Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-02-06
Use OF Civilians as Hostages and
for Screens Part OF
DeviIish System.
FIRST MADE USE OF IN 1870
At That Time II Was Condemned by
the Civilized World, but the Ger
man Military Leaders Have
Never Abandoned II.

utfHtN WHtftS tHfU"S" DV'9f~"'
Uas marked By maSsaeres and cru
elites almost beyond belief is giveH
in document made public By The
committee on public information,
from uhich The foilowing is taken:
The massacres in Belgium and
northern France We're a part of the
German system OF frightfulness. An
other feature of this system was the
use of civilians as hostages and for
screens.
In discussing the use Of hostages the
German War Book (Kriegsbrauch i'm
Landkriege) says:
by hostages are understood those
persons who, as security or ball for
the fulfiilment Of treaties. promises, or
the opposing state or Its army. Their
provision has been less usual In re-
cent wars, as a result Of which some
professors of the law of nations have
wrongly decided that the taking of
hostages has disappeared from the
"a new application of hostage right
was practIced by the German stan in
the war of 1870, when II compelled
leading citizens from French towns
and villages to accompany trains and
locomotives In order to protect the
railway communication which were
threatened by the people. Since the
lives OF peaceable inhabitants were.
without any fault on their part, there
by exposed to grave danger, every
writer outside Germany has stigma
tiled this measure as contrary 10 the
law OF nations and "a unjustihed to-
wards the inhabitants OF the country"
Chung TO Friahtfuiness.
Although their deeds In the Franco
Prussian war had been universally
condemned. as they themselves admit
ted, the leaders did not intend to
abandon such a useful measure of
frightfulness In LInterprete Mill
taire the forms were provided for such
acts i'm the next war. Both In Belgium
and In France the Germans have con-
stantly used hostages. The evidence
is contained In the prociamations of
the governing authorities and also In
the diaries of the German soldiers. A
few examples from these will Illus
trate the system which was employed
A specimen OF the arbltrariness and
cruelty is furnished by the proclama-
tion of Major Dieckmann, from which
the following sections are presented {:
"After 9 a. m. on the 7th Septem-
Der. / will permit the houses in Beyne-
Heusay, GriveEnee. and Bois-de-Breux
to be inhahit,d by the persons who
lived in them formerly, as long as
these persons are not forbidden 10 fire.
quent these localities by official pro-
hibition.
Prominent People Hostages.
''In order to be sure that the above
mentioned permit win not be abused.
the burgomasters of ne-Heusay and
of Grivegnee must Immediately pre-
pare lists of prominent persons who
will be held as hostages for "a hours
each at Fort Fleron. September o.
1914, for the first time (the period of
detention shall be) from Q p. m. until
September at midday.
'The life of these hostages depends
On the population OF the above-men-
toned communes remaining quiet I'M
der all circumstances.
During the night II is severely for
oidden 10 show any luminous signals.
Bicycles are permitted only between z
y m. and p. m. German time).
'From the list which is submitted TO
me I shall designate prominent per-
sons who shall be hostages from noon
VI one day until the following midday.
If the substitute is not there In due
time. the hostage must remain anoth-
er "a hours at the fort. After these
"a hours the hostage win incur the
penalty of death. If the substitute fails
TO appear.
Priests. burgomasters. and the 9th
err members of the council are to be
taken first as hostages.
81 insist that all civilians who move
about In my district show
their respect to the German officers by
taking of their hats. or lifting their
hands to their heads in military salute.
In case of doubt. every German sol
der must be saluted. Anyone who
does not do this must expect the Ger
man military TO make themselves re-
spected by every means"
Hold Small Nations Have No Riphts.
"The fate that Belgium has called
down upon herself is hard for the In
dividual, but not too hard for this DO
litical structure tStaatsgebilde), for
the destinies OF the immortal great ma
tons stand so high that they cannot
but have the right in case of need, TO
stride over existence that cannot de-
fend themselves. but live, as parasites,
upon the rfvalries OF the great."-Prof.
Il. Oncken. In Suddeutsche Monatsheft,
fSouth German Monthly
Would they have dared to defend
such a policy II they could have seen