The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-09-10
"LOUVAIN PEOPLE BURNED ALIVE:
SLAUGHTERED LINED THE STREETS"

upon Louvain in some disorder.
Reaching the town in the evening,
German fugitives were fired upon in
error by their own troops
Rage at this misfortune and chagrin
at their defeat seem to have inflamed
the Invaders, who set Systematically
TO work to massacre the population
and destroy the city, whose monu-
ments belonged as much to civilization
as to Belgium.
1t Is not possible to put upon paper
the accounts of the fugitives They
were given in gestures and broken
exclamations rather than in sentences
The purport was always the same:
That the civil population had done
nothing, but that at night when the
retreatlng German soldiers began to
arrive, suddenly the invaders became
angry and began to slaughter, pillage
and destroy.
City Is in Ruins.
Nothing remains Of Louvain but
ruins. nor Of its population but fugi-
t1ves. 1t Is possible when the full
story comes to be told it will be found
N-~~~S AAOA W L
For all the accounts are from people
feeing for their lives. Among these
people, however, were four civic dig
nitaries who were in the city during
the night and who were actually in
the hands Of Germans, but escaped
Their relation of facts is what is fol-
lowed in this dispatch, for it is more
likely to be accurate and sober
On the road from Louvain to Ant
werp crowds of pitiful refugees could
be seen nuns fleeing from their
cloisters, priests from their churches,
sick carried on their beds, aged totter-
Ing along with the help Of their chill
dren, and all who could, carrying some
poor article Of household furniture. In
one cart were collected II children, ev-
identity several families
One handcart held an old palsied
woman being pushed by her grand.
| child. All were fleeing to Antwerp as
| the city of refuge, the city which shud
ders in darkness throughout nights, at
fear of midnight bombs. Among the
train of fugitives we're ambulances OF
the Belgian army, In which are carried
sOlicitously German wounded to hos
| pitfalls"
War Bureaus Account
The British war information bureau
announces the following:
The Belgian minister of foreign af
| fairs reports that on Tuesday a Ger
man army corps, after receiving {
check, withdrew in disorder to the
city of Louvain.
THE Germans on guard at the en-
trance of the city, mistaking the ma
ture Of this incursion, fired upon thei
countrymen, whom they mistook TO
Belgians.
In spite of all the denials from tn,
authorities the Germans, in order t.
cover their mistake, pretended that i
was the inhabitants who had fired OF
them, whereas the inhabitants, includ
ing the police, all had been disarme
more than a week before.
Orders Citys Destruction.
Without inquiry and without lister
ing to any protests, the German con
mander announced that the tow
would be destroyed Immediately. TIL
|
their dwellings and some were mad
prisoners. The women and childre
were placed on trains the destination
of which are not known and soldier
furnished with bombs set fire to a
parts of the city. The splendid churc
OF st. Pierre, the university building
the library and scientific establish
ments were delivered to the flames.
Several notable citizens were sho
The city, which had a population
$4,000 and was the intellectual metro]
oils of the low countries, is now mott
ing more than heap of ashes"
: Orgy Precedes Sack.
!, Chicago.-The Tribune prints til
following dispatch from E. Alexande
Powell, dated at Antwerp:
| Il am sorry to say that the store
of the sack of Louvain slowly comm
in ameliorate the original tale of no
ror in no way. The few refugees VIII
have arrived here are incoherent fro
their frightful experiences. 1t was
night of almost indescribable horror
5 Germans broke into the wine shoI
: early in the evening and a drunke
orgy ensued, participated in by bot
/ officers and men.
2 Il am informed by a high COVER
8 ment official that in the city where 81
/ 900 persons resided only ten houses r
t main standing. The Hotel De VIII
1 one of the finest examples of Goth
: architecture in Europe; the mob
Y church of ST. Pierre, built in 1926; tt
university, founded by Pope Martin
1 and it's world famous library, are tods
! heaps of smoking ruins.
Y THE Germans seem to have vente
i their greatest fury on priests, Of who
}, there was a large number attendi1
the university. The government u
derstands that most of them we
S butchered under the most revolti1
t circumstances"