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

LOUvAN AND DISTRICT.
The events spoken Of a. having oc-
CURED In and around Louvain between
August 10 and rs deserve close atten-
tion.
For ak days the Germans were In
peaceful occupation Of the city. No
houses were set on hre-no citizens
killed. There was certain amount OF
looting Of empty houses. but Otherwise
discipline was effectively maintained.
The condition OF Louvain during these
days was one Of relative peace and
quietude. presenting n striking contras.
to the previous and contemporaneous
conduct OF the German army elsewhere
On the evening Of August rs a sudden
change takes place. The Germans. on
that day repulsed by the Belgians, had
retreated to and reoccupied Louvain.
Immediately the devastation Of that city
and the holocaust OF its population COM
nences. The Inference Is irresistible
that the army as a whole wreaked It's
vengeance on the civil population and
the buildings Of the city In revenge for
the setback which the Belgian arms had
inflicted on them. 4 subsidiary cause
alleged was the assertion. often made
before. that civilians had fired upon the
German army.
The depositlons which relate to lou
vain are numerous and are believed
ny the Committee to present true and
fairly complete picture of the events OF
the 25,h and 26th OF August and subse-
uuent DAYS. We find no grounds Tor
thinking that the inhabitants fired upon
| the German army on the evening OF the
| 25th Of August. Eye witnesses worthy OF
credence detail exactly whom, where and
| how the firing commenced. Such hring
was by Germans on Germans. No I'M
partial tribunal could. in our opinion
| come to any other conclusion.
| on the evening OF the 25th firing could
| be heard in the direction OF Herept. some
three kilometers from Louvain An
| alarm was sounded In the city. There
| was disorder and confusion. and at
| o'clock horses attached to baggage
wagons s.ampeded in the street and rihe
! fire commenced. This was In the Rue
| de la station and came from the Ger
man police guard t2i in NUMBER. who
seeing the troops arrive in disorder
thought IL was the enemy. Then the
| corps OF incendiaries got to work. They
had broad heltA with the words "Gott
init uns'' and their equipment consisted
| Of a hatchet. a syringe. small shoVe'
| and a revolver Fires blazed W In the
| direction OF the Law Courts. 81. Martin
Barracks, and later In the Place de la
station Meanwhile an incessant fusil'
lade was kept M on tho windows oil th'
houses In their EFFORTS TO escape ths
flames the inhabitants climbed the walls
Woman Fugitive shot.
.rfy mother and servants" says .
witness, had TO do the same and tooi
refuge at Monsieur A., whose cellars
are vaulted and afforded a better pro
I tec,icn than mine A little later We
withdrew to Monsieur As stables. where
I about thirty people. who had got there
by climbing the walls, were to be found
SoSle Of these poor wretches had u
climb twenty walls. A ring came a
the bell. We opened the door. Severa
civilians aung themselves under thu
porch. The Germans were firing upoI
them from the street. Every momen
new fres were lighting up. accompanied
by explosions. In the middle or I'M
night | heard a knock at the outer doc
OF the stable which led into a dttlo street
and heard woman's voice crying To-
help. opened the door. and just as
was going to let her In rife shot free
from the street by German soldie
rang eut and the woman fell dead a
my feet. About In the morning
thinCs got quieter, and We took the or
portunity OF venturing into the street
A German who was carrying a silve
pyx and a number OF boxes Of cigars
told US we were TO go to the station
where trains would he waiting for us
When we got 10 the Place de la Station
we saw In the Square seven or eigh
dead bodies OF murdered civilians. No
a single house In the place was stand
Ing. A whole row OF houses behind tn
station at Blauwput was burned. Afte
, being driven hither and thither inter
minably by oficers, who treated u
roughly and insulted us throughout. W
were divided"
The prisoners were then distributes
between different bodies OF troops ant
marched In the direction OF Herein,
Seventy-seven inhabitants of Louvair
including n number OF people OF goo
position the names OF several ar
, given). were thus taken to Herent ''W
found the village OF Herent In flames. a.
much so that we had to quicken up 4
prevent ourselves from being suffocate
and burned up by the flames In the mid
die of the road. Half burned corpses o
: civilians were lying in front OF tn
! houses. During a halt soldiers stol
cattle and slaughtered them where the
stood. Firing started on our left. W
were told 1t was the civilians firing an
that We were going to he shot. Tn
; truth Ii that II was the Germans them
selves who were firing to frighten u,
There was not single civilian In tn
: nelghborhood. Shortly afterward W
proceeded on our march to Malines. w
! were insulted and threatened.
Warned of Loavain's Fate.
The officers were worse than the mer
, We got to Campenhout about r. NJ
= and were locked into the church wit
: all the male population of the vlllag,
Some priests had Joined our number,
Wo had had nothing to eat or drin
since the evening OF the day before. .
few compassionate soldiers gave u
: water to drink, but no official took tn
! trouble to see that We were fed" Mex
e day, Thursday. the eth. n safe conduC
: TO return to Louvain was given but tn
prisoners had hardly started when the
: were stopped and taken before a brigad
: General and handed to another escor
Some were grossly III treated. The
were accused of being soldiers out G
uniform, and were tod they could nc
! go I'd Louv2in "as the town was goin
10 ne RACED 10 the ground" Other prit
oners were added. even women an
chi lIren, until there were more tina