The Benson signal., 1917-12-29


in sympathy with them have done all
in their power to stimulate hatred of
other peoples in the minds of the Ger
mans. A campaign of education be-
fore the war was carried on with the
object of impressing upon the minds
of the Germans the treacherOuS nature
of the peoples against whom the mill
tary leaders were anxious to wage
war. Not only were the Germans grad
ually led to believe that it was neces-
sary to fight defensive war against
unscrupulous foes, but also that these
foes would violate every precept of hui
manity, and consequently must be
crushed without mercy as measure
of self f-defenSe The fruits of this
campaign of suspicion and hatred be-
came evident when almost at the out
break Of the war many Germans be-
came possessed with the belief that
the whole population Of Belgium, the
first country to be invaded, had viO-
lated every rule of honorable warfare,
that the francs-tireurs (guerrillas)
were everywhere present doing their
deadly work in secrecy or under the
cover of darkness; that women and
even children were mutilating and kill
ing the wounded or helpless prisoners.
The effect Of the fables upon the
popular mind may be seen in the fol-
lowing extracts from German letters:
Extract from q letter written by a
German soldier to his brother. CThis
letter, now in the possession of the
United States government was obtain
ed for this pamphlet from Mr.. J. G.
Grew, formerly secretary to the United
States embassy at Berlin.)
November 4, 1914.
"The battles are everywhere ex-
tremely tenacious and bloody. The
Englishmen we hate most and we want
to get even with them for once. While
one now and then sees French prison
ers, one hardly ever beholds French
black troops or Englishmen. These
good people are not overlooked by our
infantrymen; that sort Of people is
moved down without mercy. The
losses of the Englishmen must be enor-
nous. There is a desire to wipe them
out, root and ALL"
The emperor gave his sanction to
the reports of the brutal acts of the
Belgians in telegram to President
Wilson.
Berlin, via Copenhagen, Sept. Z, 1914.
Secretary of State, Washington.
Number 3d. September z. I am re-
quested to forward the following tele-
gram from the emperor to the presi-
dent:
"I feel it my duty, Mr.. President
to inform you as the most prominent
representative of principles Of human
ity, that after taking the French fort
ress of Longwy, my troops discovered
made by special government machin-
cry. The same kind of ammunition
was found on killed and wounded
troops and prisoners, also on the Brit
ish troops. You know what terrible
wounds and suffering these bullets in
hidden by the established rules of in
ternatiOnal law. I therefore address
a solemn protest to you against this
kind of warfare, which, owing to the
methods of our adverSarieS, has be-
come one of the most barbarOuS known
in history. Not only have they en-
ployed these atrocious weapons, but
the Belgian government has openly en-
couraged and long since carefully pre-
pared the participation of the Belgian
civil population in the fighting. The
atrocities committed even by women
and priests in this guerrilla warfare,
also on wounded soldiers, medical staff
and nurses, doctors killed, hospitals
attacked by rifle fire, were such that
my generals finally were compelled to
take the most drastic measures in or
der to punish the guilty and to fright
en- the bloodthirsty population from
continuing their work of vile murder
and horror Some villages and even
the old town of Loewen Nouvain)
excepting the fine hotel de vile, had
to be destroyed in self-defense, and
for the protection of my troops. My
heart bleeds when I see that such
measures have become unavoidable
and when I think of the numerous in
nocent people who lose their home and
property as a consequence Of the bar
barous behavior Of those criminals.
Signed. William. Emperor and King
GERARD Berlin"
Lorenz Muller in the German Cath
olic Review, Der Feis, February, 1915,
made the following statement in re-
gard to the emperOr's telegram:
"Of1icially no instance has been
proven of persons having fired with
the help of priests from the towers Of
churches All that has been made
known up to the present, and that has
been made the object of inquiry con-
cerning alleged atrocities attributed to
Catholic priests during this war, has
been shown to be false and altogether
imaginary, without any exception. Our