The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-06-23
CHARGE CRIMES
IN FRANCE TO
HIGH COMMAND
Official Report on Conditions
In Reconquered Terri
tory Published
UNUSUAL SEVERITY
IN ALL DISTRICTS
Rights Of Population Disre-
garded and Property
Totally Destroyed

Paris, June 23.-CBy Mail )-The
Official French report on conditions in
the reconquered territory in northern
France, giving fuller particulars of the
German outrages, including the enslav-
ing and spoliation of the populations.
was issued this week.
1t is signed by Georges Paelle, first
president of the chancery court; Ar
mand Mollard, minister plenipotentiary;
Georges Maringer, chancellor Of state,
and Edmond Paillot, counsellor of the
supreme court. Some striking excerpts
follow:
Orders From Above.
Since April IL. we had pursued our
inquiry into the territories recently lib
Grated and our conviction has been con-
firmed that all the violations of human
rights of which the German armies
have been guilty have been committed
under orders issued by the high COM
mand.
In every district the same meas
ures of unjust rigor and cruelty to-
ward the people, the same processes of
devastation and brigandage have been
employed simultaneously and in the
same conditions. Everywhere popula-
tions have been ransomed and deported,
manufacturing plants destroyed. houses
torn down or burned, furniture stolen
or wrecked, trees cut down, wells pol
soned and agricultural implements
smashed or taken away.
Families Separated.
There is not a single locality whose
inhabitants Of both sexes from Is to
so years have not been torn from
their homes and sent to Germany
or farther to the north Of France with
no more regard for the grief of their
families than for the welfare Of young
~ I-Ts-
quieting hazards.
AT Douilly a young woman who
two days previously had given birth
to a stiIl-born child had to leave her
bed and go. AS v''th her cheeks
streaming with tears she passed before
the door of Nine. Wagner, the latter
seeing she was scantily dressed threw
shawl over the girls shoulders to
protect her from the cold and watched
her departure, convinced she would
never see her again.
"One day in November. 1915, after
the evacuation of a part OF the popu-
lation, an excited woman arrived at
the city hall of Chauny; she was
shrieking and tearing her hair.
THE mayor took her to Reserve
Officer Dergschmidt, Berlin lawyer.
representing the Kommandatur, but
the latter told her 70 shut up as she
bothered him and upset everybody.
Then, addressing the magistrate who
tried to soften hi m, the officer said:
Humanity" Erased.
"Mr. Mayor. you know very well /
have told you many times and I now
tell you once for all, the words 'hu-
manity' and pity are blotted out of
the dictionary. You understand, don't
your"
Various German army orders to the
French civilians are quoted in the re-
port. Some passages of these orders
follow:
ANY attempt to escape or to be-
have insubordinately may provoke the
use of firearms without warning.
Sentences of detention, prison up
to three months and fines up to 1000
marks may be inflicted by the COM
mandant of the district. The deten-
ton must be carried out so that the
prisoner shall not escape his work: his
sentence must be purged in later hours
and he will not receive pay for that
period.
"AlI workmen, women and children
Of Is must work in the field every day
including Sundays from a. m. to 8
p. m.
Lives to Answer.
Tn every district, certain number
Of notables whose names will be pub
lished will answer with their lives for
the security OF railroads in their dis
trict. Furthermore, every district in
which railroad line has been damaged
or destroyed shall be fined or other
wise punished.
In certain circumstances the whole
district may be evacuated; the men be-
ing taken to prisoners camps and the
rest of the population distributed over
other localities.
ANY inhabitant who shelters or
helps stragglers without Immediately
making declaration or notices to the
German authorities will be shot. Also
the district will be heavily fined.