The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-29
GERMANS PREPARE
TO TAKE MALINES
Bclgians Have Retired BEYOND
Town, but Cannonadc
Continues.
MANY or CITIZENS SLAIN
Refugee Says Germans Used
Siege Guns Evidently Meant
for Antwerp.
MANY or CITIZENS SLAIN
~ PERCY J. PWIIIp.
Special correspondent ~ TIT SuS and ne
London "DdHv Van


Spec,oi r0bie Dsspatch 10 TUE Srv
CHEST. Aug. 2S--I have been talk
ing with party of refugees who left
Malines al O'Clock Thursday after
noon. \ business man said that out
of the population of $4,000 hardly 200
were left in Malines. Many Of the in
habitants were dead. he said. and the
rest had fed. lie continued
The town had been shclled from one
side or the other since Monday. The
cathedral and half of the houses were
ruined and old and young were killed.
/ found quiet old gentleman SO years
old whom | had known for years lying
~ one Of the trenches by the roadside
utterly exhausted from his flight, his
face i'm a pool of water. or family of
seven, friends of ours, not one was left.
a shell struck their house on Tuesday
and all the members of the family were
killed.
The Germans seem to have brought
heavy siege guns for use against Ant
werp and aimed them against Malines.
The Germans number about 10000.
The Belgian army retired just beyond
the town two days ago, but the German
fire continues. They probably will oc-
cupy the place to-day.
The attack on Malines started on
Monday. when small force of Germans
tried to storm the town.
They were repulsed and again on
Tuesday. when they brought reinforce
ments and artillery and they were kept
at bay yesterday.
AT Eppeghem, on the road to Brus-
sells, there was a fierce battle. and for
the third time Malines was stormed.
Toward the end of the day the Bel
gians retired. and though fighting was
going on again to-day all around
neither army at the time of writing
has occupied the town.
L.onderzeel, where | was tonight is
eleven miles south Of Antwerp and
could be well used as IA base by Ger
mans for blockading the whole Belgian
army in the fortress town.
Tonight | walked out with a Dutcb-
man 10 lllt Ut iilppfs WIZ
we were challenged by patrols. When
the battle began and the Belgians lay
hidden in the woods, for the most part
it was an affair Of artillery and Maxim
guns.
The houses in which the Germans
lay were rddled with bullet holes,
and broken and burned out by shells
which had exploded.
Peasants were wandering about the
ruins. one said that a cottage which
was completely burned out was his.
During the battle he lay in the cellar.
A jug. which still hung intact ON nail
on the wall, was his only household pos
session.
More than seventy Belgian peasants
he said, were killed. a burgomaster Of
Londcrzcll is said to have turned traitor
and allowed Germans TO conceal them
selves in the garden of his chateau
while telling Belgians there were not
any near.
This it is said accounted for the
number OF dead.
The burgomaster is TO be court-mar-
tailed at Antwerp. His German servant
/ has been shot.
/ We saw the Belgian graves and my
| friend asked where the Germans were
/ buried. \ man eplied that they were
carried off and, as is the custom of
Germans, were cremated. 1t is quite
useless now, We find, to try to follow
| here in Belgium, are too far flung an:
intricate for accurate deductions.