Omaha daily bee., 1914-09-26
MORE BARBARITY CHARGES
France Files Summary Of List Of
Alleged German Atrocities.
WOUNDED AND CIVILIANS SLAIN
BiOIatiOns of The Hague COnven-
ton VIII He Laid Before All
Powers that HiEned It
No Action Expected.

WASHINGTON. Sept. B.-The French
ambassador, Jules j. Jusserand. made
public today the summary of ten docu-
ments drawn up by various officials &C
cusing the German soldiers of sys-
tematic campaign of atrocities. The
documents, which we're placed in the
hands OF Acting Secretary Lansing. OF
the State department, by the ambassador
were also delivered TO all signatories OF
the Hague convention.
! With the documents a letter was de-
llvered which explained that the French
] government did not take the step with
view of demanding any action on the
part OF the United States, but merely
to report to this country as a signatory
OF the Hague treaty evidence of how the
treaty was being carried out.
Ten Documents.
The statement made public by the
French ambassador follows:
BY order of the government of the
French republic. series of official re
ports Is to the way I'm which the present
war Is being carried on in the French
territory by German troops have been
communicated to powers who signed the
Hague convention, the United States
being one of them.
These documents. ten in number, show
that the distractions and assassnations
which have taken place have been sys-
temAuc and performed in accordance
with orders from officers and not as a
result Of an accidental lack OF discipline
The facts quoted are given only as
samples and not as complete enumera-
ton: they cover, moreover. only tho first
three weeks after the beginning OF hostili-
ties (two weeks Of actual warfare and
worse deeds have been committed since.
wounded Are shot.
Such as they are, they show. among
other things, that wounded soldiers have
been finished in large numbers by shots
fired right against the face OF the
wounded: that Pont-a -Mousson, an open
and undefended town, was bombarded,
the hospital, which is an historical build
ing. having especially suffered; a num-
Der Of villages, among them Parux and
AffTeville, have been methodically de-
stroyed. house by house. soldiers being
as 1t seems, provided with implements
enabling them to perform that kind of
work with a minimum of trouble; nurses
bearing CONSEQUENTLY the badge of the
Red Cross have been assassinated; numer-
Gus inhabitants have been put to death
without pretext or provocation (among
whom at Badomviller the wife of the
mayor in some cases, notably at Billy,
on August 10, the German troops. when
they marched out of the place to charge
the French troops. made the women and
children walk in front Of them.
Pledge of Indemnity.
Attention is called, as regards such
deeds, to two texts.
ARTICLE III of the convention of the
Hague, which was proposed by the Ger
man delegates themselves. states that
the bellgerents, who might cause such
destruction as those mentioned above,
would be bound TO indemnify the inter-
ested parties and would he responsible
for any acts committed by members Of
his army.
TN the second place, even If civilians
had taken up arms on the invasion of
French territory by the Germans, which
was nowhere the case, they would have
been within their rights and the killing
of them wholesale wound have been I'M
defendable. for article Nv of the same
convention reserves to the population Of
a non-occupied territory. the right, on
the approach of the enemy. TO spontane-
ously take arms and repel the invading
troops.
Appended to this convention besides
the signatures of the United States.
France and many other countries is to
be found that Of Germany"