Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-05-15
GERMAN Forces IMPOSE
HEAVY FINES ON ALL
lin OCCUPIED TERRITORY

/ w II It lNlAANClI AANAhAA@o'
Germany's efforts to "Kulturize"
the occupied districts of France and
Belgium by the introduction of Ger
man system and organization"
reached such degree that the civil
population was subjected to fines of
the most extortionate amounts if their
watches and clocks did not agree to
within a few seconds of the official
time as established by the "Kommand-
ateur."
Every new town retaken by the
French armies reveals fresh facts re-
garding the almost incredible system
employed by the Germans to German
ize" the local inhabitants.
Officers had the right to stop any
civilian on the street and demand that
Re show his watch. If the hands vari-
ed even to the slightest degree from
the German official time as carried
by the officer, the unfortunate civilian
was heavily fined.
Officers could also enter private
homes to look at clocks? If the latter
did not have enough German system
and organization" in their mechanism
to register the hour as fixed by the
"Kommandateur," the unfortunate
house owner was subjected to fine SO
severe that it amounted to confiscation
of property.
While the system of fines originally
was ostensibly for the purpose OF
bringing the civil population up to the
German standard of discipline, sys-
tenn and organization" this pretext has
now been completely abandoned.
Forced as the Germans are to real
ize that they cannot hold indefinitely
the occupied districts of France and
Belgium, the fine system is now being
used for the open purpose of extorting
the last penny that the civil population
possesses while they still have it IN
their power to enforce the extortion.
At Brussels alone the fines now be-
ing imposed are declared to amount to
millions of francs every month.
Some idea Of the amount and nature
of these fines can be secured from the
following cases in towns recently re-
taken by the French:
At Guiyry, two horses were in some
mysterious manner injured IN
stable. For this four inhabitants VINO
knew nothing about the affair were
found guilty, and forced to pay 3,OOO
marks.
At Ugny-le-Gay house was burned
down by the Germans themselves
Nevertheless, they charged that the
owner had set fire to the structure. The
village as whole was held RESPONSE
BILE and forced to pay 10000 marks.
At the same village a civilian was
heavily fined for driving horse which
the Germans declared was not suttici-
emily currycombed AS a search OF the
mans premises failed to reveal suffic-
lent money to pay the fine, he was
given fifteen days in prison.
Failure in every instance to produce
the amount of cash fined by the Ger
mans is invariably followed either by
deportation or long prison sentences.
At Channy, three prominent citizens
were imprisoned. An offer was theh
made to release them upon the sur"
render of a certain amount in munich
nal bonds. These the three men nm
ally secured, whereupon the Germans
deciding they wanted the amount de-
handed in cash instead of bonds, re-
fused to accept the latter, and confined
the three men in humid room without
fire. light nor bedding and diet OF
pint OF coffee in the morning and
piece of bread in the evening.
The men were kept in this condition
until friends succeeded in raising in
the neighborhood villages the sum de-
manded.
Up to date FIVE cemeteries have been
found at Bray Saint Christophe, Amy,
Beuraignes and Crapeaumesnil where
all of the more promising LOOKING
tombs had been dynamited and the
collins stripped not only of the metal
lining but of any objects of silver that
adorned them. Not in single instance
we're the bodies ever placed back IN
the tombs and it can only be supposed