The Washington herald., 1914-09-17
firm
FOR NEUTRALITY
CONTINUED PROM PAGE ONE

CONTlNIED FhOh FAOE OENH
have put in my hands II shall have my !
most attentive perusal and my most
thoughtful consideration.
81 need not assure you that this con-
clusion. in which I instinctively feel that
you will yourselves concur, Is spoken .
frankly because in warm friendship and
as the best means Of perfect understand
ing between US, an understanding based
upon mutual respect admiration, ana
cordiality You are most welcome and
We are greatly honored that you should
have chosen US as the friends oefore
whom you could lay any matter or yltai
consequence to yourselves In the conn-
denre that YOUR course would be under
stood and met in the same spirit In WHICH /
IL was conceived and intended - I
CrueItIes Charged by BelEianS.
The statement of alleged atrocities pre- |
sented by sthe commission TO Presdent
Wilson is in part. -.
The Belgian commission pf INQUIRY
headed by the minister Of justice, Mr.. !
Carton de wiart, appointed by the King
OF Belgium for the purpose Of inyestisat-
ing the alleged atrpcities committee py
German troops IN territory occupied oy
them. have ascertained the following
facts, on Trustworthy and irrefutaoie
testimony:
"'Gernan cavalry, occupying the village
Of Linsmeau were attacked by some BEL
pian troops and two gendarmes- A Ger
man oficer was killed by the Belgian
soldiers during the fight, and suhse-
ouentIy buried at the request OF the Bel
Eian ofhcer in command. None OF the
civilians had taken part in the nght'
nevertheless. the village was INVADED al
dusk. on August 10. by a strong ioVce
of German cavalry, artillery and machine
guns. Two farms and six outlying houses
we're DESTROYED by gun fire and reduced
10 ashes. The invaders divided zoe
peasants into three groups. Those m
one group were bound and eleEen Oh
them placed in a ditch. where they were
afterwards found dead, their skulls trac-
tured by the butts of rifles
"A farmer was an eye witness 10 the
following atrocities committed by Ger
man cavalry at Orsmael and Neerhespen
on August 10, IL and r. An old man
had his arm cut in three longitudinal
slices. he was then hanged head down
ward and burned alive. Young girls were
| attacked at OrsnIael. and mutilstions, too
horrible TO describe were inflicted on
other inhabitants. Prisoners were hanged
while others were tied to telegraph posts
and shot
ATE an engagement at Haelen. Com
wounded that he was lying prone on his
hack He was murdered by German IN
/ fantry firing their revolvers into his
| mouth.
| AT times the Germans went into the
| battle with a Belgian nag.
Alleged Massacre at AeTEhot.
'Asrshot. a town Of 5000 inhabitants,
was invested by the Germans in the
morning of August 10. No sooner had
the Germans entered the city when they
lbeRan by shooting several inoffensive
civilians. In the evening the Germans
took hold Of every man in the city. car
ryinK them. fifty at a time. within some
distance Of the town. There they grouped
them in lines Of four men. made them run
ahead of them. and fired upon them
killing them afterward with their oayo-
lnets. More than forty men were tound
thus massacred. ,-,-
.sTbey pIIlaged the whole town, takinE
I,-on1 nr;yate residences all they could lay
Their hands on. The following mornins
ltbey took one man out Of every three
whom they had errested the previous
evening and. leading them OUTSIDE tnt
city. shot them. About loo lnhaoitahta
of Aershot are supposed to have 'hus
perished. ,.L lid,
.sit must be borne In mind that the civti
population of Aershot had been repeat,
ediy warned by their burgomaster mol
| to offer any resistance or coIiiiu' 0"'
hostile act toward the invaders
Destruction Of LOuvaiu. o.
.sTbs German army penetrated tntc
IouvaIn. after having set fire to the sur
rounding towns and villages.
They entered every private nank ane
looted their reserves. They entered pm
| EaA ntftNRaf
them and INDUCED in orgies OF al KINGS
'aThey took hostages; all the promtnen
men Of the city were detained Yomei
and children were outraged and iIl-trea'
ed by the soldiers.
The largest part Of the city Of Lou
vain, especially the 'Haute VILE. tina
i is to say, the part comprising the moo
ern houses, the cathedral OF ST. refer
1.-The University Halls, with the old AM
Famous library Of the University. IL
manuscripts, its collections and scien
Itinc institutions, the theater and man!
more buildings were at that time con
sumed by flames.
"Numerous corpses OF civilians GOV
cred the streets and squares. An eye
witness testifies that in one ptsee n
counted more than fifty eharred oou'e
of people. -,..,,,.,... ,,,.., ,,.
senl to Germany to be compelled tnere
~ seems. to labor in the fields as wa
done In the days Of slavery.
Additional Testimony by Cable.
Ths commissions statemeE: ADDS tina
since collecting the above testimony "
Following cable dispatches resayaint 70
same subject have been reeeNee,sts -, -
the. Minister Of Foreign Affairs q -
GUM: ,rx, -.
cable dated September s: You hay
received the reports Of the commission
August Is and 81. Since then = greH
MANY localities, situated in the Vtyords
MaIines-Louvain triangle, an exlfcuet
fertile and densely populated dtstrie
have been partially pillsged and eotah
destroyed by fire. Their inhaoitants nay
fed, while a number Of tnenh ArseH 49,.
iothers women and children. vsre aEtests