The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1918-12-30
(London T!mes-Public, Ledger Service
Special Correspondence. Copyright
1918 by Public Ledger Company
BY PERRY ROBINSON

WAR CORRESPONDENTS HEAD
QUARTERS. Dec 5.--Inurain today is n
tragedy written in stone and bricks.
have spent day there and 10 ono visit
ing the place now It seems rs if the
four years which have interviewed since
the horrors Of August 1914. had not been.
1t is true that many Of tn" ruins ar"
crass-grown, hut the gauut Skeleton &c
the famous library. with its tail faCad"
towering over the narrow street. is still
smoke stained and the tuYnhling ruins
Of the church and tho thousand houses
which were burned seem. in som" cases.
50 new, that just as glacier is said
to keep preserved the bodies which il on
g1Ilfs and To return them long years af-
lcrward fresh To the daylight. so ont Of
tho four cold years during which tho
town has been shut off from the world
it seems to emerge with all its horrors
now. In tho minds OF the inhabitants
the scenes of 1914 arc rs distinct rs tho
happenings Of yesterday.
II was on August 10 that III" Germans
entered the city. and there passed six
days OF comparative quirIudc. Then al S
on the evening of August Of. tho rcigr:
of terror began which lasted for four
years. The pretext that the inhabitants
had fired on tho soldiers was undoubtcd-
~ without truth. Just as il was in Ter
monde. I. is curious that almost pre-
Ciscly the same number OF houses were
burned In the two plHCcs-namcly. 1,2nh
--whch may have hrrn only coincidence
hut suggests nhedcnc" I" a common
order. The people Of I~ouvain today put
tho number Of civilians killed in III" city
Al about 500 If whom leo were shot on
the first day. largely in II" dreadful
massacre in tn" station square. Pro-
miscuuus shooting. however went on
with both machine guns and rifles.
throughout the four days. whilo sir"Ht
liter s|.cct ard house by house. the
town was given over /" III" flames. Eo
sides those shot Of all aEnS and both
sexes. many people wcr" killed in tn"
cellars Of tho burned houses and The
total deaths are believed 10 have been
about 500.
In many cases. Of course III" people
never knew II brcam" Of those whom.
they missed. Amid all tho terror or tho
flames and confusion of the street.
which were swept by German rifles, the
members Of homeless families hecamc
separated and all that those who survive
know Is that tho others never returned
So n woman told me that her husband
had disappeared and 8" thu her immcli-
ate nefghbor had lost two children. \
reverend father of the Order Of III" .I"-
scphitcs. we'll known in England from
sorne years residence ut tho orders in
I xtltution at W"yhridg" told IN" how Two
lay brothers Of tho order had Disappear
! cd. till some days later their bodies wrrn
found with bullet wounds.
I have ny m" as I writ" n card ili"utl-
cd to h" displayed in IN" windows. and
! which. in fact, ono of tn" inhabitants
/ Ia Il
displayed. which hears tho following mo-
! tice with the official stamp &C the kai-
Scrlichc garrison k"mnandan'ur: This
/ house is officially protected. II is strict
J ~ forbidden. without tho permission nr
| the Kommaudaniur. In enter III. houses
| or TO Bet them on fire" One can hut
dtn1y realize tho conditions which must
have existed whom such m order w,s
! necessary
! The1ts and PiuaEe.
! Even tho Germans appear 10 have
/ been ashamed Vt the ouirHgcS at LOU
vain. When the rnan-brut" with The
! curiouSly opposite namc Won Mantcufr"l.
who was responsible" for tn" horrors, left
| nc was succeeded by k"inmaudanr Won
| Luhbcrt, Of whom all inhabitants speak
with kindlncss. II" governed with
moderation for four years "v"n himself
speaking French and permitting It's free
use everywhere. in direct contrast to
! the regulations in all other paris OF
| Belgium which ! have visited. Under
! him the people S""m T." hav" h""u rnsich
| less harshly used than WAS tn" ease
! elsewhere hu, nothing protected ih"!n
! from the continuous rcTuiSlt!nnInG
! from ihCfts and piing". or from the
sufcrings of the cosllincss of living.