Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-09-22
ANSWER TO POULTNEY BIGELOW
Made by Arthur NJ Abel Who Writes to The Bulletin From
Berlin-N. F. A. Graduate Takes Exception to Remarks
On Germany and Prussia in Particuar-Ihe Well
Known Traveller Spoke at Academy Alumni Reunion

from the hands OF Great Britain is
known to the British themselves"
To the giobe-trotter and to the
casraI visitor this part OF the Indian
national HE Is a sealed book
Last January / met here in Berlin
an Indian prince. a highly educated
man, who had come to Germany for
the purpose OF trying to secure aid
Ior the indian cause. He said the ma
uVes were ready and eager to rise
and throw on the British yoke. such
as they tried to do in the great mu-
Tiny or 1857. but that they had no
weapons. He was not successful in
securing the desired assistance, but
ne gave everyone with whom he came
IN contact a graphic picture OF the true
state OF things in Englands greatest
colony. He told me that millions of
natives had died OF famine. while the
British were shipping the Indian grain
crops to Europe.
| Belgian Atrocities.
Mr.. Bigelow expressed his belief In
the reports OF the Belgian atrocities.
How does this tally with the famous
interview that the Pope gave a Parr-
sian paper. in which he said that he
| had investigated and had received re-
ports from thirteen of his bishops from
all parts of Belgium, men, who es-
TEEN truth higher than calumny and
sensauonalism, and who one and al
declared that the reports of Belgian
/ atrocities were wilful inventions
| Seven OF our American war CORE
spondents, who made thorough inves-
LEGATIONS in Belgium, reported the
| with our American newspaper CORE
spon6ents, who were in Belgium al
that time, and they also declared that
| these reports were monstrous lies.
| Even the London papers after a time
| admitted that investigations among
al -rMN 81
| ed in bringing to light any proofs Of
German atrocities. The only real afro.
cities committed in this connection
were the arfocious lies, that went ovei
the British cables, poisoning public
opinion against Germany in America
Considering the fact that We have -
many millions of Germans in Americz
! and that they are known to be peace.
full, honest. industrious and ever
phlegmatic, 1t is one of the many in
| applicable features of this war, tina
Americans could believe without wait.
ing for proofs that such people coV,lC
be suddenly turned into barbarians
LouVain and Shcrman's Raid.
Louvain is q subject that 1 have
never yet seen fairly discussed in AM
American newspaper. Mr.. Bigelov
speaks of the "sackers of Louvafn'
and condemns, but offers no proof. I!
the first place Louvain never wa:
destroyed in the sense that. Americans
believe. Fully four-fi of the town
including the famous city hall anS
cathedral. are intact and the-destruc
ton of the smaller portion of the city
that actually occurred, was a mos
necessary and most merlted chastise
ment in answer to the fearful franc
tircur war that the Belgian civilians
carried on towards the German troops
| War is not a Sunday school picnic
1t was our own Sherman, who said
War is helll' and the so-called sack
ing of Louvain by the Germans Wa
child's play compared with the devas
tation that Sherman's celebrated marcl
through Georgia caused.
Belgian Neutrality"
In this, too, Germany has been mos
unfairly treated by the press of on
eastern states. Considering that Their
never was any Belgian neutrality VIII.
then all this talk about Belgian neu
trality? The German war office hat
ample proofs on the outbreak of hos
tilities that France and England woul,
advance against Germany through
Belgium, and ii was equally clear tina
Belgium would participate in the Wa
against Germany. This country sim
ply did what her enemies intended L
do. Hence the howl of impotent rag
that kept the Atlantic cables bus,
during August of last year. The sc
cret documents found by the Ger
man authorities in Belgian war ar
chives, and which have since been fac
SMILED in, the press of this country
have merely confirmed what the Ger
man STAG already knew.
Germany's Aims.
Mr.. Bigelow's further remarks d
the German invasion of America an
his advice to Americans Ito take u
arms against a one-man-world, a ney
Napoleon, as small boys have to unit
against the bully of the school, ~
too ridiculous to require contradic
q ton.
I am writing this article in the in
terest Of truth, justice and fair play
In my next article / shall have some
thing to say about conditions in Der
lin during the war and the opinion u
Americans residing here concernin
the conflict.