The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-01-04
THE EVIDENCE.

In some quarters and among some
people in this county who, sympathize
with Germany military muhderers the
charge of German brutality aud ruth
lessness is denied They will Not be-
lieve that Germans are otherwise than
gentle lambs. even in the face ofNevi-
dence that is irrefragable. The ghy-
eminent has compiled documentary
evidence in the shape Of pamphlet
entitled German War Practices" a
copy of which can be obtained by any
one applying to the Committee or
Public Information, Washington, d. G..
The contents Of that pamphlet cannot
be refuted. 1t is most damnable rec
ord of heartlessness and brutishness
as practiced by the German soldiers.
And this compilation Of evidence Is
confined wholly to the treatment OF
civilians in the countries overrun by
the German army. To read it makes
ones blood fairly boil. There is no
reason to ask "why America is in this
war" Every civilized people on earth
should be lined up against nation
that would be guilty of such autroci-
ties. We reproduce an extract from
this pamphlet 1t Is a report under
date of September -, 1917, made by
Minister Whitlock, minister to Bel
GUM, to the Secretary Of State:
Summary executions took place
at Dinant without the east semblance
of judgment. The names and numbers
Of the victims are not known, but they
must be numerous. have been unable
to obtain precise details in this respect
and the number of persons who have
fled is unknown. Among the persons
who were shot were: Mr. Defoin, may
or of Dinant; Sasserath, first alder
man; Nimmer, aged 70; council for
the Argentine Republic. Victor Pom
celot, who was executed in the pres
ence of his wife and seven children;
Wasseige and his two sons; Messrs.
Gustave and Leon Nicase. two very
old men; Jules Monin and others were
shot in the cellar of their brewery.
Mr.. Camille Pistte and son, aged III;
Phillippart, Piedfort, his wife and
daughter; Miss Marsigny. During the
execution of about forty inhabitants of
Dinant, the Germans placed before the
condemned their wives and children.
1t is thus that Madam Albin who had
just given birth to child three days
previously, was brought on mattress
by German soldiers to witness the ex-
icution of her husband; her cries and
supplications were so pressing that
her husbands life was spared"
ION the Goth of August German SOL
diers entered various streets of Lou
vain and ordered the inhabitants of
the houses to proceed to the Place de
la Station, where the bodies of nearly
a dozen assassinated persons were ly-
ing. Women and children were sepa-
rated from the men and forced to re-
main on the Place de la Station during
the whole day. They had to witness
the execution Of many of their fellow
citizens, who were at the most part
shot at the side Of the square, near the
house of Mr.. Hemaide. The women and
children, after having remained on the
square for more than Is hours, were
allowed to depart. The Gardes Civil
ques of Louvain were also taken pris-
oners and sent to Germany, to the
camp of Munster, where they were
held for several weeks.
ION Thursday, August 9th, order
was given to the Inhabitants to leave
Louvain because the city was to be
bombarded. Old men, women and chill
dren, the sick, priests, nuns, all were
driven on the roads like cattle. More
than 10000 Of the inhabitants were
driven as far as Tirelemont, IS kilo-
meters from Louvain."
Zone Of the most sorely tried COM
munities was that of the little village
of Tamines, down in what is known as
the Borniage, the coal fields near
Charlero. Tamines is a mining village
in the Sambre: it is a collection OF
small cottages sheltering about 5000
inhabitants, mostly all poor laborers