New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-10-15
By ARTHUR GLEASON

mitted the worst Of their atrocities. AT leas'
you will 20 70 Gerbeviler where they burned
the houses. one by one, and put to death ole
men, women and children.
Mention is often made Of these two town
ships where the Inhabitants suffered the mos
severely from the invasion Of the enemy, but
in many other townships, long list, th(
Germans acted IN the same way. They burned
the streets, they killed men, women and chill
dren without cause Always they gave th'
oretext. to excuse themselves. that the civil
ian population had fired on them. On thai
point bring you my personal testimony:
say to you on my honor that this German
allegation is absolutely false
AT my request l was appointed the Pre-
feet of Meurthe-et- Moselle on August 8, 1914
In all the townships of this department, or
nv arrival | requested in the most urgent
terms that the inhabitants should not give
way to restessness and should not resort to
single act which ] called an unruly act by
themselves taking direct part in the war.
made those requests in perfect agreement
with all the population, approved by the
most ardent patriots. | held inquiries, fire.
quent and detailed, to find out if my instruc-
tions had been respected. Not once have
been able to establish the fact that q civilian
fred on the Germans.
"If isolated instances Of that sort did take
place they could not be admitted as justify
ing the total of systematic crimes committed
by the Germans, but have not been able TO
lay hold of a single instance.
81 will cite two incidents which will mark
out for you in a clear-cut way what believe
to be the French method
AT the beginning of the war a German
aviator threw bombs town near Nancy
The Mayor, revolted, went to the town hall
where the arms had been deposited, and took
hunting rife and fred at the aviator. II is
clear that the German aviator was commit
ting a crime contrary TO all the laws of war,
but | held that the Mayor of that town by
himself firing in that way on criminal WAS
disobeying the laws of his country. | pro-
ceeded to disciplinary measures against the
Mayor: suspended him from Office for many
weeks.
another incident: In the first days Of
August, 1914, the Germans entering Badon-
viler, exasperated perhaps by the resistance
which our soldiers of the rear guard gave
them, or simply wishing to leave token OF
their Kultur and to terroriZe the population,
burned part of the village and fred on the
inhabitants az If they were rabbits.
81 arrived the next day. The French troops
had reentered Badonviller and had taken
some German soldiers prisoners. The prison
ers were being led 10 the town hall. The
fires had not yet been put out and the women
whom the Germans had murdered were still
unburied.
"The Mayor had seen the terrible specta-
Gle He had seen his young wife murdered
at his doorstep in front of her little children
He himself had suffered violence. But he
had stuck 70 his post and had continued to
carry on the affairs Of his town. While the
prisoners were being led along the inhabi-
tants of Badonviller. who had seen these
crimes, recognized the prisoners and sur
rounded them, threatening them and crying
out against them. The Mayor threw himself
resolutely between the prisoners and his
people. The Mayor. who had had his own
flesh and blood murdered and his heart torn,
declared with emphasis that those prisoners,
no matter what crimes they had committed
were protected by the law and that II was not
permitted 20 any civilian to touch n hair OF
their head.
because he had called to order some Of
his people whose anger was natural enough.