The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1917-12-27
Frightfu|ness Taught by German
Leaders Belongs to Age Of
Barbarism.
SOLEMN PLEDGE MERE WORDS
kalser's Statesmen Had No Intention
o: Keeping Faith With Their
Agreement on international Law
Horrors Told by Diaries.

ity in Belgium. says a pamphlet is
sued BY the committee on public in
formation, tho evidence is drawn
mainly from German and American
sources. The German sources in
clude official proclamations and
other official utterances, letters and
diaries of German soldiers. and quo
tat;ons from German newspapers.
The Rules for Field Service" of the
German army advises each soldier
to keep such a diary wh;le on active
service.
In the wars waged In ancient times
It was taken for granted that con-
quered peoples might be either killed,
tortured, or held as slaves; that their
property would be taken and that their
lands would be devastated. "Vae VIC
tbs woe to the conquered!" For two
centuries or more there has been
steady advance In Introducing ideas Of
humanity and especially in combining
the evils of warfare to the cOmbatants.
The ideal seemed to have become SO
thoroughly established as part Of In
ternatlonal law that the powers at The
Hague thought 1t sufficient merely to
state the general principles in Article
XLvI Of the regulations: Family hon.
ors and rights, the lives Of persons
and private property. as well as re-
lIgious convictions and practice, must
be respected. Private property cannot
be confscated." Germany, In common
with the other powers. solemnly
pledged her faith to keep this article,
but her military leaders had no intcn.
ton Of doing SO. They had been
trained in the idens voiced by Gen. Won
Hartmann 40 years ago: Terrorism
Is seen to be a relatively gentle pro-
cedure, useful to keep the masses Of
the people In state of obedience"
This had been Bismnrck's policy. too.
According to Moritz Busch. Bismark's
bioErapher, Bismarck. exasperated by
the French resistance. which was still
continuing In January. 1871, said:
"lf In the territory which we occupy.
We cannot supply everything for our
troops, from time to time We shall send
q flying column into the localities
which are recaicitrant. We shall shoot.
hang and burn. After that has hap-
pened few times. the Inhabitants will
6nally come to their senses"
Horrors Told In seldisrs' Diaries.
The frightfulness taught by the Ger.
man leaders held full sway in Belgium.
This Is hest seen In the entries In the
diaries Of the Individual German sol.
dlers.
"During tile night Of August 1916
Engineer CIR gave the alarm In the
town Of Wise. Every one was shot or
taken prisoner. and the houses were
burnt. The prisoners were made to
march and keep up with the troops"
(From the diary Of noncOmmlssioned
oficer Relnhold Koehn OF the Second
battalion Of engineers. Third army
corps.)
"A horrible bath Of bloo.l. The whole
village burnt. the French thrown Into
the blaxinE houses. civilians with the
rest" (From the diary Of Private
Hassemcr Of the Eighth army corpx.)
I'm the night Of August 1910 the VII.
Iage Of Saint.Ainurice was punished
for having fred IN German soldiers b.
being burnt TO the ground by the Ger.
man troops 1.-TWO regiments, the
Twelfth Inndwehr and the Seven.
tcenih.) The village was surrounded,
n,cn posted nbout . yard from one mn.
other. ~ that No one could get out.
Then the Uhians net fire to II, house
by hOuse. Neither mnn. woman. nor
child could escape: only the grentcr
part Of the live stock We carried on.
a. TINT could be used. Anyone who
v"nturctl IN come out was shot down.
All the inhabitants left In the yillnre
were burnt will, the houses" (rrom
the dinry II Private Knri Scheufcic of
the Third Rnvnrinn regiment md lind.
wchr infnntry.)
AT ten o'clock In the evening the
hrst battalion NJ tho One hundred md
Seventy eighth marched down the s,ccp
incline Into the burning village 10 the
burning village n the north Of DInnn,
A terrific spectacle Of CHASTITY beauty.
Al the entrnnce In the vilinge lay ulou,
ATTY dead civilians. shot for hnyinr
nrcd upon our trOOps from ambush, In
The rours~ Of the night many Others
were also shot. 10 that we counted over
a0. Women snd children. inmp In
hand. were forced 10 iOok on M tho