New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-13
Women Outraged by uuoders Uoffending Cans Massacred

took the trouble 70 see that We were
frd.'
ON the 26,h Wednesday,. IN the
city o. Louvalu. mas sacrc. me ana de
,t~uct.ou went ou. Ihc university. with
it, library. Oh" church OF N' feter, and
man, houses were ect ON fire and burnt
o. the ground Citizens were shot and
o'hcrt taken prl sorcrs and compelled
70 90 with The troops SAldicrs went
through the streets saying Man nat
ro-c,osscr." One soldier was seen
goirg u.oag shooting 90 the arr.
Many OF the people hid ln cellars.
bur The soldiers shot down through the
crattrg-. Some citizens were shot on
opening the doors. others IA cndcavor-
ing 20 escape. Among other persons
whose houses were burnt was an old
man Of ninety lying dangerously ill,
who was taken out on his mattress and
LEFT lying in his garden all night He
died shortly after I'm the hospital 20
which q friend took him the following
morning.
on Thursday, tho 27th, orders were
given that every one should leave the
city. which was 20 be razed 10 the
ground Some citizens. including a
canon Of the cathedral. with his aged
y
toa and aftcrward 10 take the road
20 Tirlomout Among the number were
about twenty priests from Louvaln.
They we're usuitcd and threatened,
but ultimately allowed 20 90 free and
make their way as best they could.
women and sick persons among them.
20 Tiricmont. other groups OF prls-
ou"rs from Louvaiu were on the same
day taken by other routes. some early
I'm the morning through various
villages I'M the direction Of Mallnc-
with hand, tightly bound by long
cord More prisoners were attcrWard
added. and all made 10 stay the night
in the church al tampcnhout. Next
dav. the 29th. this group, then con
si-ting of about 1000 men, women and
children. was taken back 20 Louvaln.
zone woman went mad, some children
died. others were born On the -"'n
the prisoners were marched along the
MaHncs road. and a. llcrent the wom-
en- and children and men over forty
wer, allowed 20 20; the others were
taken 20 Boort Nocrbcck. fifteen Elo-
metres from MaIincs. and told 20
march straight 10 Naliucs or be shot.
At II p. m. they reached The fort Of
Wacihcm and were at first hrcd on by
the ecntrics. bat on calling out they
were BclSIans were allowed 90 pas.
These prisoners were practically with
out food from carly morning on the
2Gth until midnight on the 18th. or
the corpses seen on the road some had
their hands tied behind their backs.
others were burnt, some had been
killed by blows, and some corpses we're
those Of children who had been shot.
Slaughters Of Peasants.
The massacre Of civilians at Louvain
was not confined 20 ITS citizens. Large
crowds Of people were brought into
Iouvain from the surrounding die
tricts. not only from Acrschot and
Gclrode as above mentioned, but also
from other places An account Of the
massacre of some of these unfortunate
civilian prisoners given by two VII
nesscs may be- quoted:
We were all placed in station
street, Louvain. and the German sol
dicrs fred upon us. ! saw the corpses
of some women IN the street. fell
down. and q woman who had been shot
fell on top of ne did not dare to
look at the dead bodies in the street
there were so many of them. All o.
them had been shot by the German
soldiers. One woman whom ! saw lying
dead IN the street was a Miss
about thirty-fve. | also saw the BODY
Of 4 VI a woman. She
had been shot. saw an officer pull
her corpse underneath wagon
Another witness. who was taken
from Acrschot, also describes the oc.
currence: IF was afterward taken
with a large number Of other civilians
and placed IN the church at Louvalr.
Then we were taken TO Station Street,
Louvain. There were about l.500 civil
ians of both sexes, and we had been
marched from Aerschot to Louvain.
When we were in Station Street | felt
that something was about TO happen,
and ! tried to shelter in a doorway
The German soldiers then fired i
mitrailcuse and their rifles upon the
people, and the people fell on all sides
Two men next 20 me were killed. /
aftcrward saw some one give signal,
and the firing ceased. ! then ran away
with "a married woman named b "
whose maiden name Wa \
VI B, aged twenty-nine, who be-
longed 10 Aerschot, but We were aga n
captured. She was shot by the side
OF me. and saw her fall. Several
other people were shot at the same
time"