The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-05-03


weekly installments in The CONNER
cial, the alleged German Atroci-
ties" which are embraced in the
report made to the British Govern
ment.)
CONTINUED from last week.
and mutileted in cottage kitchen
or bedroom, the woman in question
gave some provocation. She may by
act or word have irritated her as
sailant, and in certain instances evil
dence has been supplied both as to
the provocation offered and as to the
retribution inflicted.
"a "Just before we got to Melen,"
says a witness who had fallen into
the hands of the Germans on Aug. 5,
ST saw a woman with a child in her
arms standing on the side of the road
on our left-hand side watching the
soldiers go by. Her name was G.,
aged about 63, and neighbor OF
mine. The officer asked the woman
for some water in good French. She
went inside her sons cottage to get
some and brought it Immediately he
had stopped. The officer went into
the cottage garden and drank the
water. The woman then said, when
she saw the prisoners, Instead of
giving you water you deserve to be
shot The officer shouted to us,
March We went on, and immedi-
ately / saw the officer draw his re-
volver and shoot the woman and
child. One shot killed BOTH"
Two old men and one old woman
refused to bake bread for the Ger
mans. They were butchered.
Aug. 23-I went with two friends
(names given) to see what we could
see. About three hours out of Ma
lines we were taken prisoners by a
German patrol-an officer and six
men-and marched off into a, little
wood of saplings, where there was a
house. The officer spoke Flemish.
He knocked at the door; the peasant
did not come. Tho officer ordered
the soldiers to break down the door,
which two of them did. The peasant
came and asked what they were do
ing. The officer sad he did not come
quickly enough and that they had
trained up" plenty of others. His
hands were tied behind his back, and
he was shot at once without a mo-
ment's delay. The wife came out
with little sucking child. She put
the child down and sprang at the
Germans like lioness. She clcwed
their faces. One of the Germans took
rife and struck her tremendous
blow with the butt on the head. An
other took his bayonct and fixed it
and thrust it thru the child. He then
put his rifle on his shoulder with the
child upon it; its little arms stretch
ed out once or twice. The officers or
dered the houses to be set on fire,
and straw was obtained and it was
done. The man and his wife and
child were thrown on the top of the
straw. There were about forty other
peasant prisoners there also, and the
officer said: II am doing this as a
lesson and example to you. When
German tells you to do something
next time you must move, more quick
ly." The regiment of Germans was a
regiment of Hussors, with cross
bones and a deaths head on the cap.
Cen any ono think that such acts
as these, committed by women in the
circumstances created by the in
vasion of Belgium, were deserving of
the extreme form of vengeance at
tested by these and other deposit
tions?
In considering the question of
provocation 1t is pertinent to take
into account the numerous cases in
which old women and very small
children have been shot, bayoneted,
and even mutilatcd. Whatever ex-
cuse may be offered by the Germans
for the killing of grown-up women,
there can be no possible defense for
the murder of children, and If it can
be shown that infants and small
children were not infrequently bay
oneted and shot it is fair infer
cnce that many of the offenses
against women require no explana-
ton more reconcile than the un-
bridled violence of brutal or. drunk
en- criminals.
1t is clearly shown that many Of
fcnses were committed against in
fantS and quite young children. On
one occasion children were even
roped together and used as a milf
tary screen against the enemy; on
another three soldiers went into ac-
ton carrying small children to pro-
tect themselves from flank fire. AL
shocking case of the murder of a
baby by drunken soldier at Malines
is thus recorded by one eyewitness