Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-13

but the evidence for which We feel
bound to accept In the garden Of this
house was the body OF a girl who had
been shot In the forehead.
AT Eppeghem the dead body OF a
child or two was seen pinned to tho
ground with a German lance. The same
witness saw n mutilated woman alive
near Weerde on the same day"
chapter Is given to the terrible
conditions at Louvain, where. the report
states. massacre. fire and destruction
went on. Citizens were shot and
others taken prisoners and compelled TO
go with the troops Soldiers went
through the streets saying Man hat
geschossen.' Ono soldier was seen going
along shooting In the air.
The massacre OF civilians at Louvain
was not confined to its citizens Large
crowds Of people were brought into
Louvain from the surrounding dis
tricts. not only from Aershot and Gel
rod. but also from other places. For
example, witness described how many
women and children were taken in
carts to Louvain, and there placed
in a stable. or the hundreds of pco-
pie thus taken from the various viii
lagos and brought to Louvain as pris-
oners, some were massacred there.
others were forced to march along
with citizens of Louvain through va
rious places, some being ultimately
sent to the Belgian lines at Malines,
others were taken in trucks to Cologne,
others were released.
MARCHED THROUGH COLOGNE
FOR PEOPLE TO SEE
Some were marched through Cologne
afterwards for the people to see. Ropes
were put around the necks of some
and they were told they would be
hanged. An order then came that they
were TO be shot instead of hanged. A
firing squad was prepared, and five or
SIX prisoners were put up. but were
not shot. This taking of the
Inhabitants, in groups and marching
them to various places. must evidently
have been done under the direction of
higher military authority. The ILL
treatment of the prisoners was under
the eyes and often under the direction
or sanction of officers, and officers
themselves took part in it.
1T Is to be noticed that cases occur
In the dispositions in which humane
acts by individual officers and soldiers
are mentioned, or in which officers are
said 10 have expressed regret at be-
ing obliged to carry out orders for
cruel action against the civilians
Similarly. we find entries In diaries
which reveal genuine pity for the
population and disgust at the conduct
OF the army. 1t appears that a German
noncommissionedo officer stated definite
y that he was acting under orders,
and executing them with great unwil-
lingness. a. commissioned officer. on
being asked at Louvain by a witness,
highly educated man, about the hor-
rible acts committed by the soldiers,
said he was merely executing ORDERS
and that he himself would be shot If
he did not execute them
UNDER DIRECTION OF HIGHER
MILITARY AUTHORITIES
We are driven to the conclusion that
the marrying of the villages In the
district, the burning of n large part
or Louva!n. the massacre there, the
marching out of the prisoners. and the
transport TO Cologne Call done without
inquiry as TO whether the particular
persons seized or killed had committed
any wrongful acD, were due TO a CAL
culatcd policy carried out scientific
cally and deliberately. not merely with
the sanction. but under the direction
of higher military authorities. and
were not due TO any provocation or
resistance by the civilian population"
division Of the report is given to
diaries of German soldiers. The entry
OF sergeant of the First Guards Regi-
ment, who received the Iron Cross,
says under date of August 10: "a
transport of 200 Belgians came through
Duisburg il the morning. OF these,
eighty. incluling the Oberburgomaster.
were shot, according to martial law"
The diary OF member of the Fourth
Company OF Jagers. says, under date
of August %: About 220 Inhabitants
and the village were burnt. Artillery
is continuously shooting. Just now the
crossing OF the Meuse begins near
Dinant. All villages. chateaux and
houses are burnt down during the
night. 1t is a beautiful sight TO see
the fires all around us In the dis
lance" Another diary, by member
Of the Second Mounted Battery, First
Kurhessian Field Artillery Regiment
No. IL. records an incident which hap
Pened In French territory, near Lille
on October Ii:
We had no fight. but we caught
about twenty men and shot them"
The committee says of this last
diary: by this time killing not in
fight would seem to have passed into
n habit"
The report adds that the most i'm
portant entry is contained in diary No.
10. This contains no name and adj
dress. but names referred to in the
diary indicate that the entries were
made by an officer Of the First ReGi-
ment of Foot Guards. The entry made
at Il eIHleloH OH august - says. we
took about 1000 prisoners; at least
500 were shot. The village was burnt
because Inhabitants had also shot. Two
civilians were shot at once"
CONCLUSION OF COMMITTEE
AS TO DETAILED RECITALS
The conclusions Of OF the committee,
as to the various detailed recitals. are
as follows:
I'VE may now sum up and endeavor
to explain the character and signif-
canoe OF the wrongful acts done by
the German army in Belgium.
IF a line is drawn on map from
the Belgian frontier to Licgc, and con-
tinued to Charleroi. and a second line
drawn from Liege to Malines. a sort
of figure resembling an irregular Y
Will be formed. It is along this Y
that most Of the systematic (as op-
posed to isola ted) outraEes were COM
mitted. If The period from August
to August 20 is taken. it will be found
to cover most of these organized out
RACES. Termonder and Alost extend,
ic Il