The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-03-02
Honolulu, February %, 1915.

. Honolulu, February 20, 1915. q,
Editor Adpertiser:--lt is with very
great interest that read Mr. Hack
ield's letter, dated Bremen, January
~, 1915, PnbIishcd in Your issue OF
yesterday, A. 80. : y.
Y his statements about the geographi:
cal position Ande hhnfber OF inhaOitantt
Of bruses die, so lar as / Snow, en-.
tirely correct. agree with him that
= swar is terrible thing, anu i am.
uhsl,ealabfy0 thankful 10 learn thas
those wonderfuT old cities Brussels,
bruges, Ghtnt and Antwerp have
practically remained intact 1 hope
that at the lconeiusion or the war tins
same, thing Ray still be said. "
Does Mr.. Hackfeld, know that cotn-
mission Of reptesentatiN Belgian nieit
OF the very his hest standing rin that
heroic littfei land are invcstigating this
Very question Of ssalleged atrocities ~
N the reports that l. haveiread in Vafi-
Gus papers I find that while undohbtedi
! " there have becn 'exie CREATIONS, there
is abeoiutelyEno doubt'at all that many
innocent noRcombatants have suffered
IN the most terrible way. .a--
Cardinal Mercier,,s Letter -,.. -
will not ask you, Mr.. Editor, to
| take the word or the Belgian lady
which Mr.. Hackfeid seems to doubt,
still less my own, for my statements,
EIjTesnmbaly, like Mr.. Hackfetd s own,
are necessarily based on "hearsay and
,IrepOrts, but 4 would like to refer you
Eto the noble letter of Cardinal Mercier,
presuming that the word OF priIce OF
the church, holding such a position rs
4 Aafc hbishop Of Malines, a man loved and
respected by, thousands, must carry
Fweight. rsr..
~ The letter in question is entitled
"Lettre Pastorale de Son Eminenee Il
ECardenal Msrcier, AreheNeque. d.
'fMalines 4" (Burns & Oates, Ltd, 2,
Orchard street, London, WI, on page,
eight and nine thereof may be found
a list of thirty-one towns and village,
in the archbishop's own diocese, visit
4 ed by him, of which he says (the trans
I lation is my OWN "what j saw ii
l them of ruins and ashes strpasses any
thing that | could have imagined, al
though had great apprehension. - .,
Names Other Places ''"".g ts-
4 Then he proceeds to give the name
Of seventeen other places, not visited
by him, but which he says are in ruint
Speaking of one of these places he say
I that out of two hundred dwelling
II there remain eleven, one hundred ana
\ eighty having disappeared. Allow m
to translate from another paragraph d
page ten N.s p, .' 49,. " 4 9
"Hundreds Of innocent persons hav
been shot .t.. At Aerschot ninety
one such persisted and their fello,
, citizens were compelled under threat
of death to dig their graves
In Louvain and its vicinity one ,hnu
bred and seventy-ix persons, men an
women, old men and babes at III
breast, rich and poor, sick and wei
p were shot or burned" ,AE.H .'@I
!, He continues bis heart rending ID
, seriptSons by asking what would be tn
story could news be obtained frot
= other parts Of Belgium outside his ow
/ diocese. "s'" w." ~ -
:, 1t would be useless for me to quot
! more. We all probably read the man
= newspapers and magazine article
> which 90 into this subject in great d.
/ tail. 49, ~
Shipping Is Conceded -,
q with regard to the snipihg to wbic
Q Mr. Hackfeld refers. thinls' ia MOI
!. than likely that some did take plac
a Were similarly Situated l know. ths
4 ! should waIIt TO make my poor lit
J. effort to defend my family heliey
n that in the Civil War 1t also 0eeurre'
Cine of the rules, Of giyilized warfaI