The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1918-05-02
CHAPTER II.
.csDTsa BY Rtoa Free Res,J

pltdl. met many more WOunueu men
who had fought In Belgium. All were
Of the opinion that the Belgian dead
numbered as many civilians as SOL
diers. Even If the German soldiers
who fought In Belgium do not admit
the cruelties committed against the
Belgians, 1t cannot be denied that at
least so per cent Of the cruelties
known to the world TO have been COM
nitted in Belgium were only too true.
A young soldier who lay next to me
in the hospital told me that his COM
pany, during q street fight in Liege,
was given orders to kill everybody
without discrimination. Systematical-
ly, one house after another was set on
fire. The inhabitants either fell in the
flames or became the victims in the
streets to the gun barrels of the Ger
man kultur-bearers.
At the time / doubted the words Of
my neighbor, even though l had seen
what German warfare meant. After
a few days l was released from the
hospital and again restored to my de-
tachment Partly by auto, partly by
foot. l reached my detachment by ten
o'clock IN the evening. Our transport
moved this time over Trier to Luxem-
burg. The little grand duchy of Lux
emburg was overrun entirely by Ger
man soldiers. The Germans who had
made their homes IA Luxembourg had
everything taken away from them, es-
pecially the farmers, all food, without
thought Of payment, so that in Luxem-
burg at this time there was q shortage
OF food. The people here as well as
In Belgium were very friendly, yet they
harbOred a terrible bitterness against
the German government, which had
loosed It's troops like band of robbers
country.
Belgium and Luxembourg, the two
arst unhappy victims Of the damnable
German politics and its drunkenness
with power!
That the Luxembourg citizens detest-
ed Germany an incident showed me
which happened in the village of Mar
moth. We were in friendly CONVEX
sation with a Luxembourg farmer. Two
officers approached and listened. One
burger, "What do you think of the
war, and of the quickness of Germany
There is only one Germany, isn't
thereF
"Yes," replied the farmer. Thank
the Lord"
For those four words the farmer
was arrested at once and transported
TO Germany as q court prisoner. |
could never learn what became of
him.
The same evening we were trans
ported in automobiles and on the eve
ming Of August 20, 1914, we reached
our detachment, which was about 80
miles from the Belgian city Of Neuve
Chateau. The regiment to which | be-
lOnged did not take part in any opera
tons after the fall of Liege, but was
transported to this part of Belgium
Now ! learn FOR the first time no"
heavy was the loss 81 my company In
the Lege fighting. We lost 1877 men in
dead and wounded.
This night we slept in an open field.
At five o'clock the next morning we
marched again until four o'clock in
the afternoon, when we were given a
rest.
1t was about ten o'clock in the eve
ming when we received orders to ad-
vance. We were all ready to proceed
when another order came for US to re-
main at our bivouac overnight. Dur
ing the night we heard laundering OF
cannon which became more violent.
The battle Of Neuve Chateau, which
had continued from August % to Au-
gust "a, 1914, had begun.
At four o'clock on the morning OF
August % we resumed our march. At
Neuve Chateau the French army had
| encountered the Fourth German army.
First there was, as always, minor out
post and patrol fighting. BY and by
larger masses of troops participated,
and as we took our part In the battle
on the evening Of August %. the fight
had developed into one Of the most
sanguinary Of the world war.
When we arrived the French occu-
pied almost three-quarters Of the town.
The artillery had set the main part Of
Neuve Chateau on fire and only the
beautiful residence section in the west
ern part Of the city escaped at that
time. All night long the house-to-
house fighting continued, but when at
noon Of August % the city was in Ger
man hands the enormous cost to the
Germans could finally be determined.
Residences, cellars, streets and side
walks were heaped with dead and
wounded. The houses were In ruins
empty shells, In which hardly anything
remained unchanged that was OF any
real value. Thousands became beg
CARS in one terrible night. Women and
children, soldiers and citizens were ~
ing where the pltiless shells and bull
lets had hurled them from life into
deaths dark void. True impartality
reigned in the killing. There was q
Belgian woman lying next to Belgian
baby which she had borne from house
to street. Close by lay man OF IN
certain years before an empty house,