The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1918-02-21
GERMAN ATROCITIES
In these Columns Will Be Published a Series
ot Articles Describing Some Of The AL
11H most unbelievable Crimes of Germany.
lhe Truth OF These Accounts Has Been
Established by the y. S. Government,


one parish. of whom all but two were
Killed by the Germans in the massacre
OF August and 9, 1914. The closing
sentences are:
Gentle Heart Of Mary, be my
refuge.
"Our Lady Of Lourdes, pray for US.
ST. Joseph, patron Of Belgian, pray
for US.
"St Hardelln. patron of the parish.
pray for u.s.
"Sainte Barbe. patroness of kindly
death pray for u.s."
After reading such ghastly accounts.
many of them written by German eve
Witnesses, and knowing that similar
tales were published widely In the
German newspapers, IT Is difficult to
read with patience such words as
these:
"The German army Gin which I Of
course include the navy) .is today the
greatest institute for moral education
In the world"
The German soldiers alone are
thoroughly disciplined. and have never
so much as hurt hair of a single in
nocent human being."-Eiouston Stew
art Chamberlain, in Kriegsaufsdtze.
"War Essays" 1914.
we see everywhere how our SOL
diers respect the sacred defenseless-
ness of woman and child"-Prof. G.
Hoethe, In DeutSche Rcden In Schwprer
Zcit, German Speeches In Difficult
Days"
Hostages Lives Hung by Thread. :.
In order to insure sufficiently thes
safety of our troops and the tr,,nuuil-S
lty OF the population Of Rcims, the
persons mentioned have been seized
as hostages by the commander of the
German army. These hostages will
be shot II there Is the least disorder.
oh IN" other hand, If the town re-
mains perfectly calm and quiet these
hostages and inhabitants will be
placed under the protection of the
German army.
THE GENERAL COMMANDING.
fcilnS, 18th September, 1914"
B"noath this proclamation there
Wer" posted the names OF 81 hostages
ana statement that others had also
been seized as hostages The lives of
all these men depended in reality
upon the Interpretation which the Ger
man military authorities might give TO
tn" elastic phrase. 1.-The least disorder"
In the proclamation.
Hngh Gibson. In Journal from our
Legation In Belgium, page 1874, explains
what was likely to happen:
Another thing Is, that on entering
Il town, they hold the burgomaster, the
pr"currur du roi, and other authorities
ms hostages to insure good behavior by
the population. or course. the hood
lum class would like nothing better
than to see their natural enemies the
defenders of law and order ignomini-
ously shot, and they do not restrain
themselves bit on account of the
hostages"
Diary Of Bombardier WetzeL
Aug. Sth. First fight and set fire
te several villages.
Aug 9th. Returned te old quar-
tiers; there we searched all the houses
and shot the mayor and shot one man
down from the chimney pot. and then
we again set fire to the village.
ION the 18th August Letalle (N can
tured 10 men with three priests be-
cause they have shot down from the
church tower. They were brought into
the village of Ste. Marie.
"Oct. 5th. We were in quarters I'm
the evening at Willekamm. Lieutenant
RadfelS was quartered In the mayors
house and there had two prisoners
cited together) on short whip, and in
case anything happened they were to
be killed
"Oct. 11th We had no fight, but we
caught about 20 men and shot them.
(From the dairy Of BombardIer WetzeI,
Second Mounted Battery, First Kur-
hessian Field Artillery, Regiment No.
n)"
Tho Germans also found II con.
Veni"nt on many occasions to secure
civilians. both men and women, who
could he forced to march or stand ia
front or the troops, so that the country
men Of tho civilians would he com.
poilcd first 10 kill their own people II
th"y resisted the Germans. This
usage is illustrated In the following:
Letter Of Lieutenant EberIeIn.
"October 7. 1914.
But we arrested three other civil.
fans, and then had brilliant idea.
we gave them chairs, and we then or
dered them to go and sit out In the
middle Of the street. On their part,
nitiful entreaties; on ours. n few blows
from the butt end OF the rifle. Little
by little one becomes terribly callous
Mt this business At last they were
all seated outside I'm the street. do
not know what anguished prayers they
may have said but I noticed that their
hands were convulsively clasped the
whole time. pitied these fellows, but
the method was Immediately effective.
"Thc flank fire from the houses
quickly diminished, so that we were
able to occupy the opposite house and
thus to dominate the principal street.
Every living being who showed himself
In the street was shot. The artillery
on its side had done good work ell this
time, and when. toward seven O'Clock
In the evening the bripadp advanced