Middletown transcript., 1914-10-10
HEROISM SHOWN ON BOTH SIDES
IN FIERCELY FOUGHT BATTLES


up or otherwise destroyed. Later we
passed through the country which had
been flooded as a further measure Of
defense. The damage resulting from
these precautionary measures alone
amounted to $5,000,O00.
Sees Termonde Horrors.
81 had read newspaper accounts of
the destruction of Termonde and had
seen photographs, but they had not
conveyed to my mind any realization
Of the horror of what actually hap
pened. Termonde a few weeks ago
was a beautiful city Of about 10000
inhabitants, a city in which the dignity
of its buildings harmonized with the
natural beauty Of its situation, city
which contained some buildings Of sur
passing interest.
Il went through street after street,
square after square, and found every
house entirely destroyed with all its
contents 1t was not the result Of bonn
bardment; it was systematic destruc-
tion. In each house separate bomb
had been placed which had blown up
the interior and set fire to the con-
tents.
What had happened at Termonde
was similar to what had happened in
other parts of Belgium under the mill
tary occupation of Germany.
"The whole life of the nation has
been arrested. Food supplies which
would ordinarily reach the civilian
population are being taken by the Ger
man troops for their own support. The
peasants and poor are without the
necessities of life and conditions Of
starvation grow more acute every day.
Even where there is a supply of wheat
available the peasants are not allowed
to use their windmills, owing to the
German fear that they will send sig
nails to the Belgian army.
Situation Unprecedented.
I'VE are, therefore, face to face
with fact which has rarely if ever
occurred in the history of the world
an entire nation in state Of maine
and that within half a days journey
of our own shores.
THE completeness of the destruc-
ton in each individual case was ex-
planned to me later by the Belgian
! ministers who described numerous ap-
pliances which the German soldiers
carried for destroying property. Not
only were hand bombs Of various sizes
and descriptions carried, but each SOL
dier was supplied with a quantity of
small black disks, little bigger than
six-penny piece.
'I saw some of these disks which
had been taken from German soldiers
on the field of battle. These were de-
scribed to me as composed Of COM
pressed benzine. When lighted they
burn brilliantly for few minutes and
are sufficient to start whatever fire is
necessary after the explosion Of ?
bomb.
Caught in Trap.
London.-How the Germans were
moved down by a terrific rain of
French shells and bullets on the Sedan
battlefield, where the Germans won
such a brilliant victory A years ago,
was told in a dispatch received by the
Daily Mail from it's Paris correspond
ent.
The terrible carnage was inflicted
by the French during the strategical
retreat of the allies southwark from
Belgium, a few weeks ago.
In this second battle of Sedan the
French led the Germans into trap
and then killed thousands Of then" ="
says the correspondent. with the
pursuing Germans following closely,
the French commander ordered his
men to cross the river and to take up
positions on the opposite heights.
Bridges Blown Up. r
"The bridges were mined hurriedly,
but left standing to deceive the Ger
mans. Unsuspecting the trap, the
| Germans rushed along and started to
cross the bridges in close formation
Suddenly the bridges were blown up
and hundreds of Germans were killed.
Several regiments of Germans had
been permitted to cross the river be-
fore the bridges were blown up, and
the French infantry, using rapid-tlr-
ers, rushed down upon these Germans,
while the French artillery on the
heights poured shells into the ranks
Of the Germans on the other side OF
the river with deadly effect.
"The merciless slaughter of the Ger
mans who had crossed the river con-
tinued well into the darkness. When
! the French no longer could see be-
cause night had fallen, they lighted
torches and continued their work OF
carnage. Many Germans attempted to
swim the river. Some we're drowned,
while others were picked off by French
sharp-shooters.
"The French artillery set fire to the
woods on the other side Of the river
where the main body Of Germans had
gone into hiding when the lombard
ment opened. The fire, which lit up
the entire front for distance of 10
miles. soon drove the Germans out into
the open, and the artillery continued
it's work of killing"