The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1918-04-05

II quently that my master was bayonet-
ed and shot, and that his son was
shot. l heard shots from the kitch-
en-, where I was, and was present at
the burial of my master and his son
thirteen days later. German SOL
diers came back into the house and
poured some infiammable liquid over
the floors and set fire to it. I es-
capped by another staircase to that
which my master and his son had
descended"
On the 26th "Wednesday, in the
City of Louvain, massacre, fire, and
destruction went on. The university,
with it's library, the Church of st.
Peter, and many houses were set
on fire and burned to the ground.
Citizens were shot and others taken
prisoners and compelled to go with
the troops. Soldiers went thru the
streets saying Man hat geschossen."
! ("They have been shooting."O One
soldier was seen going along shoot
ing in the air.
Many of the people hid in cellars,
but the soldiers shot down thru the
gratings. Some citizens were shot
on opening tho doors, others in en-
deavoring to escape. Among other
persons whose houses were burned
was an old man of 80 lying danger
ously ill, who YVES taken out ON his
mattress and left lying in his garden
all night. He died shortly after in
the hospital to which a friend took
him the following morning.
On Thursday, the 9th, orders
wore given that every one should
leave the city, which was to be RACED
TO the ground. Some citizens, in
Guiding a canon of the cathedral,
with his aged mother, were ordered
to go to the station and afterward
to take the road to Tirlcmont. Among
the number were. about twenty
priests from Louvain. They were
insulted and threatened, but ulti-
mately allowed to go free and make
their way as best as they could, wo-
mon and sick persons among them,
to Tirlemont. Other groups Of pris-
oners from Louvain were on the
same day taken by other routes,
some early in the morning, thru va
rious villages in the direction of Ma
lines, with hands tightly bound by
long cord. Moro prisoners were
afterwarded added, and all made to
stay the night in the church at
Campenhout. Next day, the 28th,
this group, then consisting of about
1000 men, women and children, was
taken back to Louvain. The houses
along the road were burning and
many dead bodies of civilians, men
and women, wero seen on the way.
Some Of the principal streets in Lou
vain had by that time boen burned
out. The prisoners were placed in
large building on tho cavalry ex-
ercise ground zone woman went
mad, some children died, others were
born" On the 10th the prisoners
were marched along the Malines
road, and at Herent the women and
children and men over 40 were al
lowed to go; tho others were taken
to Boort Meerbeek, Is kilometers
from MGlines, and told to march
straight to Malines or be shot. At
IL p. m. they reached the fort of
Waelhem and were at first fired on
by the sentries, but on calling out
they were Belgians were allowed to
pass. These prisoners were practical
ly without food from early morning
on the 26th until midnight on the
10th. OF the corpses seen on the
road, some had their hands tied be-
hind their backs, others were burn,
ed, some had been killed by blows,
and some corpses wero those of chill
dren who had been shot.
Another witness, man of indie
pendent means, was arrested ct noon
by the soldiers of the One Hundred
and Sixty-fifth Regiment and taken
to the Place dc la Station. He was
grossly ill-trcated on the way and
robbed by an officer of his purse and
keys. His hands were tied behind
his back. His wife was kept pris-
oner at tho other side CT the station.
He was then made to march with
about 500 other prisoners until mid
night, slept in the rain that night,
and next day, having had no food
since leaving Louvain, was taken to
the church in Rotsclaer, where there
were then about 1900 prisoners con-
fined, including some infants. No
food was givon, only some water.
Next day they were taken thru
Wespelaer and back to Louvain. On