Tombstone epitaph. (Tombstone, Ariz.) 1887-current, 1918-08-18
Written BY a Prussian Off
Who Participated in the RaUa
ing and P7laging of Belgium
on ,inued from last week
CHAPTER 40.

Four Of us had formed a close
friendship. We had promised TO keep
together and help one another in
every danger. So we often visited the
homes of citizens together and did our
best TO quiet the harassed people we
met and talk them out Of fear Of our
forces. Without exception we found
these people friendly aud quick to feel
confidence in us when they learned
that We really were their friends. II
We wrote on their doors with chalk
Here live good. honest people. please
spare them" their gratitude knew 70
bounds. II so much bad blood existed
and If so many things which led to the
military execution of innumerahle Bel
gians. II was bccpuse of the mistrust
systematically nourished on the par,
OF the German officers
That night We marched on after be
Ing Joined by 21-centiDeier mortar
battery Of the foot artillery regiment
No. recently arrived Not only were
we 10 act as an auxiliary for this bat.
terry, but We We're also expected 10 help
bring these immense cannon into ac-
ton. These guns were Ia two sections.
each transported on a wagon pulled
by six horses. These horses, the only
ones used by foot artillery. are sup
posed 10 be the finest and most power
ful in the German army.
Yet these animals were seldom up
10 expectations. so that IL WAS com
mon thing 10 detail from 20 10 50 men
to assist in transporting these NOR
tars. and long, heavy ropes were car
ried for this purpose. This happened
most frequently whenever the guns
had TO be taken of a highway and
brought into a firing position.
Soon We arrived at the city of Ber-
frix. We found many houses at the
right and left of US burning brightly.
They had been set afre. We learned.
because persons in them had fred on
passing soldiers. In front of one OF
these houses was a half-burned man
and woman with their fifteen or six
teen-year-old son. All were covered
with straw. A little way farther on.
three more civilians we're lying dead
IN the same street
As We were marching we suddenly
received an order to surround q certain
house at the left OF US Our captain
declared that a shot fired from that
house had killed a soldier. None Of
us had heard anything. however. The
house from which the shot was alleged
to have been fired was soon surround
ed and hand grenades thrown into II
through the windows. In a minute all
the rooms were afame The air pres
sure from the exploding grenades was
so great that doors in the house flew
from their hinges and the walls of sew
eral rooms were crushed.
Almost at the same time fre civil
ians ran into the streets with raised
hands. They were seized at once and
led before the officers. who constituted
themselves Immediately into court
martial. Ten minutes later sentence
had been executed, and five men lay
on the ground with eyes bandased.
riddled with bullets.
IL each case six OF our men were
always called upon to execute one
mans sentence. | am sorry TO say
that was one Of the thirty called
upon at this occasion. The condemned
man who IL was our duty 10 shoot was
ABOUT forty wears old. tan and straight.
He never blinked as the bandage was
put ON. He was led TO the garden of
the house near by and his back placed
to the house. After our captain said
TO Us that IL was our duty to aim true
and end the tragedy quickly, We took
our positions six PAGES In front Of the
condemned man. The sergeant COM
handing us previously gave US instruc-
tons that We were TO shoot the con-
demned men through the breast.
Now we formed into two rows, one
behind the other. The order sounded
to load and aim and we each put five