Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1915-01-25
Belgian Official Commission
of Inquiry Has Evidence
That German Soldiers
Make Attacks on Cath
olic Priests in Belgium
MANY HAVE BEEN
SHOT OR HUNG
Many Churches Not De
stroyed Have Been Desc
Grated and Used as Stables
or Prisons After Being
Robbed of Sacred Vessels
Especial to The Republican.O

tSpeCldl 10 IHe hepuDlICdIlJ
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24-That the
Catholic clergy seem to have been
singled out and made to suffer ex-
traordinary cruelty at the hands of
the German soldiers, is indicated by
evidence submitted to the Belgian
Commission of Inquiry.
The testimony of trustworthy wit
Liege, Namur Maidnes and Client.
many priests and members of relig-
ious orders have been shot or hung,
others have been subjected to abom-
niable treatment, and some have been
seized and sent to Germany. Many
of the churches that have not been
destroyed have been desecrated, used
as stables or prisons, and robbed of
the sacred vessels.
Among the many acts of brutality
perpetrated by the Germans, are the
following which have been thoroughly
investigated by the Belgian authori-
ties.
On August u, the Parish Priest of
Buecken, Father De Clerek, was ar
rested by the Germans and accused
Of having fired upon their troops.
The charge was absolutely false. The
priest was an old man of SO, who
had been ill and incapacitated for
a long time. The Germans seized
him and placed him on a cannon;
then they threw him into a ditch.
Afterwards the soldiers took him by
the arms and legs and dragged him
about the pavement. The tortured
old man said he would rather die at
once than. suffer further brutality.
Then they shot him.
According to evidence received by
the Belgian Commission the Parish
Priest of Gelrode arrived at Aerschot
on August "a, with three wounded
men. The Germans accused him of
being an English spy, dragged him
to the Town Hall and maltreated
him. The next day they led him be-
fore the church and beat him vio-
lently with their rifle butts. Then
he was taken out on the Demer
bridge and shot His body remained
there until the next day when it
was thrown into the Demer river.
A prefect who had miraculously
escaped death, made the following
deposition:
"On Tuesday, August Is. about 8
o'clock, the Germans arrived. like a
swarm of bees, at the village of
Schaffen. Pretending they had been
fired upon, which was false, and not
even dreamed of, they began to mas
sacre, burn and pillage. One hundred
and seventy houses Gncluding the
town hall and the priests house)
We're totally burned. Twenty-Five
citizens, including the priests as
sistant. were foully assassinated.
fell into the hands of those butchers
They maltreated me in every way:
they made me look straight at the
sun for a long time; they prepared
a sibbet for me. saying that they
were going to hang me. They broke
the arms of the blacksmith who was
my fellow prisoner, and then they
shot him They forced. me into the
house of the Burgomaster which was
on fire. then they pulled me out
again. This ill-treatment lasted all
day long About evening they bade
me look at the church. saying that
it was the last time l would ever
see it
About a quarter to seven, they re-
leased me and beat me with the
troopers whips. l was covered with
blood and fell to the ground. At this
moment an officer ordered me to get
UP and go. When | had gone about
two hundred yards. they fired at
me, the balls whistling around my
head was not hit. / fell as
though dead. This was my salvation.
I lay there all night half naked.
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