Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-09-25
ny Z. ALEXANDER POWELL.


ago the go@ernment Of Belgium re-
quested me to place before the Ameri-
can people a list Of specific and au-
thenticated atrocities committed by |
the German armies upon Belgian nom
combatants.
Today General Won Boehn. com
-manding the Ninth Imperial field
army, acting mouthpiece of the Ger
man general staff, has asked me to
place before the American people the
German version Of the incidents In
question.
SO far as / am aware am the only
correspondent In the present war who
has motored for an entire day through
the ranks of the advancing German
army, who has dined as a guest OF the
German army commander and his
stan, and who has had the progress
of the army on the march arrested in
order to obtain photographs OF the
German troops.
This unusual experience came about
In a curious and roundabout way.
Invited by General Won Boehn.
After an encounter in the streets of
Client last Tuesday between Ger
man military automobile and a Bel
gian armored car, in which two Ger
man soldiers were wounded, American
Vice Consul Van Hee persuaded the
burgomaster to accompany him Inn
mediately to the headquarters Of Gen
-eral Won Boehn to explain the circum-
stances and ask that the city should
not be held responsible for the unfor-
4unate affair.
In the course Of the conversation
with Mr.. Van Hee General Won Boehn
remarked that copies of papers con-
tanning articles written by Alexander
Powell criticizing the German treat
ment of the Belgian civil population
had come to his attention and said he
regretted he could not have an oppor-
tunity to talk with Powell and give
him the German version.
Mr.. Van Hee said by a fortunate
coincidence happened to bein Client,
whereupon the general asked him TO
bring me out to dinner the following
day, and issued a safe conduct through
the German lines.
Though nothing was said about q
photographer, / took with me Pho
.1ographer Donald Thompson. AS there
was some doubt regarding the pro
priety of taking a Belgian driver into
the German lines, / drove the cal
myself
In Midst of kaIser's Men.
Half mile out of Sottehem oul
road debouched into thu great high
way which leads through Lille to
Paris. We suddenly found ourselves
I'm the midst of the German army.
was a sight never to be forgotten
Far as the eye could see stretches
solid columns of marching men, press
ing westward, ever westward.
The army was advancing In tire
mighty columns along three parable
roads. These dense masses of moN
ing men in their elusive blue gra
uniforms looked for all the world lik
three monstrous serpents crawlin
across the countryside.
American flags which fluttered frol
our windshield proved a passport
themselves and as we approached tn
close locked ranks they parted to Il
us through.
For five solid hours, travelling q
ways at express train speed, we m
tored between the walls OF the marc
ing men. In time the constant shut
of boots and the rhythmic swing
gray-clad arms and shoulders gre
maddening and | became obsesst
with the fear that | would send Il
car blowing into the human wedl
on either side.
Miles Of German Soldiers
1t seemed that the ranks new
would end, and as far as we were CO
cerned they never did, for we new
saw or heard the end of that nigh
column.
We passed regiment after regimen
brigade after brigade Of infantry, Al
after them hussars, uhlans, cuirt
siers. field batteries. more infantl
more field guns, ambulances, tn
siege guns, each drawn by 80 hors'
engineers. telephone corps. ponto
wagons, armored motor cars, me
uhlans, the sunlight cleaning on thi
forest of lances, more infantry
spiked helmets, all sweeping by
irresistible as a mighty river, wi
their faces turned toward France.
This was the Ninth field army g
composed the very flower Of the e
pire, including the magnificent troo
of the Imperial guard. 1t was d.
and last a fighting army. The N
were all young. They struck me
being keen as razors and as hard
nails. The horses we're magnifice
They could not have been better. 7
field guns Of the Imperial guard W.
almost twice the size Of any used
our army.
ThIrty-two Horses Draw Howltze'
> But the most interesting of all.
course, were the I'VE gigantic hov
4 gers. each drawn by is pairs Of hora
~ These howitzers can tear city
pieces ct q distance Of dozen mil
Every contingency seems to hi
been foreseen. Nothing was left
chance or overlooked. Maps Of I
GUM. with which every soldier is !
vided, are the finest examples
topography / have ever seen Ey
path. every farm building, every clu
of trees, and every twig is shown.
At one place a huge army wal
containing q complete printing pT