The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1915-05-12

ing man hat geschossen.' One so
at dier was seen going along shooting
70 the air
er THE massacre of civilians at Lou
ry vain was not confined to its citizens
H. Large crowds Of people were brough
in Louvain from the surrounding dis
Is tricts, not only from Aershot and Gel
q rod but also from other places. Fo
n many women and children were tax
d ed in stable. OF the hundreds of peo
Il pie thus taken from the various vii
[ lagos and brought to Louvain as pris
a oncrs, some were massacred there,
: others were forced to march along
J. with the citizens of Louvain through
| various places, some being ultimately
sent to the Belgian lines at Malines,
others were taken in trucks to Col
ogne, Others were released
"It is to be noticed that cases oc-
cur in the depositions in which hui
lmane acts by individual officers and
soldiers are mentioned, or in which
lofficers are said to have expressed
regret at being obliged to carry out
orders for cruel actions against the
civilians. Similarly we find entries
in diaries which review genuine pity
for the population and disgust at the
conduct Of the army. 1t appears that
Ia German non commissioned officer
stated definitely that he was acting
under orders and executing them
with great unwillingness. A com
missioned officer, on being asked at |
Louvain by witness, a highly edu-
Gated man, about the horrible acts |
committed by the soldiers, said he
was merely executing orders, and that
he himself would be shot if he did
not execute them"
I'VE arc driven TO the conclusion
that the harrying of the villages in
the district, the burning of large
part of Louvain, the massacre there,
the marching out Of the prisoners,
and the transport to Cologne, tall
done without inquiry as to- whether
the particular persons seized or kill
ed had committed any wrongful act) I
were due to a calculated policy car I
ried out scientifically and deliberately
not merely with the sanction, but un- I
der the direction of higher military {
and were not due to any 7
provocation of resistance by the civ-if
lian population
A division of the report is given
TO diaries of German soldiers The i,
entry of sergeant of the First Guard r
regiment, who received the IRON =
Cross, says under date of August 10: :,
"A transport of 800 Belgians came u
through Luisburg in the morning of q
hese, eighty, including the Ober
were shot according to :,
martial law" The diary of mem r.
,er Of the Fourth company of Jagers ),
'ays under date OF Aug. 49, about =
20 inhabitants and the villages were :,
,urned. Artillery is continuously !,
hooting. Just now the crossing Of d
he Meuse begins near Dinant All IN
illages, chateaux and houses are !,
,urnt down during the night. 1t is r,
beautiful sight to see the fires all IN
round US in the distance" Another 81,
iary by a member of the Second | "a
lounted battery. First Kurhessian :,
ield artillery regiment, number II -,
ecords an incident which happened 70
n French territory near Lille, on -,
'ct II: 1--WE had no fight but we ,b
aught about twenty men and shot -.
hem" The committee says of this 81.
ast diarya No
"By this time killing not in a fight
-ould seem to have passed into a ,,s
abit.' The report adds that the ,a
iost important entry is contained in t.;
ary No. 19. This contains no name ~
nd address, but names referred to Ia,
the diary indicate that the entries os
ere made by an officer of the First In
giment of foot guards The entry NJ,
ade at Bermeton on Aug. "a, says ~,
We took about 1000 prisoners; at Pc
asst 500 were shot. The village was fra
Irned because inhabitants had also Tor
ot. Two civilians were shot at tbe
zee" he,
The conclusions of the committee
to the various detailed recitals, ho,
e as follows: We,
I'VE may now sum up and en- ne,
aYor to explain the character and ret
ynificance Of the wrongful acts ian
ne by the German army in Bel ma
I'm. f,ri
IF line is drawn on a map from bee
2 Belgian frontier to Liege and ten
ntinued TO Charleroi. and a second nor
e drawn from Liege to Mslines. a ras
It OF figure resembling an irregu and