired upon the other assum-
ing that they met squads of the en-
envy
THE convoy, driverless. ran amuck
dashing through the STREETS, crashing
into house fronts and lamp posts.
The mistake was discovered. Non
commissioned officers grew alarmed.
German court-martials are proverbial.
To save themselves the non-commis-
stoned officers lied--claied that the
citizens had organized an attack.
1T was 10 o'clock when the report
reached headquarters. The stan had
been dining. In an outburst OF pas
sion, without an inquiry, without an
investigation OF the charges, without
an examination OF the scene OF fight
ing. the commander ordered:
Rae the town.!
The CHASTITY Work Begins.
Before midnight-in less than
three hours from the time when the
mistaken clash began-Uhlans had
forced the Inhabitants from their
houses. BY 2 O'clock, the roar OF
flames and Of heavy rifle fire was con-
tinuous.
Towards dawn the soldiers had
taken possession Of the entire city to
the suburbs. At daybreak artillery
came up to shell buildings.
by Wednesday noon the middle II
Louvain was gone.
Il have heard the statement made
that at the first uproar a machine
gun opened fire from the third story
OF a hotel opposite the railway sta
ton. The place was well-known
rendezvous for German university stu
dents, most of whom. being Social
lists. were bitterly opposed to war
But, be that as II may, citizens OF
Louvain cannot Justly be held respons-
tble for the irresponsibility of foreign
students In foreign hotel
A Day Of Terrible slaughted.
Wednesday, Aug. 26. was the day
Of terror.
Everyone who left the house was
shot dead
Three hundred civilians were cor
raled and slaughtered in the Boule-
ward Won Tienan.
men and women hostages. hands
bound and necks roped together,
stood all day In the Place de l. Uni.
versite.
For every soldier reported shot 10
men and women suffered death.
AT sunset the mayor, the police
chief, the principal Of the university
and two professors were publicly ex-
ecuted. s
"Surfaited with blood lust the war
mad soldiers turned to Are and loot"