Evening journal., 1918-02-08

"The same day other murders took 4
place. For no reason whatever, NJ.
Fournier. a cafe proprietor and his
nepheyv were arrested at home, carried
off In a motor-car, and both snot. six
hundred yards from their house A |
Bavarian Soldier Of the 4th Infantry
Regiment levelled his rifle at NJ Lher-
mite, as he was going indoors, and
killed him. lie then opened the breech
OF his rifle to extract the empty cart
ridge and quietly got into a regimental
cart
Mime Berard. the wife of a soldier on
active service. was ordered TO give
some men Of the Seth and 6sth Bava-
rlan Regiments something to drink. She
had already drawn q large number Of
buckets Of water for them. when an Of
flcer-or a nOn-commissioned officer
considering that she had done enough,
commanded her TO go back home. As
the Germans were firing at the house,
Nine Berard hid herself In the cellar
with her three children-Jean, aged
6 Maurice AGED two: jeanne aged
nine-and the Aulero family. But soon
she noticed petrol being poured through
the ventilator. found herself suddenly
surrounded by flames. and ru he'd out
wildly, carrying one Of the little boys
under each arm, while her little daugh-
ter and young Beatrice Aufero ran be
side her. cllnging TO her dress.
"Just as the party were crossing the
stream called the Rougeval, few
steps from the house. the Bavarians
opened nre on the fugitives. Little Jean
was struck in the thigh, low down on
the leg, and in the breast and cried
out: Obi mother. I am hurtp He died
Immediately. Beatrice Aulero received
bullet which almost completely sew
cred her right arm; and her sister An
gele, q child Of nine, who was follow
ing close behind her. was wounded, not
quite SO badly. in the calf.
Mime Berard WIS then Joined by
Nine. Aufero, and reached the road,
where an awful sight met their eyes.
About twenty yards away the Germans
were executing Aunero, whom they
had brought out Of the cellar. One OF
them. turning TO the wife OF the man
they were about 10 execute, said to
her with a grin: Just watch US shoot
your Mann v-'Oh my poor Gomez she
soreamed.-Shuf your MOUTH they
replied.
"The two womeL and the children
were then taken TO a meadow Of Pont-
de-lEtang, where a general ordered
them 10 be shot. But Nine Berard
flung herself on her knees and begged
mercy. CRYING and clutching his hands,
TIL he consented to spare them. One OF
the officers present pointed to the
corpse OF little Jean, to whom the
mother still ciung, and said: There's
one who VIII never Tight against our
men later on Next day the unhappy
woman, who had spent the night In a
place called the Zeller Barriere, was
told that she must dispose OF her childs
remains as quickly az possible. Find
Ing nobody TO make a coffin, she pro
cured from the canteens a couple OF
cases In which rabbits had been
packed. and nailed them end 10 end She
then placed the body inside and went
10 the end Of the garden to dig the
grave. A Bavarisn oflcer had the
shamelessness to ask her to sell him
rs a souvenl no doubt-a medallion
containing a photograph Of the little
murdered boy which she wore on her
neck.
"On the 26th the Germans continued
the slaughter. NJ GenOt, the mayor
Able Vouaux, and NM Fidler and Ber-
nier. who had been arrests ed the day be-
fore. were lined up along a fence be-
hind the Blanchon inn, and shot on the
word Of command Besides these vic
tins. NJ. Plessis, a retired gamekeeper,
was dragge out Of his house and
killed In front Of Il. and many Italians
were put 10 death.
at need hardly be said that at Jarny,
lust as everywhere else, pillage was the
accompaniment Of murder and incen-
diarism. The soldiers carried on or
uaments. and objects Of worship from
the sscristy Of the parish church; aid
banners, altar cloths. and even grave
cloths were found afterwards In the
streets and fields"
Fresnes. In the Woevre. was occu-
pled by the Bavarians for six days, and
on Sept IS. when they evacuated IT,,
they shot the acting mayor and his
son. set their house on fire, and threw
the sons wife and another woman
alive into the Games. They burned so
houses at Fresnes altogether. besides
A girls school and the town hall The
houses were .plundered Systematically
before they were burnt: the loot was
carried OF In mOtor-cars to Germany,
and 50 families at Fresnes were left
without a home.
Al Combres, a few miles further
south, on the eastern heights or the
Mouse. the whole population was
dragged out on the morning OF Sept.
% and hsrded on TO a hillside as
screen for tie Bavarians against the
French IRE. Twelve hours later, at
dusk. they were herded back. and given
an hour TO collect the barest neces-
saries from their talready plundered)
homes. Then they were locked up IN
the church for the night and AZ =
o'clock next morning herded out again
on 10 the hillside for a second DAY.