New Britain herald., 1915-05-12
BRYcE'S REPORI ON
 GERMAN ''OUIRAcEs'
hel, Women and Children hu1- delcd in Sweep Across Be'Qiun.

u6IGu M SMCGp AClOSS bGsvlulp. London, May 12.-Viscount Bryce former British ambassador at Wash ington, and now chairman of a spe cial government committee appointed to investigate and report on out. ted by German troops during the pres ent war;" has submitted the report .,i the committee to Premier Asquith.
 The document is considered as probably the most severe arraignment thus far made of the German mili- tary sweep across Belgium, mainly be- cause of the position of Viscount Bryce as a. historian, and also because of the care with which the investiga- tion was made, the great number of witnesses whose testimony was exam ined. and the mass of evidence now submitted with the report of the con,- nittec.
 Lord Bryce's Associates.
 Associated with Lord Bryce on the committee were Sir Frederick Pollock, Sir Edward Clarke, Sir Alfred Hop- lSinson, H. A. l.. Fisher, Vice-Chancel- Tor Of the University of Sheffield, Har- old Cox and Kenelm E. Digby. Tho committee was appointed by Premier Asquith on January 22 last, and was given broad instructions to investi- gate alleged outrages, the mal-treat- ment of civilians, and breaches of law and established usages of war"
 The most important findings of the committee are summed up in the fol- lowing conclusion at the close of tho report:
 Definite Conclusion.
 'It will be seen that the commits tee has come to definite conclusion upon each of the heads under which the evidence has been classified:
 "It is proved:s
 '.First-That there were in many parts of Belgium deliberate and sys- tematically organized n1assacres of the civil population, accompanied by many isolated murders and other outrages.
 Women and Children Murdered.
 .Second-That in the conduct of the war generally innocent civilians, both men and women, were murdered III IdIS6 nQAlDGTS, WOIn0h NlOlaIGQ, ana children murdered.
 'Third-That footing, house burn ing, and the wanton destruction of property were ordered and counten- anced by the officers of the German army that elaborate provision had been made for systematic incendiarisln at the very. outbreak of the war, and that the burning and destruction were frequent where no military necessity could be alleged being indeed part of 3 system of general terrorization.
 War Rules Violated. 7" .s"Fourth-That the rules and ages of war were frequently broken, partic- ularly by the using of civilians, in- cluding women and children, as a shield for advancing forces exposed to fire, to less degree by killing the wounded and prisoners, and in the frequent abuse of the Red Cross and the White Flag.
 Sensible as they are of the grav- ity of these conclusions, the commit tee conceive that they would be do- ing less than their duty if they failed to record them as fully established by the evidence. Murder, lust and pill- age prevailed over many parts of Bell gium on a scale unparalled in any war between civilized nations during the last three centuries.
 Make Strong Suggestion.
 Our function is ended when we have stated what the evidence estab- fishes, but we may be permitted to express our belief that these disclo- sures will not have been made in vain if they touch and rouse. the con- science of mankind and we venture to hope that as soon as the present war is over the nations of the world in council will consider what means can be provided and sanctions de- vised to prevent the recurrence of such horrors as our generation is now witnessing"
 The report makes an official doc ument of sixty-one printed pages, oi upward of 30.000 words accompanied by maps, showing the various routes of the army and the chief scenes of desolation. It states at the out set that 1,200 witnesses have been ex- amined, the dispositions being taken by examiners of legal knowledge and experience, though without authority to administer an oath. The exam- iners were instructed not to ''lead' the witnesses, and to seek to bring out the truth by cross examination and otherwise The committee also sub- mits extracts from a number of diaries taken from the German dead, chiefly German soldiers and in some cases of ficers.