The Oskaloosa herald., 1918-04-18
ATROCIT|EsDONE
BY THE GERMANS
AS TOLD BY MRS. r. cLAERHouT
SCOTT COUNTY LADY
HOW THEY INVADED BELGIUM
Cut OF Women's and chiIdren's Fin.
gers. Killed Priest Who Pleaded
Women and Children be Saw
ed. Buried Soldier Alive.

ed. buried Soldier Alive.
Davenport, Ia, April 16.-In an affi.
davit published and distributed by the
Gernan-American Patriotic Associa-
tion Of Iowa, Mrs. Florence Clearhout
of Scott County, who was in Belgium
to bring her mother, sister and child.
rem back to America, tells of witness
ing many astrocities committed by the
German troops in their invasion of the
little kingdom.
Mrs. Claerhout, who was born in
Belgium, and VINO had lived in the
United States three years beforJ the
war broke out, had returned TO her
native land in August of 1914 and so
was at her old home when the Ger
man invasion took place. She tells of
narrow escapes from being a victim
OF 1.-THE invading troops. She, did not es-
! cape from Belgium until January 1916,
Accompanied by her two children,
Jenny and Walter, and years old,
AIRS. Claerhoudt was forced to walk
ninety miles to freedom. Sleeping in
open fields and potato patches by day
and spending the nights walking, the
horror of those days still is impressed
deeply upon her memory. y
Carried Her Children.
And in her anxiety to protect her
children from the fate which she saw
lovertake many helpless Belgian babies
she forced herself to stay awake the
greater part of the days when she
was making the journey.
Most OF the time she was trudg-
ing over the hills and roads of Bel
gium she was forced to carry the
! two children who soon became tired
and too weary to stand the rough
walking.
Fears German Spies.
Mrs Claerhout knows hundreds OF
instances of the barborous and afro
cious treatment accorded the Belgians
by the German invaders. and even now
she shudders as she recalls and tells
1 Of the things she saw before making
her escape to England. Several OF
them she recounts in her affidavit,
but many others which she saw and
heard of in Belgium have not been
told.
Even though she has been assured
of every protection from harm, which
she fears from German sympathizers
here, by the authorities, Mrs. Claer-
bout is now extremely fearful for the
safety of her children, and for her
aged mother, still in Belgium. She de-
clares that the German spy system
will surely carry the news of the pub
] LEGATION of her story back to Germany
and that her mother will suffer as a
\ consequence.
Retains Passports.
Mrs. Claerhout still retains the
'original passports issued to her by
the Belgian consul in Flessinguer
which is signed by the consul and her
self. The passport is made out to her
maiden name of Florence Veschaete,
which she explains is due to the Gus
tom in Belgium, where wives are
known by their maiden names. s;
con August 4, 1914" says Mrs
! Claerhout. II saw the German soldiers
invade Belgium. saw them kill and
i imprison the male citizens of Len
delede. saw the German soldiers rot
| the people of my village, and burr
Their houses and cut the fingers from
lthe women and children for the rings
on them. Two young boys were i'm
prisoned in a house, then burned.
I Huns Cut chiidren's Hands
Il saw children around Leavie tina
had their hands cut OFF by the Germat
soldiers. saw woman carrying two
buckets of water and saw soldier
pass her and draw his sword and Gu
off her right hand.
/ Il saw the priest of Catholic
! church plead with the soldiers to spare
I 1.-The lives Of the women and children
and saw one of the soldiers draw his
4 saber and cut off the priests head.
"At the depot at ylaanderen saw
! an English soldier wounded that hat
no hat or shoes or socks and 1t wal
cold and he complained because h
suffered with the cold and found al
old blanket and covered him up ant
then the soldier on guard knocked m,
down for doing it. 7 saw German
soldiers have in their possession tn
cut off fingers Of women and children
with rings on them.
81 saw a French airplane shot dow
ard the aviator wounded and then
saw the wounded aviator thrown int
hole by the German soldier and bui
led alive. ! could hardly stand tn
sight. saw German aviators iiy owe
our village and drop bombs on tn
people. Under penalty of death W
were then forced by the German so
dicrs to say It was done by the Englis
n z 1 q