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

When | weai across to France there was
me man whom / wished to meet. 1t Was the
prefect Of Meurthe-etM oselle. | wanted 10
meet him because he Is in charge OF the re-
g;on where German frightfulness reached It's
climax. Leon Mirman has maintained a high
morale in that section Of France which has
suffered most, and which has cause for de-
spair Here it was that the Germans found
nothing that is human alien TO their hate.
When they encountered nun, priest, or a
church. they reacted to the sacred thing and
to the religious person with dissertation, vlo-
lation and murder. But that was only be-
cause there were many Roman Catholics IN
the district They had no race or religious
prejudice. When they came to Luneville
there was a synagogue and rabbi. Ihey
burned the synagogue and killed the rabbi.
As the sun falling around helpless thing,
their hate embraced all grades Of weakness
in Lorraine. In Gerb6viler they shot fifteen
old men in patches of five. In Nomeny they
distinguished themselves by fury against
women. In some of the villages they special
lied in pillage Others they burned with
zeal. Badonviler Nonhigny, Parux, Crevic,
Nomeny, Gerbeviller-the list of the villages
of Meurthe-et- Moselle is tale of the shame
Of Germany and Of the suffering of France.
But not of suffering only. At no place Is
France stronger than at this point of great
est strain. The district is dotted with great
names OF the humble-names unknown be-
fore the war and now to be known for as
long as France is France. Here Sister Julie
held back the German army and saved her
wounded from the bayonet. Here the stanch
Mayor of LunGville and his good wife stayed
with their people through the German occu-
patton.
Leon Mirman is the Prefect of all this
region. lie was Director of Public Charities
in Paris. but when war broke out he asked
to be sent to the post of danger. So he was
sent to the city of Nancy to rule the De
partment Of Meurthe-et Moselle. The Pre-
feet OF a department in France is the same
as the Governor of a state in America. But
his office in peace is as nothing compared to
his power in time Of war. He can suspend
Mayor, and remove an entire population from
one village 70 another. The morale OF France
FOR that section is dependent on the reaction
he makes TO danger and stress.
lie has given me the statement that fol-
lows for the American people through the
columns of The Tribune. Let us remember
in reading it that it comes from the highest
official in France in charge Of the region
where systematic atrocity practised in
an all-inclusive way. On this chance section
OF the worlds great area, supreme and un-
deserved suffering fell. Monsieur Mrman
makes here the first official statement Of the
war on the subject of reprisas. There is
something touching in his desire for our un-
derstanding. France hoped we would see
her agony with the eyes she once turned
toward us. She still hopes on and sends
this message of her representatives:
Statement TO The Tribune Of Leon Mr.
man, Protect of Observation-Disclosures:
~ wish you to understand in what spirit
we began the war In France, and especially
in this district II WAS our intention to fol-
low the rules OF what you call in Enghsh
Fair Play We wished to carry on the
war as we had carried on other wars 10 our
risk and peril, with all the loyalties OF hsht-
ing men. But from the start we have oceh
faced with men whom wo are unable to CON
slider as soldiers, who have conducted them
selves In n section OF our department as VERT
table outlaws. You arc not going, unfortu-
nately, TO Nomeny, which IL . town OF TINS
department WHERE the Germans have CON-