Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-13

witness OF the massacre saw, on his
way home, twenty bodies, one that OF a
young girl OF thirteen. Another wit
ness saw nineteen corpses In a mea-
dow.
AT Heure lie Roman all the male
inhabitants. including some bedridden
old men. were imprisoned in the
church. The burgomaster.s brother
and the priest were bayonetted. Tho
village OF Wise was completely de-
streycd. Officers directed the incen-
diaries. who worked Ideally with
benzine Antiques and china were re-
moved from the houses. before their do
struction. by officers. who guarded tho
plumber. revolvers In hand
Entries in German diary show
that on August 10 the German soldiers
gave themselves up to debauchery in
the streets of Liege, and on the night
OF the goth massacre took place in
the streets. Though the cause
of the massacre is in dispute. the re-
suits are known with certainty. The
Ruo des Pitteurs and houses in the
Place de fUniversite and the ouai des
Pecheurs were Systematically fired
with benZine; and many inhabitants
were burned alive in their houses.
their efforts to escape being prevented
by rifle fire. Twenty people were shot,
"hile trying to escape. before the eyes
III
fire brigade turned out, but was not
allowed to extinguish the fire Its
carts, however, were usefully employed
In removing heaps of civilian corpses
to the Town Hail."
GIVES LENGTHY DETAILS
OF TERRIBLE CONDITION
Taking up the Valleys OF the Meuse
ana Sombre. the report gives lengthy
details OF terrible conditions described
by witnesses at Andenne. and says:
About 400 people lost their lives in
this massacre. some on the banks of
the Meusc. where they were shot. ac-
cording to orders given, and some in
tho cellars Of the houses. where they
had taken refuge. Eight men be-
longing to one family, were murdered
Another man was placed close to a
machine gun. which was fred through
him. His wife brought his body home
on wheelbarrow. The Germans
broke into her house AND ransacked
1t, and piled up all the eatables in a
heap on the floor.
"A hair dresser was murdered In his
Kitchen. where he was sitting with a
child on each knee. A paralytic was
murdered In his garden. After this
came the general sack OF the town
Many of the inha bitants who ESCAPED
the massacre were kept as prisoners
corpses and bury them in trenches.
These prisoners were subsequently, used
as shelter and protection for a pom
toon bridge, which the Germans had
built across the river. and were SO
used to prevent the Belgian forts from
firing upon II.
"A few days later the Germans cele-
brated fete nocturne in the square
Hot wine. looted in the town. was
ND
to give three cheers for the Kaiser and
to sing Deutschland Uber Alies'"
Similar details are recited at much
length In reference TO the districts Of
Namur. Charleroi and the town OF
Dinant. At the latter point, the report
says. "unarmed civilians were killed in
masses About ninety bodies were seen
lying on top OF one another in a
grass square opposite the convent.
They included many relatives of A Wit
ness. whose dispositions is given
II Is stated that besides the ninety
corpses referred to. sixty corpses of
civilians were recovered from a hole
In the brewery yard. and that forty
eight bodies of women and children
were found in a garden. The town
was systematically set on fire by hand
grenades
We have no reason to believe that
the civilian population OF Dinant gave
any provocation. or that any other de-
tense can be put forward to justify the
treatment inflicted upon its citizens"
COMMITTEE ONLY REFERS
TO SOME OF OUTRAGES
The committee states that il has re-
ceivcd great mass of evidence on
scenes OF chronic outrage" in the ter
ritory bounded by the towns Aershot.
Malines. Nilvorde and Louvain. II
states that the total number OF out
RACES is so great that the committee
cannot refer TO them all. The report
states that the battle OF Malines was
the occasion later OF numerous muir
ders committed by the German army in
retreat!nS through the villages: and in
the second place II led TO the massa-
cres. plunderings and burning at Lou
vain The report adds:
The committee is specially inpressed
by the character OF the outrages com
m'tted In the smaller villages. Many
or these are exceptionally shocking and
cannot be regarded as contemplated
or described by the responsible com
manders OF the troops by whom they
were committed. The inference, how
ever, which we draw from these occur
rences Is that when once troops have
been encouraged in a career of ter
rortsm. the more savage and brutal
natures, of whom there are some in
every large army, are liable to run to
regions where they are least subject
TO observation and control"
evidence goes TO show that deaths
in these villages were due not to acci-
dent. but to deliberate purpose. The
wounds were generally stabs or cuts
and for the most part appear to have
been inflicted with a bayonet.
In Malnes many bodies were seen.
One witness saw a German soldier cut
woman's breast after he had muir
dered her. and saw many other dead
bodies OF women in the street
In Hofstadt two witnesses sneak OF
having seen the body of young man
pierced by hayonet thrusts with the
wrists cut also.
ION side road the corpse Of a civil
ian was seen on his doorstep with a
bayonet wound in his stomach, and by
his side the dead body of a boy of five
or six with his hand nearly severed
Two young women were lying in
the back yard of house. One had
her breasts cut off, the other had been
stabbed
"A young man had been hacked with
bayonet until his entrails protruded