Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-06-07
ANSWERS
GERMAN CHARGES
Statement Concerning White
Book, Recently Issued at Ber-
lin, Given Out in Washington.
NO PROOF OF ACCUSATIONS
Alleged Cruelties in Direct Con-
tradiction to Dispositions Gath
cred by Inquiry Commissions.


legation to-day gave out the following
statement concerning the German white
book recently issued at Berlin. maxi
ing accusations against the Belgian
civilian populations:
The American newspapers have pub
lished extracts from a German white
book. in which tho German government
accuses the Belgian civilian population
OF having risen en- n.asSe and taken
arms against the invaders. and of hav-
ing organized corps of francs -tireurs.
The German government also claims in
this document that the Belgian gov
ernment gave free rein To the passions
of the population. and alleges that Bel-
GUMS accusations against the German
army were invented to hide her own
crimes.
NO proof is brought forward to sup
port these accusations.
"Afiirmations without proof cannot
efface facts duly proven and estab-
lished.
AT the beginning of the war the
Belgian government issued the follow
ing proclGmations, the text of which
was reproduced among the documents
published by the Belgian Commission
Of Inquiry:
~. A circular of Mr.. Berryer. Min
lister of the Interior. addressed under
date of August 4, 1914. simultaneously
TO 200 communes of Belgium by tele-
graph. reminding the population that
acts IF hostility against the invader
were reserved exclusively to the army.
the civil guard and corps OF volunteers
regularly organized. Portions of this
circular are borrowed tcxtually from
The Hague Convention. such. for OK
ample. as the portion concerning the
population of territory spontaneously
taking UP arms on the approach of in
vaders. which faithfully reproduces
article of the regulations annexed to
The Hague Convention
80. In notice from the same minister
inserted daily in the newspapers and
publicly posted in the larger part. il
not all. Of the communes of the coun-
try in the early part of August This
notice advised the civilian copulat
TO abstain carefully from any act of
hostility against the foreign troops
and characterized as both criminal and
imprudent' any act of violence COM
mitted by single civilian
WARNINGS REPEATED
ny LOCAL Authorities
local authorities repeated this Official
warning in the form of notices or com
munal orders duly posted on the walls
and other public places Similar no.
tees we're still posted upon the walls
of unfortunate cities at the moment OF
their destruction. as was pointed out
to the German officers
"A considerable number of communal
governments made it obligatory to de-
post Immediately, at the police stations
or AT the City Halls. all firearms be-
longing TO NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. and
sporting guns. The Germans found
these deposits OF arms marked with the
names OF the owners: in several cases
they pretended TO look upon il as a
proof of clandestine organization of
francs -tireurs. held the communal au-
thorities responsible In spite Of all ex-
plantations. and imposed upon the en-
tire commune a heavy fine or even in
ficted terrible punishment upon the
whole population.
such were the precautions taken by
the Belgian government They are
proved by the official documents. by
the files OF the Belgian newspaoc of
that time and by photographs of walls
with the notices posted OF them. If
the German government denies these
facts. il should bring proof to support
its statements. A simple denial of facts
which are so patent and so we'll estab-
lShed has not and cannot have any
judicial value
NO organized francs -tireurs war en-
listed in Belgium No evidence has been
brought to support this allegation. and
the allegation is denied by the various
comm ssions of inquiry
The German government accuses The
Belgian priests of having participated
in the attacks upon the German army
This accusation is absolutely false The
tact is that many priests have been
murdered and a great number subjected
TO barbarous treatments by the Ger
mans The German Bureau Pax
German office of apologctical defense
created by the clergy and the parlia-
mentary center thought il necessary
IN the interest of German Catholicism,
TO throw some light on these Calumnies
made by Germany. and its inquiries into
'he matter have put the accusers to
CONFUSION. great number OF these in
quiries have been analyzed by the Rev
rather Bern Duhr. S. J.. in his pamph-
let. Der Lugengeist i'm voelkerkrieg.
published by C. J. Manz at Muenchen-
Regensburg
TREATMENT OF CLERGY
REVEALED ny MERCIER
ON the other hand, the manner in
which the German troops conducted
themselves towards the Belgian clergy
has bean shown by Cardinal Mercier
in his pastoral letter dated Christmas.
1914. Up to the present time. informa-
tion has been received OF forty-nine
priests and members OF religious orders
who have been put to death i'm Bel
gium by the German troops. Some OF
them were frightfully mutilated and
tortured. Moreover. in these cases,
the most convincing proof was fur
nished by the victims themselves the
corpses of several OF these unfortunates
were exhumed, and were seen to bear
the marks Of the most abomnable
mutilatiOnS. Cardinal Mercier pro-