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

seen by the witness.
Lootins, Bsrnins and Destruction
Of Property.
! There Is an overwhelming mass of
evidence OF the deliberate destruction
of private property by the German SOL
diers. The destruction In most cases
was effected by fire. and the German
| troops, as will be seen from earlier
passages In the report. had been pro-
vided beforehand with appliances for
rapidly setting fire to houses. Among
tho appliances enumerated by witnesses
are syringes for squirting petrol, guns
for throwing small iniammabe bombs
| and small pellets made OF infiammable
| material. Specimens of the last mem
toned have been shown to members of
| the committee. Besides burning houses
the Germans frequently smashed fur
niture and pictures they also broke in
doors and windows Frequently, too.
! they denled houses by relieving the
! wants OF nature upon the Moor. They
| also appear to have perpetrated the
same vileness upon piled up heaps OF
provisions so as to destroy what they
could not themselves consume. They
| also on numerous occasions threw
corpses into wells. or left in them the
bodies OF persons murdered by drown
| ing.
In addition to these acts of destruc-
ton, the German troops both in Bel
| gium and France are proved TO have
been guilty of persistent looting. In
| the majority Of cases the looting took
place from houses. but there is also evil
dence that German soldiers and even
officers robbed their prisoners. both civil
and military. OF sums of money and
other portable possessions. II was APP
parently well known throughout Tire
German army that towns and villages
| would be burned whenever it appeared
that any civilians had fred upon the
! German troops, and there Is reason TO
suspect that this known intention Of the
German military authorities in some
| cases explains the sequence OF events
| which led UP to the burning and sack
ing Of a town or village. The soldiers.
knowing that they would have an OPP
portunity OF plumber IL the place was
condemned. had a motive for arranging
some incident which would provide the
| necessary excuse for condemnation.
More than one witness alleges that
shots coming from the window OF a
house were fired by German soldiers
| who had forced their way into the
house for the purpose Of thus creating
an alarm. l; is also alleged that Ger
man soldiers on some occasions merely
fred their rifles In the air In side
street and then reported to their officers
that they had been fired at ON the re-
port that firing had taken place orders
| were given for wholesale destruction,
and houses were destroyed In streets
and districts where there was no alega-
ton that firing had taken place, as well
as in those where the charge arose
That the destruction could have been
limited is proved by the care taken TO
preserve particular houses whose occu-
pants had made themselves In one way
or another agreeable to the conquerors.
These houses were marked in chalk or
dering them 10 be spared. and spared
they were.
The above statements have reference
to the burning OF towns and villages.
In addition. the German troops in numer-
Gus instances, have set fire to farm
houses and :arm buildings. Here, how
ever. the plea of military necessity can
more safely be alleged. A farmhouse
may afford convenient shelter TO an
enemy, and where such use Is probable
/: may he urged that the destruction OF
tire buildings IL justifiable. II If clearly.
however. the duty OF the soldiers who
destroy the buildings 70 give reasonable
warning TO the occupants so that they
may escape. Doubtless this was In
many cases done by the German COM
manders. but there is testimony that In
some cases the burning of the farm
house was accompanied ny IHe HluIuel
OF the inhabitants.
The same fact stands out clearly in
the more extensive burning OF houses in
towns and villages. In some cases in
deed as prelude TO the burning Tn
habitants were cleared out OF their
houses and driven along the streets.
often with much accompanying brutality
some to a place OF execution. Others to
prolonged detention in church or other
public buildings. In other cases wit
nesses assert that they saw German SOL
ders forcing back into the flames men.
women and children who were trying "a
escape from the burning houses. There
is also evidence that soldiers deliber-
ately shot down civilians as they fed
from the fire.
The general conclusion Is that the
! burning and destruction of property
which took place was only In very
small minority OF cases justified by mill
tary necessity and that even then the
destruction was seldom accompanied by
that care for the lives OF non-com-
batants which has hitherto been eX-
pected from military commander be-
longing to n civilized nation on the
contrary II Is plain that in many cases
German officers and soldiers deliberately
! added to the sufferings OF the unfor-
tunate people whose property they were
destroying.
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