Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-25
FRANCE PROTESTS
AGAINST PRACTICES
IN GERMAN WARFARE
Embassy Statement to United
States Declares Violations
of Hague Convention
Were Premeditated.

WASHINGTON, Sept 25.-Ten official
reports. showing German barbarities in
French territory during the present war
have been committed systematically anr
upon instructions from officers, rather
than by the chance excesses of the SOL
diers themselves, have been communicated
TO the Powers signatory to the Hague
convention, according to a statement is
sued by the French Embassy here today.
The United States Government has been
given one of the series of reports.
The statement from the Embassy reads:
by order of the Government of the
French republic, a series of official re-
ports supplying incontroveltlbie testimony
as to the way in which the present war
is being carried on in French territory
by German troops. has been communi-
Gated To the Powers who signed The
Hague convention the United States he
ing one of them.
"Ihcse documents ten in number. show
that the destruction and assassinatIons
which have taken place have been svs-
tematc and performed in accordance
with orders from the officers, and NOT as
result of an accidental lack Of disct-
pline.
The facts quoted are given only as
samples and not as complete enumera-
tons; they cover, moreover. only the first
three weeks after the beginning of bns-
tllities 1.-TWO weeks of actual yarfore,
anu worse deeds have beer committed
since.
such as they are, they show. omor,,
otheF hlnss, mat wounded soldiers have
been finished in large numbers nv sbnts
hled right against the faces of tho
wounded that FOnt-a- Mousson. an ona,
ana undetended town, was bombardad
the hospital which is an historical huiIJ,
,hs having especially suffered. a -n,,-
neI OF villages, among which Pauix ana
AnleYille have been methodicauv a.
stroyed, house by house. soldiers bai1,,
as II seems, provided with implements
ehsDl'hs them to perform that kind OF
work with minimum of trouble. nIrsas
hearing conspicuOusIy the badge M tho
heu cross have been assassinated. NM
eious Inhabitants have been put 10 daatt
MNnout pLeteNt or provocation, among
whom at Badenyil!ier, the wife ~ tb9
Mayor; in some cases, notably at PiI,,'
on august 10, the German troons v,bo,
they lnaFched out OF the place to cbar,,a
shS tIehch troops made the women and
chiareh walk in front of them
Auehunh Is called as regards such
aeeds to two texts: Article 3 Of Co.
yenton ! OF the Hague, which was pro-
I"S'u ny the German delegates them.
selves states that the bclllgerrpt whn
might cause such destruction as that
mentioned above would be bound n I'm.
demniiy the injured parties ana would
De frspohsible Tor any acts committed by
members Of his army
In the second place even II civilians
mad taken arms upon the Invasion or
French territory by the Germans V,bfcI
was nowhere the case, they would have
been within their rights. and the l<ilIIug
Of them wholesale would have been un
defenduble, for Article OF the same CON
Tentlnn res rived to the population of a
non-occupied territory the right upon the
approach of the enemy spontaneously to
take arms ana repel the invading troops
Appended to this convention. besides
the signature Of the United states, France
and many other countries, Is 10 be found
that Of Germany"