Meade County news., 1917-12-27

After reading Sucn gnaStiy accOuntS' |
many of them written by German eye
witnesses, and knowing that similar
tales were published widely in the
German newspapers, 1t is difficult to
read with patience such words as
these:
'The German army lin which OF
course include the navy) is today the
greatest institute for moral education
in the world"
"The German soldiers alone are
thoroughly disciplined, and have never
so much as hurt hair of single In
nOcent human being. Stew
art Chamberlain, in Kriegsaufsdtze'
"War Essays" 1914.
eve see everywhere how our SOL
diers respect the sacred defenseless-
ness of woman and child."-Prof. G.
Roethe, In Deutsche Reden in Schwerer
Zeit, German Speeches in Difficult
Days"
Hostages Lives Hung by Thread.
"In order to insure sufficiently the
safety of our troops and the tranquil
lty of the population Of Relms, the
persons mentioned have been seized
as hostages by the commander of the
German army. These hostages will
be shot II there is the least disorder.
On the other hand II the town re-
mains perfectly calm and quiet these
hostages and inhabitants will be
placed under the protection of tho
German army.
1.-THE GENERAL COMMANDING.
"Reims, 10Th September, 1914"
Beneath this proclamation there
were posted the names of 81 hostages
and statement that others had also
been seized as hostages. The lives OF
all these men depended in reality
upon the Interpretation which the Ger
man military authorities might give to
the elastic phrase, "the least disorder,
in the proclamation.
Hugh Gibson, in Journal from our
Legation in Belgium, page 1S4, explains
what was likely to happen:
"Another thing is, that on entering
a town, they hold the burgomaster, the
procureur du roi, and other authorities
as hostages to insure good behavior by
the population. OF course, the hood
lum class would like nothing better
than to see their natural enemies, the
defenders of law and order, ignomini
ously shot, and they do not restraiI
themselves q bit on account of tn,
hostages"
Diary Of BombardIer Wetzel.
"Aug. Sth. First fight and set fir
to several villages.
"Aug. 9th. Returned to old quar-
} ters; there we searched all the house
and shot the mayor and shot one ma
down from the chimney pot, and the
we again set fire to the village.
: "On the 18th August Letalle (H car
tured 10 men with three priests be
cause they have shot down from tn
: church tower. They were brought int
the village of Ste. Marie.
"Oct. 9Th. We were in quarters |
the evening at Willekamm. Lleutenar
Radfels was quartered In the mayor
house and there had two prisoner
(tied together) on a short whip, and
case anything happened they were
be killed.
"Oct. 18th. We had no fight, but W
caught about 20 men and shot ther
(From the dairy of Bombardier Wetzt
: Second Mounted Battery, First Ku
!, hessian Field Artillery, Regiment N
11.)"
: The Germans also found 1t co
venlent on many occasions to secu
) civilians, both men and women. wi
}, could be forced to march or stand
/ front of the troops, so that the countr
u men of the civilians would be col
1 PEELED first to kill their own people
) they resisted the Germans. TIL
/ usage is illustrated in the following:
Letter of Lieutenant EberIein.
: "October 7, 1914.
3. "But we arrested three other civ
7 ians, and then I had brilliant ide
We gave them chairs, and we then {
o dered them to go and sit out in t
r middle of the street. On their pa
n pitiful entreaties; on ours, few blo'
Y. from the butt end of the rifle. Lit
e by little one becomes terribly Gallo
l. at this business. At last they we
e all seated outside in the street.
e not know what anguished prayers tn
Is may have said but / noticed that tht
hands were contulsively clasped t
l. whole time. pitied these fellows, b
,e the method was Immediately etfecti'
"The Rank fire from the hous
-e uBlckly diminished, so that we we
W able to occupy the opposite house a
" thus to dominate the principal sire
Ir Every living being who showed hlms
@. in the street was shot. The artille
j. on its side had done good work all Il
10 time. and when, toward seven o'clo
r. In the evening, the brigade advanC
e. to the assault to relieve us | was
position to report that Saint |
In had been cleared of the enemy.
IL.