New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-11-02

the hands OF the town authorities. Il
Is unlikely that any organized attach
by civilians could have been made
However, II In individual cases shots
were fired ut the German soldiers, this
may always be cOndOned In a country
suffering invasion. During an occupa'
ton 1t would be different, naturally
No excuse a be offered for such an
action in occupied territory.
"various Belgian officers have told
me Of seeing crowds Of men. women
and children driven ahead of the Ger
man army to protect the troops. This
Is so incredible that I must ask
whether 1t has any foundation OF
TRUTH"
ut Is quite true. It Is a barbarous
and inhuman system Of protecting the
German advance. When the Belgian
soldiers fired on the enemy they killed
their W people. Again and again
innocent civilians Of both sexes were
sacrificed to protect the invading army
during attacks. A terrible slaughter /
There was much nor to the inter
view, but this part is the part thai
concerns us now.
There is no surmise n the kings
statement. It Is quiet. dlgnified, as
restrained as possible, a Dare recital OF
fact. On the right Of Germany to In.
wade Belgium there may be differing
opinions. On the right of any army
pretending to civilization to so protect
its advance there can be but one YER
dict.
The king Of the Belgians had
spoken as a ruler and a soldier. He
had himself fought with his army
those terrible rear-guard engagements
which could have but one end. He
himself had seen this thing, so shock
ing that 1t Is small wonder that
America heard 1t with incredulous
ears.
A kings statement and a mans.
How about a woman who herself had
been among the last to leave Brussels.
and before whom, In the intimacy Of
that small villa Mt La Panne, came
soldiers and refugee mobiles with their
stories Of murder and debauch by the
invaders?
I have never before broken the ST.
lence Of my interview with Elizabeth,
queen Of the Belgians, that small,
frail and heroic woman who has lived
for three years under the roar of the
artillery at Dlxmude and Newport.
But the time has CON to break that
silence. Not all can be told, but be-
cause an Infamous report has been
spread broadcast that Elizabeth of
Belgium sympathizes with Germany, I
shall tell some Of the things she said.
QUEEN TELLS OF HORRORS.
Again I quote from my notes Of
that interview:
"It is the women and children"
she said. ut is terrible. There must
be killing. That is var But not
this other thing"
She could not understand American
skepticlsm on this point. She had
but just returned from England,
where in n convent 20 Belgian nuns
were encelnte by German soldiers. She
had visited them.
That to her was the most terrible
thing Of war. That these quiet women,
living their devout and simple lives,
should have suffered so grossly Devil
dered and dazed her. Was there moth
ing. then, sacred to these invaders, not
even the church?
81 am a Bnvarian," she said. q"
always from my childhood heard
this talk that Germany must grow,
must get to the sea. I thought it was
just talk-a pleasantly. And the lies
they have told about us! The EN-
peror has always pretended to be so
friendly, and all the time"
She held out her hands expressively.
"Anyone who knows the king knows
that he cannot do a wrong thing. 1t
Is not possible for him. He cannot go
any way but straight"
Then she required to the invasion
and the terrible cruelties of the Ger
man army.
"They were terrible" she said,
Especially what they have done to
women and children. But more than
any men In the world the Germans are
cruel to women. l have seen them my
self when they did not know WIG l
trains sometlmes-not slice
the war, of course. But the very way
hey stare at women is odious."
She thought that this attitude Of
The Germans explained many things.
Ana she told me in detail revolving
of the proclamation of churches
lnder the pretext, totally unfounded,
hat the Belgian churches were store
Houses for arms. She told me, too, OF
he especial cruelty they bad shown to
and nuns; of locking the priests
n churches and, after Insulting the
lltar, Of killing them.
1 said 1t was difficult to say what
my army would be In IN occupied
But she protested.
DIARIES CONVICT.
do you think the Be'gians would
lave done such things? Never. Never.
ISOLATED instances might be possible.
But the Germans have committed
thousands of crimes. 1 have sat in
his very room while the diaries of
Ierman soldiers were read. Even If
We had had no other means Of know
those diaries would have told us
They relate ~unspeakable
We cannot impeach that testimony.
But we can add to 1t. At British head
quarters later on an officer high on the
taft of Lord French told me of follow
ng the German retreat at the battle
# the Marine and verifying with his
'wn eyes, for his OWN satisfaction, the
of fhe invaders in Occupied |