The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-07-12
SAW BELG|ANS
!. P|LL.AGE THEIR ,
/. OWN COUNTRY
DUTCH MERCHANT, A 'PRIS-
ONER, DESCRIBES EN-
CESSES OF SOLDIERY

Belgian soldiers and that OF their
allies, the French, upon Belgian soil is
graphically described in the testimony
of Hollander who has lived in Bel
GUM since 1875, says dispatch to the
North German Gazette. His state
ment was made under oath before a
German military court in Bruges,
where he had been in business for
many wears. ia2"
In October 1914, this man was ar
rested, probably on account of his
German sounding name, and confined
for weeks in Belgian and FrercA h
prisons under great hardships. When
he was finally released he attempted
to walk back to Bruges. but came be-
tween the Franco Belgian fighting line
and was at last compelled after wan
dering about for eight weeks to
journey homeward by way of Dunkirk,
England, and Holland.
He states his experiences in the Bel
gian towns occupied by Belgian and
French troops as follows: ~ F''
Conduct Of Belgian Troops. W
81 remained in East Dunkirk, to.
gether with six young Belgian refu-
gees from Alst and Ghent
"As it was impossible for me to oc'
cupy my time usefully, i went out ID
take daily exercise at the beach be
tween Bath Nieuports and La rPanne
a Belgian coast resort close to the
French border. Belgian and French
troops were quartered in all these
places. 1t is impossible to describe
the filth, the destruction and the dis
order caused in the country homes ant
hotels occupied by the soldiers. The
doors of the houses and rooms were
smashed and the furniture destroyed.
Il myself saw soldier destroy {
valuable bureau for no other reasor
than to procure wood with which tC
warm his coffee. In like manner tn,
cellars had been forced and robbed o
their contents. What could not b,
consumed was destroyed or throw
away. | saw one soldier smash al
expensive mirror in the hotel dihins
room with a champagne bottle which
he was unable to open and which h'
threw against the mirror in his anger
at is impossible for me to remem
ber the names of the hotels in which
! this occurred, but the destruction was
especially great in the hotel adjoining
the Nieuport baths. 4 think the name
was Grand Hotel de la PLACE ls r
SolIed Dishes Thrown Away. GAG w. 1A
81 also observed that the dishes
were not cleaned after the meals, but
simply thrown away and frequently
broken. The officers did not inter
fere with their men. They retired to
one of the hotels and left non-com-
missioned officers In charge, who,
however, did not so out of their way
to stop the excesses of the men. am
sorry to say that the Belgians carried
on worse in their own country than
did the French, who excused their
actions by saying that If they were to
take care OF things the Belgians would
despoil and destroy them anyway,
"That was the way the privates
talked among themselves. The Off
GERS consoled me from day to day with
the assurance that the Germans would
soon be driven out of Belgium and that
IL ! waited few days longer it would
be possible for me to go unmolested
to Bruges by way of Nleuport.
Disorder Prevails Everywhere.
"The Belgian constabulary ordered
us finally to leave East Dunkirk be-
cause the town was no longer safe
from the German bombardment. /
went to Coxyde-Bath, situated a few
miles TO the southwest In the homes
and hotels there prevailed the same
and destruction as in other
towns in that vicinity. II
During one of my walks / met a
woman crying on a farm south of
Furnes. She told me that the Belgian
soldiers had ordered her to clear the
farm because the German troops were
advancing. But this was untrue, and
he soldiers had induced her to leave
.he house in order to be aha to plum
Ter H. When she returned she found
,yerything broken open and her jew
Try money and other possessions
Missing"