Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-07
Kun STILL BARBARIAN
WHILE BEGGING PEACE
Captured Orders Show Germans
Are Still Looting and Destroy
ing at Kaiser's Command.

Washington, Nov. 1--Gcrman forces
IN their retreat from Belgium are bonn
harding defencelcss towns, using especially
gas shells. and devastating the country
side, according to an eyewitness account
made public today by the Belgian Le-
CATION.
The Belgian government has been m
formed p" said the statement, by re-
liable eyewitness who follows closely the
opcrations nj the Belgian front that at
the very moment that the German govern
ment has announced its protest against
nhuman acts and while Germany offers
to stop aerial bombardment IN the m
tercst of the civil population OF the occu-
pied territory. the Germans nave toih-
bardcd the villages and towns whch they
were Obliged to abandon during their re-
treat. they have used especially gas shells
for this purpose.
"Indescribahlv heartrendng scenes have
occIrred the unfortunate population
having no Gas masks or means OF pro-
tcction against these death-spreadIng
fumes \ Belgian soldier entering Wyn-
phemc. hIs home town found his wife
diving and his little daughter dead, VIC
tins of the poison gas. and his home a
heap of RUNS The country all round
Ghcnt. the rich and beautiful cultivated
fields and pastures, the picturesque VII
lagos of Iansbeke. I.andeghem. NcvaIc
Lacthem, SAINT Martin, Tronchicnncs,
present horrible sight OF devastation and
havoc Not church was spared from
destruction
among the civilian population hiding
i'm the cellars there have been q great
MANY deaths from gas, y IN the village
of tiansbckr alone \ portion OF the
-, b,sl lo1 from fhptr homes
during the fighting and bombardmCnt
found on their return more runs and
debris trees had been cut down, houses
tansackcd. furniture smashed to pieces,
fields devastated.
From these facts one may appreciate
how hypocritical are the Humanitarian
propositions and protCStanons OF the Ger
man government.
The legation also made public a cap
tured order OF Bayarian division COM
mandcr proposing that the German
government : dcnials that the troop are
continuing their looting practices are
false The order reads:
'Rcgrettable as is the situation OF the
Belgian populacc, the question OF supplies
for our troops. heavily engaged at the
front, must remain for us OF paramount
inheritance. For this reason the last draft
morse, the AsSI NttilEIt- IiAtLNt ~ AN'{tA
sitioned and used to the greatest adVan-
tagc.
Commanders Of the various units and
men must take into account that the
attitude Of the population toward MS has
been completely modified, Since the
situation has been altered. one must not
expect to find in the Belgians the same
docihtv that has characterized them
through the past years OF our warfare
They must be considered strictly as the
population of an enemy State with which
We are ut war Therefore. il Is particu-
larlv forbidden 10 assist the civilian popu-
Iation in any way military interests
alone should be considered. The products
of the country must be utilized solely IN
o,lr own interests
This document, Belgian officials de
clare. means nothing more than carefully
worded instructions TO TIE retreating Ger
man armies to rob, h4rD and destroy
property as they fall back