Evening star., 1914-09-25
French Government Accuses
Kaise's Army of "Systematic
Campaign of Atrocities"
DOCUMENTS DELIVERED
TO STATE Department
Purpose Is to Show That Hague
Treaty Has Been Violated by
Invaders of France.

Ten documents, accusing German SOL
diery of systematic campaign of
atrocities, were delivered to the State
Department today and to all sigma
tories of The Hague convention by the
French ambassador, Jules J. Jusserand
The documents were drawn up by
various French officials.
With. the documents a letter was de-
nvered which explained that the
French government did not take the
step with the view of demanding any
action on the part of the United
States, but merely to report to this
country as signatory to The Hague
treaty evidence of how the treaty was
being carried out.
A statement made public by the
French ambassador is as follows:
by order of the government of the
French republic, a series of official re-
ports as-to. the way in which the pres
French territory by. German troops
have been communicated to the powers
who signed The Hague convention, the
United States, being one of them
..ordered by Officers
These documents, ten in number,
show that the distractions and assas-
sinations which have taken place have
been systematic and performed in ac-
cordance with orders from the officers
and not as the result Of an accidental
lack of discipline.
'The facts quoted are given only as
samples and not as complete enumera-
tion; they cover, moreover, only the
first three weeks after the beginning
of hostilities (two weeks of actual
warfare) and worst deeds have been
committed since.
Such as they are, they show, with
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 building. having especially
suffered; number of villages, among
them Parux and Af1eville. have been
methodfcally destroyed house by house,
soldiers being. as 1t seems. provided
with implements enabling them to per-
form that kind of work with a mini
spicuously the badge of the Red Cross
have been assassinated; numerous in
habitants have been put to death with
out pretext or proyocation (among
whom. at Badomviller. the wife Of the
mayor; in some cases. notably at
Billy, on the 10th Of August, the GEL
man troops. when they marched out
of the place to charge the French
troops, maze tne women ana CnllQf Cn
walk in front of them.
Attention Called to Treaty.
Attention is called, as regards such
deeds. to two texts: Article III Of the
convention of The Hague. which was
proposed by the German delegates
themselves. states that the belligerents
who might cause such destruction as
those mentioned above. would be bound
to indemnify tho interested parties. and
would be responsible for any acts COM
mitted by members Of his army.
IN the second place. even II civilians
had taken arms upon the invasion of
French territory by the Germans,
which was nowhere the case, they
would have been within thoir rights.
and the killing of them wholesale
would have been understandable. for ar
ticle " Of the Same convention re-
serves to tho population OF non-oc-
cupied territory. the right, on tho ap
proach of the enemy. to spontaneously
take arms and repel the invading
troops.
Appended to this convention. besides
the signature of the United States.
France and many other countries. Is to
be found that of Germany"