Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-06-04
Continued from Last Issue)

Continued from Last Issue)
THERE was a certain gruesome
monotony in the stories after
i all. They were all alike; the
same thing over and over again
everywhere in the land; the same de-
tails, the same characteristics, the
same typical deeds. One comes al
most to recognize it as the work of a
certain type, as old detectives iden-
tify the work of yeggmen, and trap
pers from the signs tell whether
Cheyennes or Sioux have passed that
way
The Germans enter a town; take
hostages-the burgomaster, some
councilmen, one or two notables;
they demand money, food, wine and
forage. All goes we'll enough for a
few days. The army moves on.
There is a reverse, and soldiers
swarm back into the town crying,
Man hat geschossen." Then muir
der, pillage, fire, rape, massacre.
This happened again and again; at
Herve, at Bligny, Battice, Retinne,
Schaffen, Charleroi, Hougaerde, at
WORCESTERSHIRE at Gougnies,
and at Termonde-occupied twice by
the Germans, who, driven out the
first time by the Belgian troops, re-
turned and almost annihilated the
town.
This is the story of the priest OF
Schaffen:
1.-THE Germans led me into my gar
den and tied my hands behind my
back. They ill-treated me in every
possible way. They prepared a gall
lows, saying that they were going to
hang me; one of them seized in turn
my head, nose and ears, going
through the gestures of cutting OF
the members. They forced me to
gaze at the sun for a long time.
They smashed the arms of the black
smith, and then killed him. Once
they forced me into the mayors
burning house, then drew me out
again. This sort of thing lasted all
day. Toward evening they told me
to look at the church, saying it would
be for the last time. At quarter
to Z they let me go, striking me Win
their riding crops. l was covered
with blood and lay unconscious.
Then an officer had me placed on my
feet and ordered me to go on. A lew
metres from them they fired on me;
I fell and was considered dead; to
this fact owe my life. They claimed
they had been fired on from the
church tower, but this was false, Tor
the church door was locked and IL
was they that forced it open, without
finding any one in the church.
The atrocities have been made the
subject of two serious investigations
that of the Belgian commission
headed by Mr.. Henri Carton de
Wharf, the Belgian minister OF JUS
tice. and that of the English commits
sion. presided over by Lord Bryce,
formerly British ambassador at
WASHINGTON. Something of the sweep
of these Investigations may be gain
cred from the fact that the report Oh
the Belgian commission, the Grey
Book Gle Livre Gris), forms an in
ouarto volume of SIS pages. Many
brochures have appeared that treat
of these atrocities, and recently an
excellent study, 1.-THE German Army
AFT Louvain" and "The German
white Book" (L'Armee allemande
Louvain en- aout 1914, at le L1Vre
Blanc de 10 mai 1870, has been
published, which gives a sober ana
convincing account of the tragedy at
Louvain and contains an aole
analysis of the White Book. Many
of the facts given in this work are
borne out by my notes. The report
of the British commission-that Is
to say, the conclusions drawn from
the evidence heard before the COM
nnission-contains SO in-quaTto
pages, while the evidence itself forms
a 2OO-page volume of the same
dimensions.
The tale is unending. Horror piles
on horror. We heard them every day
all that autumn, all that winter. EV-
erv refugee who came to Brussels
every one who came in from the
country, brought them, and they
will be told in Belgium for cen
tury to come. At first one hearo
them and could not believe tnem'
and when. finally one did DeneVe
them. because t h ere was no