Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-09-20
LOUYAIN GIRLS PUT
OUT TEUTONS' EYES
Women Take Part in Fight waged
Whole Day by Population
Against Soldiers.
OFFICIAL GERMAN STATEMENT
Treatment Of city aud Its PeopIe
Declared 10 Have Been Forced
Upon KRiser's Men for sake
OF Self Protection.


of Self Protection.
NEW YORK, Sept. 19.-Adolph
Won Bruening, former secretary 10 the
Germany embassy at Washington.
who Is now at Genoa, Italy. has sent
TO relative here the following com
municatiea from DR.. Alfred thinner
man, German under-seCretary OF for
eign affairs, with the information
that the German government re-
quested that it be given publicity:
BERLIN. Aug aO.-COfficial
Communication of the German Gen
eral Staff 1.-The city of Loewen
CLouvain) has surrendered and was
given over to us by the Belgian au-
thortties. On Monday, August "a,
some of our troops we're shipped
there, and intercourse with the in
habitants was developing quite
friendly.
Rifle Fire opens.
On Tuesday afternoon. August Is, our
troops, hearing about an imminent Bel
Eian soItie from Antwerp. left in that
direction, the commanding general ahead
in a motor car leaving behind only a
colonel with soldiers to protect railroad
Oandsturm battalion 'Neuss.O As the
rest of the commanding generals staff
with the horses was going to follow and
collected on the market place, suddenly
rifle fire opened from all the surround
Ing houses, all the horses being killed
and five officers wounded, one of them
seriously.
simultaneously fire opened at about
ten different places in town, also on
some of our troops just arrived and
waiting on the square in front of the
station and on incoming military trains
a designed cooperation with the Bel
-Sian sortie from Antwerp was established
beyond doubt. Two priests caught in
handing out ammunition t. the people
were shot at once in front OF the sta
ton.
Town Burning.
Street fighting lasted till Wednesday,
August Is. in the afternoon Ctwenty-four
hours when stronger forces arrived in
the meantime. succeeding in getting the
upper hand. Town and northern suburb
were burning at different places and by
together.
'On the part Of the Belgian government
a general rising of the population against
the enemy had been organized for a
Ions time; depots Of arms were found.
where to each gun was attached tho
name of the citizen to he armed
"A spontaneous rising of the people has
been recognized at the request Of the
smaller states at The Hague conference
as being within the law of nations as
far as weapons are carried openly and
the laws of civilized warfare are being
observed; but such rising was only nd-
mitted in order to fight the attacking
enemy.
Had Already Surrendered.
I'm the case of Loewen, tic town had
already surrendered and the population
submitted without any resistance, the
town being occupied by our troops.
Nevertheless the population attacked on
all sides and with a murderous fire the
occupying forces and newly arriving
troops, which came in trains and auto
mobiles, considering tho hitherto peace
dul attitude of the population.
Therefore, there can be no question
Of means of defense allowed by the law
of nations, neither of a warlikc guetapens
(ambush), but only of a trcacherous at
tempt of the civil population all along the
Inc and all the moro to bc condemned
rs II was apparently planned long be-
dorehand with simultaneous attack from
\ Antwerp ae arms were not carried openly.
as women and young girls took part In
the fight and blinded our wounded, stick
hng their eyes out
Justifies Severe Methods.
THE barbarous attitude of the Bel
Eian population in all parts occupied by
our troops has not only justified our
eeverest measures, but forced them on
aus for the sake Of self preservation. The
Intensity OF the resistance of the popula-
4ion is shown by the fact that in Loewen,
twenty-four hours were necessary to
break down their attack. We ourselves
regret deeply that during these fights the
town of Loewen has been destroyed TO
a great extent Needless to say that
these consequences are not intentional on
our part but cannot be avoided in this
infamous Franctlreur war being led
against US.
The entire responsibility for these
events rests with the Belgian govern
ment, who with criminal frivolity, have
given to the Belgian people instructions
contrary to the law OF nations and in
cited their RESISTANCE, and who, in spite
OF our repeated warnings, even after the
II