Gunnison news-champion., 1918-02-15

tie knorlsdss Of German isksman-
ity IN Belgium. says q pamphlet -
sSed BY the eommittee on public in-
formatios. the evidence is drars
mainly from German and Americas
sources The German sources in-
,lsds Official proelamations and
other Official stterances. letters and
iiaries of German soldiers. and quo
,ations from German newspapers.
The Rules for Field Service" Of the
German army advises each soldier
70 keep such diary rhile on active
serrice.
In the wars waged In ancient times
II was taken for granted that con-
quered peoples might be either killed.
tortured, or held as slaves; that their
property would be taken and that their
lands would he devastated. "vae vic
tis woe to the conqueredw For two
centuries or more there has been
'teady advance In Introducing ideas of
humanity and especially In confining
he evils Of warfare to tie combatants.
The ideal seemed to have become so
thoroughly established as part Of In
irrational law that the powers at The
'ngue thought II sufficient merely to
tate the general principles In Article
NLvI of the regulations: "Family hon.
RS and rights, the lives of persons
nd private property. as well rs re-
'igious convictions and practice. must
ne respected. Private property cannot
he confiscnted." Germany. In common
18th the other powers. solemnly
pledged her faith to keep this article,
hut her military leaders had no inten-
'ion Of doing go. They hnd been
trained In the ideas voiced by Gen. Won
Hartmann 40 yenrs ago: Terrorism
: seen 10 be relatively gentle pro-
cedure, useful to keep the masses Of
the people In stnte of obedience"
This had been Blsinarck's policy. too.
According to Moritz Busch. Bismark's
biographer. Bismarck, exnsperated by
he French resistance, which was still
continuing in January. 1871, said:
IF In the territory which we occupy.
we cannot supply everything for our
troops. from time to time We shall send
flying column into the localities
which are recalcItrant. We shall shoot.
hang and burn. After that has hap
pened few times, the Inhabitants will
finally come to their senses"
Horrors Told In seldisrs' Diaries.
The frightfulness taught by the Ger
man leaders held full sway In Belgium.
This II best seen in the entries In the
diaries Of the Individual German SOL
diers.
During the night Of August 1915
Engineer Cir gave the alarm In the
'own Of Wise. Every one was shot or
taken prisoner, and the houses were
burnt, The prisoners were made to
march and keep up with the troops"
(From the diary Of noncommissioned
ofncer Reinhold Koehn Of the Second
battalion Of engineers, Third army
corps.)
"A horrible bath Of blood. The whole
village burnt. the Preach thrown into
the blaxing houses. civilians With the
rest" (Tron the diary Of Private
Hassemer Of the Eighth army corps.)
Tn the night Of August 1919 the vi.
lage Of Saint Maurice was punished
'or having fred on German soldiers by
being burnt to the ground By the Ger
nan troops 1.-TWO regiments. the
Twelfth landwehr and the Seven
teenth.) The village was surrounded,
men posted about yard from one an
other. % that no one could get out.
Then the Uhlans set IRE to II, house
by house. Neither man. woman. nor
child could escape: only the greater
part Of the live stock We carried OF.
NJ that could be used. Anyone who
ventured to come out was shot down.
All the Inhabitants left in the village
were burnt with the houses" (From
the diary Of Private Knri Scheufele Of
he Third Bavafan regiment and land
vehr Infantry
"At ten O'Clock in the evening the
first battalion Of the One hundred nnd
seventy-eighth marched down the steep
incline into the burning village to the
,urning village. to the north of Dinant.
A terrific spectacle Of CHASTITY beauty.
At the entrance to the village lay about
fifty dead civilians. shot for having
ired upon our troops from ambush. In
the course Of the night many others
ERE also shot, 20 that we counted over
100. Women and children, lamp in
hand. we're forced to look ON at the
,orrib1e scene. We ate our rice later
in the midst Of the corpses, for we had
had nothing since morning. When we
<earched the houses we found plenty
{ wine and spirit, but no eatables.
'aptain Hamann was drunk" (This
ast phrase in shorthand.l lFron the
liafy Of Privats Philip Of the One
hundred and 1svsnty-siehth regiment
{ infantry, Twelfth army cosps.)
vHR1ffnw Pnon RasnaGs. A. H6aA T-r-a~