Bisbee daily review., 1917-10-07

en German soldiers firing their guns led the sober ones to believe the civil population was rising, although it was known they had no weapons, and 90 or more leading citizens were shot without a hearing. Women were at tackled in public places.
 But even here there was a chance for Germany. She could say - and she has said-she did not order these things. although she did order the shooting of hostages without inquiry, and she did order the footing which resulted in drunkenness and its thou sand resulting brutal crimes.
 But on one count Germany must face the world, must be tried and sen fenced. with no possibility of acquit- tal She protected her advance with non-combatants.
 The victims of extreme cruelty do not live to tell of it, but German sol diers themselves have told the story We have had here at La Panne many hundreds of journals taken from dead or imprisoned Germans furnishing ela- borate details of most atrocious acts. The government is keeping these jour nals. They furnish powerful and in controvertible testimony of what hap pened in Belgium when it was swept over by brutal army That was, of course, during the invasion; such things are not happening now, so far as we know"
 The king of the Belgians had spoken as a ruler and soldier lie 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 it is small wonder ;hal America heard it with incredulous ears.
 A kings statement and a mans. How about a woman who herself ha ! been among the last to leave Crue sels. and before whom, in the inti- macy of that small villa at La Panne. came soldiers and refugee nobles with their stories of murder and debauch by the invaders?
 I have never before broken the si- 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 Dixmude and Nieuport But the time has come 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.
 Again I quote from my notes of that interview:
 Tt is the women and children" she said. "It is terrible. There must be killing. That is war But not this other thing"
 She could not understand American skepticism on this point. She mad but just returned from England, where in one convent 29 Belgian nuns were enceinte by German soldiers. She had visited the.
 That to her was the most terrible living their devout and simple lives, should have suffered so grossly be- wildered and dazed her. Was there nothing then sacred to these invaders, not even the church?
 'T am a Bavarian." she said. "I have always from my childhood heard this talk that Germany must grow, must get to the sea. l thought it was just talk-a pleasantly. And the lies they have told about us! The em- peror has always pretended to be so friendly, and all the time"
 She held out her hands expressive ly.
 Anyone who knows the king knows that he can not do wrong thing. It is not possible for him. He can not go any way but straight"
 Then she recurred 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. have seen them myself when they did not know who l was-on trains sometimes-not since the war, of course. But the very way they stare at women is odious."
 She thought that this attitude of the Germans explained many things.