The Washington herald., 1914-09-08
cOnaieting StOrie. from War Zone.

Fhe people of the United States not yet called
upon to render judgment upon the truth falsity
of the many charges of atrocities made against Ger
man soldiers in Belgium and elsewhere. 1t is a
subject that may well be left for discussion when
the evidence on either side is more complete. AT
present the testimony is violently conflicting
In New York newspaper yesterday appeared
an interview with Vance Thompson, the well-lnown
American writer. who has Just arrived in New York
having left Muelhausen, Alsace, on August ?. Mr.
Thompson relates incidents in which American and
English women were repeatedly stripped by order
OF German officers, two OF them being compelled to
submit to the ndignty times their journey
from Stuttgart to Basel on the Swiss border This
well-known author is also quoted saying:
l saw Meulhausen in Alsace captured by 1900
Frenchmen and recaptured by $1,000 Germans. When
the French marched the inhabitants received them
with flags and cheers. When the Germans came
back there was silence, with no German flags the
houses.
In retaliation for this cold reception the Ger
mans sent out punitive bands of Uhlans without Off
GERS They bore special cartridge grenades, the eX
ploSion of one of which would blow up a house.
After these punitive Uhlan raids. with COM
mandng officers present, | saw Alsatian women with
their heads sashed You cannot eNaggerate the reign
of terror The Uhlans took it out OF the women and
children They shot two priests who had forbidden
them to enter church.
On the same page which contains Mr.. Thompson 5
specific charges is statement signed by FIVE Ameri-
can newspaper correspondents at Aix-la-Chappelle,
coming by wireless from Berlin. These five men,
Roger Lewis, Irwin S Cobb Harry Hansen, James
O'DonneIl Bennett and John T. McCutcheon, re-
ferring to alleged atrocities by German troops state
After spending two weeks with and accompanying
the troops upward of 100 miles. we are unable to
report a single instance unprovoked. We are also
unable to confirm rumors OF mStreatment OF prison.
ers or OF nonCOmbatants with the German columns.
This is true OF Louvain Brussels, Luneville, and
Nantes while in PrusSian hands.
We visited Chateau Soldre. Sambre, and Beau
mont without substantiating single brutality.
Numerous Investigated rumors proved groundless.
The German government admits the dropping Of
bombs from an airship into Antwerp, and defends
such action as ustihable in the of fortified
town Hundreds OF other charges OF revolving cruel
ties which have not been deemed worthy of answer,
have been accepted at their face value by many per-
sons whose verdict has no doubt been influenced in
measure by tales which this country has been ac-
custoed hear for years, of the brutality of Ger
man soldiers toward the peasants of their coun
Try in times OF peace. Such stories have we'll pre-
pared the public mind to accept without much ques
ton accounts OF atrocities committed by them against
their enemies in
In view of the conflicting testimony OF reliable
American correspondents, however, the fair-minded
people of neutral nation will be disposed suspend
Judgment until the truth can be separated from accu-
satons which may have inspired passion hate, and the
battle frenzy