The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-10

a
one parish, of whom all but two were
killed by the Germans in the massacre
of August 5 and 6, 1914. The closing
sentences are:
Gentle Heart Of Mary, be my
refuge
Our Lady Of Lourdes, pray for us.
est Joseph, patron Of Belgian, pray
for us.
"St. Hardelin, patron Of the parish,
pray for u.s.
"Sainte Barbe, patroness Of kindly
death, pray for u.s.
After reading such CHASTITY 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:
1.-The German army Gin which l 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."-Houston Stew
art Chamberlain, in Kriegsaufsdtze,
WAR Essays" 1914.
eve see everywhere how our sol
diers respect the sacred defenseless-
ness of woman and child."-Prof. G..
Roethe, in Deutsche Reden in Schwerer
Zeit, German Speeches In Difficult
/ Days"
Hostages Lives Hung by Thread.
I'm order to insure sufficiently the
safety of our troops and the tranquil
ity Of the population of Reims, the
persons mentioned have been seized
as hostages by the commander of the
| German army. These hostages will
be shot If there is the least disorder.
On the other hand if the town re-
hostages and inhabitants will be
placed under the protection of the
German army.
THE GENERAL COMMANDING.
"Reims, 18th September, 1914"
Beneath this proclamation there
were posted the names Of 81 hostages
and 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 tc
the elastic phrase, "the least disorder,
in the proclamation.
Hugh Gibson, in a Journal from oui
Legation in Belgium, page 1874 explain,
what was likely TO happen:
Another thing is. that on enterin.
town, they hold the burgomaster. tn,
procureur du roi, and other authorize,
rs hostages 10 insure good behavior b,
the population. OF course, the hood
lum class would like nothing bette
} than to see their natural enemies, tn,
defenders Of law and order. ignomini
ously shot, and they do not restrain
/ themselves a bit on account of IN,
! hostages"
: Diary of Sombardier WetzeI
: Aug. Sth. First fight and set fir
70 several villages. 20
Aug. 9th. Returned to old quar-
tors; there we searched all the house
and shot the mayor and shot one ma
down from the chimney pot, and the
l we again set fire to the village
'On the 18th August Letalle CD car
l tured 10 men with three priests he
cause they have shot down from tn
church tower. They were brought Int
: the village of Ste. Marie
oct 9Th. We were In quarters i
Q the evening at Willekamm. Lieutenan
Radfels was CHARTERED In the mayor
: house and there had two prisoner
= (tied together) on n short whip, and /
case anything happened they were I
be killed,
: "Oct. 18th. We had no fight. but W
!, caught about 20 men and shot then
4 (F'rom the dairy of Bombardier Wetze
= Second Mounted Battery, First Ku
q hessfan Field Artillery, Regiment \,
5 11)"
The Germans also found 1t cor
] vonient on many occasions to secur
II civilians, both men and women. wh
could be forced to march or stand i
5 front of the troops, so that the countr,
L men of the civilians would be con
/ PEELED first to kill their own people
they resisted the Germans. TIL
: usage is Illustrated in the following:
Letter of Lieutenant Eberiein.
October Z, 1914
"But we arrested three other civil
ans, and then | had brilliant ide
We gave them chairs. and we then o
= dered them to go and sit out in tt
middle of the street. On their par
pitiful entreaties; on ours a few blow
: from the butt end of the rifle Lit
by little one becomes terribly Gallon
:, ut this business. At last they We
all seated outside in the street | {
: not know what anguished prayers the
may have said but | noticed that the
hands were convu'Sively claSped Il
whole time. | pitied these fellows. b
the method was immediately effectiy
The flank fire from the houS
:. quickly diminished. so that we we
! able to occupy the opposite house al