Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-24
Continued from Last Issue)
The Terror of Dinant

The error or Dlnant
The terror lasted all that day anC
night. The Germans locked whole
crowds of the people in barracks, in
stables, in factories, surrounded
| them by soldiers ready to fire al
any moment, and in the st. Roct
quarter they imprisoned a group In
building, placed bundles of straw
all around the house and set il on
| fire; but by a fortunate chance, the
Germans overlooked a cellar win
dow, and the people crawled one by
one out of this and escaped. 49,.
Women and children were forced
to stand by and witness the murder
of husbands or fathers; one woman,
Madame Amin, who had given birth
to a child three days before, was
borne forth on a mattress by Ger
man soldiers, who said they would
compel her to look on while they
shot her husband. but her cries and
applications finally moved the sol
diers to spare the husbands life.
The soldiers stood by laughing
while the executions were going on.
During all that night of the go they
marched about the city, setting fire
TO such buildings as had escaped
Smelling, and when the fires slack
ened somewhat they systematically
piIlaged everywhere-in the famous
wine cellars, of course, in banks, the
safes of which they blew open, and
in jewelry shops, whence they bore
off silver and plate, and Wherever
there was property to be taken they
placed guards to protect it from all
but their own robbery!
And when their rage was spent,
out of 1,400 houses but 400 re-
manned. the old Church Of Notre
Dame. that had survived the wars OF
700 years. was destroyed; the pic
turesaue tower no longer reared it
self under the rock of the citadel, the
college and the Hotel de Vile all
were ruined.
Four hundred and sixteen Oman
tails. arrested, no one knew why, on
the night of the 23d, were taken TO
the plateau of Herbuchenne on the
heights overlooking Dinant, where
they were camped in the open air
without food or drink. Some Of the
soldiers who guarded them told them
that they would be shot at daybreak;
OLnGIS LudL kuCs "OOAN bS NAAS
ferred to Coblentz.
"You Are Beasts"
Their escort was commanded by
a captain of the One Hundredth in
fantry, who, while they were wait
ing (according to the testimony of
Mr.. Tschoffer, crown prosecutor for
Dinant), saw a superb stallion in a
field and wantonly shot it dead. A
while later he shot a mare and her
colt Finally the prisoners were
marched toward Ciney; continually
threatened with death, soldiers spat
in their faces, threw ordures at
them, and officers struck them with
their riding crops. From time to
time the captain in command, who
was mounted, would turn in his sad
die to shout at them, "Vous etes des
betes!" ("You are beasts.") Thus
they were taken to the prison camp
in Cassel in Germany.
One scene remains to be described,
a scene that in its unsurpassed and
shameful cruelty has no counterpart,
even in the dark annals of savage
tribes. 1t was on that Sunday morn
ing of the 23d; the Germans that
SmdEulCu uOMn tuO It du AOoA Sh
tered the quarter of Penant, ar
rested the inhabitants and SOok them
to the Rocher Bayard, the famous
and picturesque rock that, split off
from the cliff and overlooking the
lovely Meuse, is associated in roman
tic legend with the fills Aymon and
their famous horse Bayard. The
people were held there, evidently as
a screen, while the Germans began
to construct a temporary bridge over
the river. The French were on the
other side, and now and then they
shot at the soldiers working there.
The Germans, annoyed by the spit
ting. irregular fire, sent a citizen of
Dinant. one of the prisoners, in a
boat across the river to inform the
French that unless they ceased firing
the civilians would be shot. NJ.
Bourdor made his dangerous voyage,
accomplished his mission and re-
turned to take his place among his
fellows. But a few stray bullets still
sped across the river.