Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-03-07
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law OF NATIONS
Use Of Civilians as Hostages and.
for Screens Part Of
DeviIish System.
FIRST MADE USE OF IN 1870.
At That Time 1t Was Condemned by
the Civilized World, but the Ger
man Military Leaders Have
Never Abandoned 1t.

Ample proof that the march of tho
German armies through Belgium,
,cas marked By massocres and Graz :
elites almost beyond belief IS givea
IN a document made public BY the
committee on public Information,
from av1ich the fol1owing IS taken:
The lnassacrcs in Belgium and
northern France We're a part of the
German system of frig.ltfulness. An.
other feature of this system was tho
use of civilians as hostages and for
screens.
In discussing the use of hostages tho
German War Book Clriegsbrauch ia
Landkriege) says:
"By hostages are understood those ,
persons who, as security or bail fol
the fulfllmcnt of treaties. promises. or
other claims. are taken or detained by
the opnnsin" STATE or it's army. Their
provision has been less usual in 70.
cont wars, as Il result of which some
professors Of the law of nations have
wrongly decided that the taking of
hostages has disappeared from the
practice of civilized nations
"a new application Of hostage right
was rraciiced by the German staff in
llic var of 1870, Ihil 1T compelled
leading citizens from french towns
and villages to accompany trains and
locomotives in order to protect the
railway communications which were
threatened by the people. Since the
lives of peaceable Inhabitants We're.
without any fault ON their part, there
by exposed to grave danger every
writer outsi'A Germany has stigma.
tiZcd this measure as contrary to tho
law of nations and us uniustitied to.
wards the inhabitants OF the country"
cunn to Friehtfulness.
Although their deeds in The Franco.
y rlssi:,n war had been universally
cnndcmned, as they Themselves admit.
ted, the leaders did not intend 10
abandon such a useful measure a
frightfulness. In LInterprete Mile.
taire the forms We're provided for sucl,
- - .,'S NM - - i'"'ii -. 's's'i't'3'
anu ~ rr''nre tle ,'esiii;..,s nave con
stantly used hostages. The evidence
is contained in the proclamations &C
the governing authorities and also in
the diaries of the German soldiers. A
few examples frcm these VIII Illus.
trate tho system which was employed.
si'e.ii'isi. VI VIZ i'fpi.i''i.iiS'7s -11s''s
T..
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~ = = ~. ~ .iiS ''n 'os,'''i'h
pe,' VIZ t,Vii'i-t 1i's, i',iusS'' ~, ',1si's
,'e5S''N' .'i,N''''".,' NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
:" pe iil'ii'''its'' y tae persons WIN
~" ~ 'ii''''' ~ W - i'i'i' -
'''''e '''iS ''i' ~ " - =
T.' . ''.''''' 'oe'''i'-S2 oi.'ei,ii lio'
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,,'e','.o''e" l'ei'i'' WI no' We aous'',
''.S ~. '''''''S'e's W s'''
W = N''S'tn',' ''s''s' i'''.s-e''.''''''S p.'~
pure ''S,s on prominent "N'sa"s WIZ
VIZ, w i'',i'' as i,''Ss''ses ioi - i'"'i'
. sosn ~ n"it r'e.oi'' ,,ei't'sii''e, =
80 ~ '',e ~ - fs.i'e WY 'eia'p'' y,
ae.sii'ioii Si.'''i 'e. lio''i . p H. uii'.'
ee l,n,, at '''''''','s.
ne me ol .iieSe llas'ass'S ael'e'R's
oii 'ne l'l'''l''lion VI .i's 'u'o.'-l'''''''
'lolien c'l'''ilu''es remaining q''s' uh,
yer '''i cirruihst''ilces.
p'f'il's '.'e his'lt u ~ severely 1o's
n,N l"uen 10 snow any luminous siss'alSs
''icse.''S i'lc l'eiiiiit.eu OILY lesWeeli .
:" ~. 't'''' : =. ~. .asiii'''h .ii'.e,'
- oi,' ',,c ~ M.iieis = su.'si''''Ss'' y
my ,ii'''i "s,i'ii,''eI lioiias'e'is peis
s,.''S WHO >''''i ',s i'o,',,'ies ifo'', .',''''
"s one ''''s uli'ii VIC i"'lpA.l'is iiis''.lNa
:. 'i'e suh,>'''"tc - i"'' 'iie',' IN VIZ
'ii''e' 'i'e nos t.';ss mus, fei!laih ahoti
., - hours ~ 'iie iof'' Ai'er ''iese
il,'"i' .,'e ,os.'sse VII incur w
pe'iaiSs vi ue'''h' II '!le substitute ialis
10 appeilf.
fies's. p'if5oliias'efs' a''" INC c.ii
or members OF Tie co''hcll arc 10 ha
taken llfst rs hostages.
y INSIST that all civilians who move