El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-05-12
SAYS GERMANS MURDERED MANY

prisoners we're put UP, Dut were not
shot"
A division Of the report is given to
diaries Of German soldiers. The entry
of a sergeant of the first guards regi-
ment, who received the iron cross, says
under date of Aug. TO- "A transport Of
800 Belgians came through Duisburg in
the morning. of these, so. including the
OberburgOmasUer were shot according
to martial law" The diary Of a member
Of the fourth company OF Jagers says,
under date of Aug. %: About 22O in
habitants and the village were burned"
says 800 Prisoners Shot.
The report adds that the most import
ant entry is contained in diary No 10,
This contains no name and address, but
names referred to in the diary Indicate
that the entries were made by an Of
ficer Of the first regiment Of foot
guards. The entry made at Eermeton
on Aug. "a. says. We took about 1000
prisoners: at least 500 were shot The
had also shot Two civilians were shot
at once"
In its conclusions the committee says:
There is a certain significance IN
the fact that the outTages around Liege
coincide with the unexpected resistance
of the Belgian army in that district, and
that the slaughter which reigned from
Aug. Is TO the end Of the month Is con-
temperaneous with the period when the
German army's need for a quick pass
age through Belgium at all costs was
deemed imperative
Here let a distinction be drawn be-
tween two classes Of Cutrages.
Individual acts Of brutality-ill-
treatment OF civilians, rape, plumber,
and the llke-Were very widely commit
ted These are more numerous and
more shocking than would be expected
IN warfare between civilized powers,
but they differ rather in extent than in
kind from what had happened IN pre-
vlOus though not recent wars.
In the present war, and this is the
SraVeSU charge against the German
army-the evidence shows that the kill
ing OF nOncOmbatanus was carried out
10 an extent for which no previous war
between nations claiming TO be civil
lied tfOr such cases as the atrocities
perpetrated by the Turks on the Bull
garian Christians in 1876. and On the
Armenian Christians in 1885 and 1896,
DO not belong TO that category fur
niShes any precedent That this killing
was done as part Of a deliberate plan is
clear from the facts herein before set
forth regarding Louvain, AerSchOt,
Dinant and other towns. The killing
was done under orders in each place Il
began at a certain fixed date Some Of
the officers who carried out the work
did II reluctantly and said they were
obeying directions from their chiefs
The same remarks apply TO the de-
struCtiOn Of property House burning
was part OF the program and villages,
even large parts of a city, were given
to the flames as part Of the terrorizing
policy.
Not Denied.
Citizens of neutral states who visit
ed Belgium in December and January
report that the German authorities DO
not deny that noncombatants were sys-
tematcally killed in large numbers
during the first weeks Of the invasion.
and this, so far as we know, has never
been officially denied.
The German government has, how
ever. sought to justify their seventies
on the grounds Of military necessity
and have excused them as retaliation
for cases in which civilians fired on
German troops There may have been
cases in which such firing occurred. but
no proof has ever been given. or TO our
knowledge, attempted TO be given, Of
such cases, nor Of the stories OF shock
ing ourrages perpetrated by Belgian
men and women on German soldiers"
That these acts should have been
perpetrated on the peaceful population
of an uuoffendinC country which wss
not at war with its invaders but merely
defending its own neutrality, guarau-
teed by the invading power. may excite
amazement and even lncredullIy- II
was with Amusement and almost with
i-CTeuuGty that the committee first
read the dispositions relating 10 such
ac5s But when the evidence regarding
Liege was followed by that regarding
AerschOt. LOuyaiu. Audenle. Dinaut.
and the other towns and villages, the
cumulative effect of such a mass or
testimony became irresisti-
bic. and we We're driven 10 the cOnclu-
sion that the things described had real
~ happened. The question then arose
how they could have happened Not
mere military license, for the discipline
Of the German army is prOyerbiaIly
stringent and its obedience explicit.
Not from any special ferocity OF TIE
troops. for whoever has travelled among
the German peasautry knows that they
are as kindly and good natured rs any
pee rle in Europe. and those who can
recall the war OF 1870 viii remember
that no charges resembling those proved
by these dispositions were then estab-
lished- The successes recently commit
Ied IN Belgium were, moreover too
and too uniform in their
character TO be mere sporadic Outbursts
Of passion of rapacity.
''EXceSseS Ordered to Strike Terror
The explanation seems 10 be that
these excuses were committd-in some
eases ordered, in others allowed-on q
system and IN pursuance Of a set pur-
pose That purpose was 10 strike ter
TOR into the civil population and dis
hearten the Belgium troops 50 as 10
crush down resistance and extinguiSl
the very spirit Of self defence. The pre-
text that civilians had fired upon the
troops was used 10 justify not
merely the shooting Of individual
nc-tireurs but the murder Of large
numbers of innocent civilians. an act
absolutely forbidden by the rules Of
civilized warfare"
Another division of the report IS on
the killing Of nOncombatants in
France This is not detailed as the
iase Of Belgium. as the committee states
that the French Official report gives
the most complete account as to the III
vlded districts in France. II reads.
Cites OutrnEes in France.
The evidence before US proves that
N parts OF France referred 10. murder
u unOffending civilians and other acts
IF cruelty. including aggravated cases