Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-08-14
SEES VICTIMS
OF HUN HATE
FORMER OTTUMWAN WITNESSES
EVIDENCE OF BRUTALITY
IN BELGIUM.


IN BELGIUM.
| Ashton Jones, son of Mr.. and Mrs
Ed Jones of Great Falls, Mont, a for
| mer resident of Ottumwa and at pres.
ent visiting his grandmother, Mrs
Mary Harper, 90S North Court street
and other relatives, saw trainload of
little Belgian children pass through
| Great Falls last spring nearly all of
whom were mutilated in some manner.
They were travelling over the Great
Northern railroad to a Belgian colony
| in Washington. Between $50 and 200
children were in the group.
"Bereft of a hand, an ear or bearing
some other mark of cruelty inflicted by
the kaiser's troops on the innocent lit
tie children Of bleeding and suffering
Belgium, the little ones bore mute tes-
timony of the awfulness of war, especi-
said Mr. Jones'
CROWD SOON GATHERS.
"The train came unheralded into
Great Falls, but it was not long until a
large crowd had gathered at the sta
tion The news of carload Of multi
ated Belgian children going through
the city, brought throng in a short
time
1--WE were not permitted to enter
the cars. but it was rot necessary. The
children were easily seen through the
windows and the sight was one not
soon forgotten Little wan faces that
one instinctively knew had once been
cherubic in beauty and health. now
presented pictures of pain and suffer
ing.
HAND OR NOSE CUT OFF.
Here and there one saw the stump
of an arm, the hand being gone. No in
terpreter was necessary to tell how 1t
happened. Here and there little face
seemed to shrink from view. for the
end of the nose had been sheared OF
or the face disfgured for life. Boys
and girls alike were among the MAIN
ed and mutilated little ones.
Zone peered through the car win
dows and saw child. perhaps q boy or
maybe girl. both sexes seemed to
fare alike, with the left ear cut OF or
perhaps on another it was the right
lobe. I saw one child with one side OF
her mouth slit open extending far into
the cheek. She felt conscious of her
Disagreement even at her tender age,
for the children ranged from fifteen
years downward with most Of them
seemingly about IL years Of age. Some
seemed oblivious to their appearance.
as they were by that time accustomed
to it and so scared by the horrors Of
war as the Germans practiced 1t in
their beloved Belgium, that they did
not mind being viewed by curious per-
sons outside the cars, who were at
least unable to annoy them with silly
questions they were unable to under
stand or brighten them for some SEEM
ed timid
FEW ARE UNscARRED.
Some were seen who showed no evi-
dence Of mutilation. but the many bore
some marks. Cut faces and foreheads
were the more common sight and few
but bore some mark Of the German In
vasion of their beloved land.
"The impression left on the minds OF
many of those who witnessed the little
sufferers from wars hellish barbarity,
will never be effaced. To some who
saw it the desire to enlist Immediately
came and one young attorney left the
station to seek the recruiting Office
where he asked the chance to avenge
the wrongs done Belgium's little limo.
cent children.
1.-THE train did not remain long in the
city,, just long enough to change en-
gines, but In that few minutes, some Of
us saw a sight that will always be hard
to forget. Doctors and nurses accom-
panied the children and kept the curl
Gus throng from entering the train"
Mr.. Jones was born In Ottumwa, his
father having been for years engaged
In newspaper business here and associ-
ated in the publishing Of the Ottumwa
Press with George Riley, who since
died in the west The family left for
the west seventeen years ago and the
elder Jones is publishing farm paper |
at Great Falls and operates ranch as
well. The son who is visiting here, is
in the freight department OF
the Great Northern at Great Falls.