The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-10
"HUNS" SCoRNED
| Law OF NATIONS
Use of Civilians as Hostages and
for Screens Part of
Devilish 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 It.

Ample proof that the march of the
German armies through Belgium
Was marked By maSsacres and cru
elites almost beyond belief is gjrcn
in a document made public By The
committee on public Information.
from which the f0llowing is taFen:
The massacres in Belgium and
northern France were 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, rs security or bail for
the fulfilmcnt of treaties, promises. or
other claims are taken or detained by
the opposing state or its army Their
provision has been less usual in re-
cent wars, as n 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 practiced by the German staff in
the war Of 1870, when it 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 pcaceable inhabitants were.
without any fault on their part, there
by exposed to grave danger every
writer outside Germany has stigma
tizcd this measure as contrary to the
law of nations and as uniustified to-
wards tho inhabitants of the country
Chung to FrightfuIness.
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 useful measure OF
frightfulness. In LInterprete Mill
/ taire the forms were provided for such
S acts In the next war. Both in Belgium
, and in France tho Germans have con
Stantly used hostages The evidence
is contained in the procI3mationS Of
/ the governing authorities and also in
r. the diaries of the German soldiers \
e few examples from these will Illus
trate the system which was employed
: A specimen of the arhitrarineSs and
cruelty is furnished Ivy the proclama-
1 ton Of Major pieckmann. from which
the following sections are presented
''After 9 q. m on the eth Scptem
\ her, l will permit the houses in Reyne
1 HeuSay, Grivegnee, and Bois-de-Breu
! to be inhabited by the persons who
lived in them formerly as long rs
J these persons are not forbidden to FIRE
4 quent these localities by official pro
l Eibition.
Prominent People Hostages.
"In order to be sure that the above
1 mentioned permit will not be abused
4 the burgomasterS Of Bcyne- Heusay ant
of Grivcgnee must Immediately pre-
pare lists Of prominent persons whr
I will he held as hostages for - hour.
| each at Fort Flcron. September c
] 1914, for the first time (thc period o
! detention shall bcl from 6 p. m. unit
September at midday.
I "The life Of these hostages depends
on the population of the above-men
: toned communes remaining quiet I'm
y. dor all circumstances.
b During tho night it is severely for
4 hidden to show any luminous signals
81 Bicycles are permitted only between
q a. m. and ; p. m. German time)
'From the list which is submitted +
N me ! shall designate prominent per
sons who shall be hostages from moo
"a Of one day until the following midday
81 IL the substitute is not there in du
8 time the hostage must remain anotf
81 or 81 hours at the fort After thes
81 - hours the hostage will incur tn
E penalty Of death if the substitute fail
M to appear.
n Priests burgomasterS, and the OIL
81 or members of the council are to b
M taken first rs hostages
@ Il insist that all civilians who NOV
"a about in my district sho'
M their respect to the German officers d
81 taking off their hats, or lifting thei
& hands 10 their heads in military salut
N In case OF doubts every German so
Ia dior must be salutcd. Anyone VII
~ does not No this must expect the &c
II man military to make themselves r.
81 SpcCtcd by every means"
81 Hold Small Nations Have No Right
E THE fate that Belgium has calle
M down upon herself is hard for the Il
Isl dividual, but not too hard for this n
q ltical structure (Staatsgebilde) f,
~ the dcStinies Of The immortal great nj
N tions stand SO high that they cam,
III but havc the right, in case. Of need
stride over existence that cannot q
~ ifend themselves, but live, ms parasite
z upon the rivalries of the t."-Pro
IL. Oncken In Suddeutsche Monatshef
(SCnth German Monthly
& Would they have dared to defer
such a policy if they could have sec
The announcement se,lt out by the pa
iSr of ST. Hadelin with it's silent 81