The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-13

tho street There they found another
family. and the two families were driven
with their hands above their heads
along tho Rue Grande. Al, tho houses
In the street were burning. The party
was eventually put into forge where
there were number OF other prisoners.
about q hundred In all. and were kept
there from IL A NJ. I'LL 2 p. NJ. They
were then taken to the prison. There
searched No arms were found. They
were then passed through into the prison
Itself and put into cells. The witness
and his wife were separated from each
other. During the next hour the witness
heard rife shots continually and no
ticed In tho corner OF a courtyard lead
ing or the row OF cells the body OF A
young man with mantle thrown over
II He recognized the mantle a. having
belonged 10 his wife. TIE witnesses
daughter was allowed TO go out 70 see
what had happened 10 her mother. and
the witness himself was allowed 10 go
across the courtyard half an hour after
ward for the same purpose. He found
his wife lying on the floor IN "A room.
She had bullet wounds In four places.
but was alive and told her husha nd 10
return TO the children. snd he did so.
Abou, o'clock In the evening ne saw
the Germans bringing out all the young
and middle aged men from the cells and
ranging their prisoners TO the number
OF forty in three rows In the middle Of
the courtyard. About twenty Germans
were drawn up opposite, but before any
thing was done there was a tremendous
fusillade from some point near the
I prison and the civilians were hurried
back TO their cells Half an hour later
the same forty men were brought back
into tho courtyard. Almost Immediately
there was second fusillads Ike the
first and they were driven back to the
cells again. About I o'clock tho wit
ness and other prisoners were brought
out of their cells and marched out Of
the prison. They went between two lines
Of troops to Roche Bayard. about a klo-
meter away An hour later tire women
and children were separated and tho
prisoners were brought back to D!nant,
passing tho prison on their way. Just
outside she prison the witness saw three
lines OF bodies which he recognized as
being those of neighhors. They were
nearly all dead, but he noticed move
ment In some OF them. There were
about 100 bodies. The prisoners were
then taken up to the top OF the hill out
side Dinant and compelled to stay there
TIL o'clock In the morning. on the fol
! lowing day they were put into cattle
| trucks and taken thence TO Coblenz. For
three months they remained prisoners in
Germany.
Unarmed civilians were killed in
masses at other places near the prison
About ninety bodies were seen lying on
the top OF one another In a grass square
opposite the convent They included
I Atat t.sAS - all.
osition will he found in the Appendix
This witness asked German officer why
| her husband had been shot, and he told
| her that IL was because two OF her sons
had been in the civil guard and had shot
| AT the Germans As matter OF fact
one OF her sons was al that time In
! I.iege and the other In Brussels II Ia
stated that besides the ninety corpses re-
! ferred to above sixty corpses OF civil
ians were recovered from hole In the
! brewery yard and that for,y-eight bod
les OF women and children were found
in garden. The town was systematl-
cally set on FIRE by hand grenades
Another witness saw n little girl OF
seven, one OF whose legs was broken
and the other injured by hnyone'.
| We have no reason to believe that
| the civilian population of Dlnant gave
| any provocation or that any other de-
| fence can he put forward to Justify the
treatment inflicted upon Its citizens.
| AS regards this town and the advance
of the German army from Dinant to
Rethel on the Aisne. n graphic account
In given In the diary OF a Saxon officer.
tNote-A copy OF this diary was given
by the French military authorities To
The British Headquarters Staff In
| France, and the latter have commune
Gated II to the Committee This diary
| confirms what il clear from the evil
dcncc as a whole both as regards these
and other districts. that civilians were
constantly taken as prisoners, often
| dragged from their homes and shot
| under the direction Of the authorities
without any charge being made against
them. An event of the kind Is thus
referred to In diary entry: "Appar.
emily 200 men were shot. There must
have been some innocent men among
them. In future we shall have to hold
an inquiry as to their guilt instead OF
shooting them" The shooting of in.
habitants. women and children as wei
as men, went on after the Germans haC
passed Dinant on their way into France