Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-01-28
NEW RECITAL OF
GERMAN CRUELT|ES
Man Who Was Eye Witness to
Atrocities in Flanders
Tells HIS Story.

A new recital Of Hun atrocities, of in
trigue and brutality, was unfolded Mt Grace
NJ. Il. Church last night by Victor
Bogaert a naturalized Belgian, who re-
turned from Europe just before Christmas.
There were many new stories OF cruelty
and fiendishness, of how the Germans
treated dcfenscless women and children,
attacking the former and slashing off the
hands of the latter and leaving them 70
bleed to death. But the chief thought
has been related here before, but which
Americans as q rule try not to believe.
What Mr.. I ogaert told the Grace
Church members and members of the
City Club who were invited guests was
sufficient however TO stir the blood OF all
patriotic Americans.
He spoke of the great secret propa-
ganda that Germany had been working
here for decades before the war began and
before this country was embroiled in IL.
Evidence that has come to his attention
shows that during the Spanish-American
war when Uncle Sam WAS engaged in free
ing the C)ibans, that it was Germanv's s
intention to come here and take adj
vantage Of this country during the early
stages of that war, when unprepared as
we are now, it would have been an easy
task to have beaten us. This, he asserted
would have happened but for the English
feet. That wonderful collection Of float
ing war fortrcssess possessed by King
George alone saved this country at that
time.
That is part of the obligation we owe TO
England now.
MIR Bogaert referred to the visit of
Prince Henry Of Germany, and that rs the
result of his visit here, a big German
military machine was organized in New
York some 200,000 strong-madc up
Of former subjects Of the KAISER, many Of
whom had not been naturallzed.
AIMED TO CoNQUER WORLD
When Il is war began il was Gcrmanys
intention to conquer the world. Their
plan Of conquest included the three great
cities of the world Paris in three weeks,
then London in six weeks and New \ lork
in six months That WAS their program
and itinerary
it the time that war was declared
on France, Mir Bogacrt with his wife
was in Belgium on a visit and 10 look
after some property he held there. These
earlier davs were ones of terror fer the
Bclgians. He told how when the Germans
captured Brussels. the soldiers stripped the
stores and everything Tic, and what
they did not want to eat, threw away,
so that for a few days the city was facing
a famine
Drunk with the wine they stole, the
soldiers committed an sorts Of outrage
on the men, women and children Mr..
Boganrt knows of his own experience Of
2S cIergvmen who were executed by the
Germans All pleas for mercy asked by the
women and children were laughed at. and
the most unspcakahlc Of crimes pcrpc-
tratcd in put lic
CIT HANDS orr CHILDREN
Belgium contains many children with
their hands cut of In many cases these
children held up their hands begging for
mercy and 70 indicate that they would do
a. they were hidden But the German
soldiers with q curse or 3 laugh would
with a stroke Of their sword or hayonet,
slash of the hand. Many Of the children
bled o death
At one village was family Of s Father
and mother and six children. The Ger
mand took the father and then fiendiShly
attacked the mother Al another place
the father Of family had resisted and was
condemned to death The mother in del
icate condition was carried en- q litter TO
where she was compelled forcil II to sec her
husband shot She became insane
CONDEMNED TO BE sHoT.
His own experience when he was
condemned to death occurred August
"A, 1914, when he started from Brussels
to visit his brother sixty miles distant.
On the way he was in q town sacked by
the Germans and for safety fed to the
fields When he revived he found many
Belgians nearby who had suffered and 1t
was while telling these women and men
that Uncle Sam would not permit this
to pass unDoticed that German officer
overheard him.
He was taken prisoner and condemned
70 be shot. He protested that he had
papers to show he was an American
citizen and that he had permission to go
TO visit his brother ron, the GeT1nars, u
f winch was true But no investigation
was made
While being walked apparently TO
a PLACE Of execution, he tcld his captors
that Brand Whitlock would investigate
his death. His captors then let him 90.
Following the main meeting the male
members OF the congregation assent led In
the chapel where Mr. Bogaert told them
some truths that cannot be printed and
that are not perVnissif iein mixed audiences