Evening journal., 1918-02-14
Across the Meurthe.

Across the Meurthe.
While Luneville was being sacked by
ghe Bavarian troops who occupied II,
pther Bavarian columns were pressing
southward over the Meurthe. At Heri-
menf they shot six civilians includins
women Of IS and q and a man of II
and deliberately burned % houses, af-
ter pillage To facilitate the pillage the
inhabitants were confined in the
church. II did not want the church
door opened" a Bavarian captain
shouted when o woman ventured out
10 find milk for the children; IL wanted
the French TO shoot their own people"
And. in fact, a French she'll fell on the
church and killed 2i Of those inside At
Rehainviller the Germans carried of tine
cure and shot him, and deliberately set
the village on fire. They burned three
houses at Mont. AZ Lamath they car
ried of the mayor and two others as
hostages 10 Germany, and shot a man 20
years old. At Fraimbois they shot
municipal councillor and an invalid from
Gerbeviller. Il saw German soldiers,
states a witness from Fraimbois, "flr-
Ing at fowls in the gardens. At that
moment a patrol came by and ARE ted
me on the pretext that 10 was / who
had fired ] was brought before a coun-
Gil Of war, but chanced to be acquit-
ted" Advancing from Fraimbois and
Lamath. the Bavarians fought their
way into Gerbeviller on Aug. p
AT Gerbeviller," the French Commis-
sion report 1.-THE enemys troops hurled
themselves against some sixty chas-
seus-a-pied. who offered heroic resist
ance and inflicted heavy losses upon
them. They took a drastic revenge upon
the civilian population. Indeed, from the
moment Of their entrance into the town
the Germans gave themselves up TO the
worst exeesses, entering the houses
with savage yells burning the Dulld-
ings, killing or arrestlng the lnhaDl-
tants. and sparing neither women nor
old men out Of i75 houses 20 at most
are still habitable More than 100 per
sons have disappeared 30 al least have
been massacred. Some were led into the
fields 10 be shot. others were murdered
I'm their houses or struck down al they
passed through the streets. while they
were trying to escape from the com
Gagratlon. Up 10 now sc hodies nave
been identified" names follow
Fifteen Of these poor people We're
executed at a place called Ia Prele.
They were buried by their fellow-citi-
zens on sept 18th or 18th Almost all
had their hands tied behind their backs.
some were blindfolded: the trousers ot
the majority were unbuiioned and
pushed down 10 their feet This fact a-
Vol as the appearance Of the bodies
made the wifne ses think that the Vie
Tins hal been mutilaied We did not
think we ought to adopt this view the
bodies being in such an advanced state
of decomposition that a mistake on the
subject might be made. Besides, IL Is
possible that the nurdereds unhuttoneo
ths trousers Of the prisoners so as "a
cncumSer their legs. and thus make II
impossible for them TO escape.
"On oct. 10Th, at a place called i'
uaut-de- Vermont. buried urIer itteer
IN twenty centimetres OF earth. v'
roun1 the bodies Of ten civilians wifi
fhe marks Of bullets upon them on
one Of them was found laissez-pas -eI
A. the name Of EdOuard Seyer. or ba.
donvilIer. The other nine victims ar'
unknown. II Is believed that they wer'
i-,habitants Of Badonviller, who hat
b,on taken by the Germans into tn'
uoiehborhoOd Of Gerbeviller 90 hf sio
ilere.
In the streets and houses during tho
dsv the town was sacked the mos
tragic scenes took place.
I'm the morning the enemy entered
the house Of NJ and Nine Lineenneid
seized the son, SO years Of age. who wa'
wearing the brassard Of the Red Cross
tied his hands behind his back, DRAGGED
him into the street, and shot him
They then returned Go look for th.
f,fber. an old man Of 10 Nine. Lingen
held then took 10 fli0ht. ON her wa,
she saw her son ST etched on th'
ground. and as The unhappy man wa
SIN moving some Germans drenche'
him with petrol. 90 which they set iir'
an the presence Of the terrified mother
In the meantime NJ Lingenheld was leo
g. Ia Prele. where he was executed.
At the same time the soldier
Knocked at the door OF the house occu
pied by ~ Dehan. his wife, ana hi
mother-in-law, the widow Hulllaume
ared rs The latter. who opened th
door. was shot point-blslk, and fell inp
the arms Of her son-in-laW. WHO ran
nm behind her They have killeC me
Size cried Carry me into the garden
Ter children obeyed, and laid her q
fhe end Of the garden with a pillow un
dor her head and a blanket over ne
legs and then stretched themselves a
tne foot OF the wall 10 avoid shells. a
fhe end Of an hour One widow Gun
laume was dead Her daughter vrappe
her in a blanket and placed "a hand
lerchief over her face Almost immed
afely the Cermans broke - thr gar
den. They carried of Dehan and she
him at Ia Prele. and led his wife ava
ON to the Frdimbois road. where sh