American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1914-12-03

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only possessions, Mr.. and Mrs. Van
Paepeghem, former residents of Boise,
arrived here Wednesday morning from
their native land, confirming the re-
port that it has been devastated by the
Germans and that want, hunger and
desolation are seen On every hand.
Mr.. and Mrs. Van Paepeghem left
Boise on July 8 and had peer in Bel
broke out and their country was in
vaded by the Germans. MIR. Van Pc
peghem. whose home is at Ninvoe.
East Flanders, Is miles from Brussels.
was made a member of the civilian
guard and served for three weeks, do
ing night duty, and while he expert
fenced no real fighting as the civilians
did not oppose the German soldiers,
he was in the town when the Germans
went through and reports that they
left behind them a trail OF desolation
and want, having seized all the eat
ables from houses, killed hogs and
cattle in the fields to feed the soldiers
and took with them every horse ard
wagon in the town that was fir fer
service.
Word that the German soldiers were
coming to Ninove reached outside
points before they arrived, he stated,
and fully 200 men I'M boys from other
villages came OH wheels to the town to
see them. Because they did so they
we're left in a bad plight as their
wheels were all taken from them and
smashed. In one instance a younth
OF 16 tried to get way on his wheel
and vas shot down because he did not
obey the command to hault.
All FoOdstuffs Seized.
After entering the town Mr.. Van
P%aepeghem states the first act of the
German soldiers was to seize all the
grain, which was in shocks in the field
feed their horses and also to take
what little grain they could find in the
barns. Next they entered the houses
and with revolvers made the owners
give them food, such as they demand
ed. Accompanying the soldiers were
men with baskets who carried away
the plumber to the German camps Fol
two days, he states, the soldiers were
in the village and when they had gone
the citizens were left without food and
conditions were bad.
Hardly had they begun to recover
and get together food supplies, when a
second invasion occurred, the German
infantry marching into the town and
stayed two days and two nights. He
reports that the infantryman were
worse than the cavalrymen, that they
cleaned up the balance of the grain for
their horses which were hauling sup
plies, that they killed the few remain
ing cows and all pigs over 100 pounds
in weight, that they seized a shipload
of flour sent from Antwerp to relieve
the distress and that they forced the
merchants there to unload it and with
their teams haul the -four for the army
along the line of march. Some OF these
ultTCIdDlS, he sdlu, CdIlt DdCh vi lOOl
within a week, others never came back
and those who did could not tell what
became OF them.
Worse IN Other Towns.
Mr.. Van Paepeghem reports that
conditions in his town were not near
ly as bad as in some other sections OF
the country through which he passed
on the way out. He met families which
were divided and say waste and desc
lation on every hand. The country he
says, is without stock for food. milk or
hauling purposes, the grain has all
been taken by the Germans and the
foodstuffs all consumed and those who
have remained are suffering and in
want.
Germans in this country are loath
to believe some Of the reports of
cruelty by their countrymen," said Mr..
Van Paepeghem, land many of them
are given in exaggregated form, but
numerous atrocities were committed
by the German soldiers when they
were under the influence OF liquor"
AS an instance he cited a case in his
town where. he says, the German
soldiers ooh possession of a saloon,
drank quite heavily and on coming out
began to shoot. German officers began
to make an investigation and the sold
iers to save themselves from rebuke,
reported that the civilians had fired
on them, w%hereupon orders were Civ
en- to destroy the city hall and shoot
those guilty of the %offense. He re-
ports that the orders would have been
carried out had not an influential Ger
man family living in the town visited
the officers and pleaded for mercy for
the Belgians after which n or two
of the German soldiers admitted doing
the shooting which they had accused
the civilians of doing.
Mr.. Van Paepeghem spoke Of the