Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-03-24
TALE Of HUN HORROR
FROM AN EYE WITNESS

The following story OF German
atrocities was supplied the Courier
BY Fred A. Williams aud was pub
llshed In his home town paper the
Neola tIowaD Gazette Reporter. the
woman making the afiidavil being
we'll known In that city;
Tales OF German atrocities perpe-
trated upon the aged aud intifm.
helpless children and upon soldier
prisoners have been told; wanton
violations OF the sanetity OF woman
hood have occurred at the hands Of
German othcers and men aud these
stories are common; Christian peo-
pie everywhere have stood aghast at
some OF these and the blood OF every
real man In the civilized world has
run hot In his veins at each recount
Ing. Most OF these stories have been
so distressingly horrible In detail as
to cause doubt to arise as to the cor
rectness OF some Of them. White
llvered Americans and stealthy pro-
German ympathixers throughout
the country have been loud In pro-
claiming that these tales were but
exaggerations to arouse feeling
gainst the German war machine.
Read the following AFFIDAVIT Of an
Iowa woman. Mrs. Florence Claer-
hout OF Buffalo. Scott county. She Is
native OF Belgium and had gone to
her old home to bring relatives to
this country. She was In Belgium
when the Hun invaded that stricken
country. Her experiences. tnot those
OF some one else.) are told In the
following affidavit After reading Il.
person who Is not then willing and
ready to fight. either In the ranks or
with all the power OF American ener-
Ky and money at his or her command
: Is as little deserving Of consideration
by all good men and women as Is
the kaiser and his horde OF savages.
This afiidayit first appeared In the
Davenport Leader OF March ist. Its
full text follows:
State oi Iowa. Scott county. IS.
4 |. Florence Claerhout. being flrst
duly sworn on my oath depose and
say that my name is Florence Claer-
hout. am the wife OF Emil Claer-
hout. . was born In Lendelede In
the Province Of West vlaanderen In
Belgium on December 18th, 1854.
My maiden name was Florence YER
schaete. came to America about
three years before the war broke out
(, In 1914. now reside on the farm
in Buffalo township. Scott county.
Iowa. In August 1914. l visited my
old home at Iendelede. Belgium. In
the Province OF West vlaanderen.
having gone there In order to bring
my children. mother and sister back
here to America. I left America for
Belgium on the 2ist day Of May.
1914. On August 4th. 1914. 4 saw
the German soldiers rob the people
Of my village. and burn their houses
and cut the fingers from the women
and children for the rings on them.
Two young boys we're imprisoned In
a house which was then burned.
saw children around Leavie that had
their hands cut of by the German
soldiers. | saw woman carrying
two buckets OF water. and saw SOL
dier pass her and draw his sword
and cut on her right hand. saw
the priest Of Catholic church plead
with the soldiers to spare the lives
OF the women and children, and saw
one OF the soldiers draw his saber
and cut OF the priests head.
know two young girls IS and 20
years Of age who had to submit to
the German officers after serving
them their dinner. This was told to
me by the girls themselves. know
shortly after this one Of these girls
became insane and the other COM
mltted suicide. saw five young
boys shot by the German soldiers
while out riding on their bicycles. I
knew young married couple that
had retired for the night when five
soldiers forced the door OF their
room and forced the woman to sub
init to them. while others stood
guard over her husband with re-
volver. This Was told to me by the
woman herself. .
At the depot at vlaaderen | saw
an English soldier wounded that had
no hat or shoes or socks and It was
cold and he complained because he
suffered with the cold and found
an old blanket and covered him up
and then the soldier on guard
knocked me down for doing II. /
saw German soldiers have In their
| noooaooton tha n,,trA Sgv 0o~c -