The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-02-21

foin. mayor Of Dinant; Sasserath,
FIRST alderman; Nimmer, aged seven
ty: Consul for the Argentine Republic
Victor Poncelet. who was executed In
the presence Of his wife and seven
children; Wasseige and his two sons
Messrs. Gustave and Leon Nicaisc,
two very old men; Jules Monin and
others all shot In the cellar OF their
brewery; Mr.. Camille Pistte and son.
aged seventeen; PhlllIppart Piedfort.
his wife and daughter; Miss Marsig-
ny. During the execution Of about
forty inhabitants OF Dlnant the Ger
mans placed before the condemned
their wives and children. II is thus
that Madam AlbIn who had just given
birth to child. three days previously.
was brought on n mattress by German
soldiers to witness the execution OF
her husband; her cries and supplica-
lions were so pressing that her hus-
bands life was spared"
"On the 26th of August German sol
diers entered various streets tof Lou
vaIn) and ordered the Inhabitants Of
the houses to proceed to the Place de
In Station, where the bodies Of nearly
a dozen assasslnated persons were ly-
Ing. Women and children we're sepa-
rated from the men and forced to re-
main on the Place de In Station dur
Ing the whole day. They had to wit
ness the execution OF many of their
fellow citizens. who were for the most
part shot at the side OF the square,
near the house Of Mr.. Hemalde. The
women and children. after having re-
manned on the square for more than
IL hours. were allowed TO depart. The
Gardes Civiques of Louvaln were also
taken prisoners and sent to Germany,
10 the camp Of Munster. where they
were held for several weeks.
"On Thursday, August q, order was
given to the inhabitants to leave Lou
vain because the city was to be bonn
barded. Old men, women, children,
the sick. priests, nuns, were driven on
the roads like cattle. More than TO-
600 OF the inhabitants were driven as
far as Tirlemont. nearly IL miles from
Louvaln.
Infants Shot In Mothers Arms.
zone Of the most sorely tried COM
munlties was TINT OF the little village
OF Taulnes. down In what is known
as the Borinnge. the coal fields near
Chartered. Tamines is a mining VIII
lage In the Sambre; II il a collection
of small cottages sheltering about o.
600 inhabitants, mostly all poor labor
ers.
"The little graveyard in which the
church stands bears its mute testi-
mony TO the horror Of the event. There
are hundreds Of new-made graves, each
with its small wooden cross and Its
bit Of flowers: the crosses are so close
ly huddled that there is scarcely room
TO walk between them. The crosses
are alike and all bear the same date
the sinister date Of August %, 1914"
"But whether their hands were cut
/ of or not, whether they were impaled
on bayonets or not. children were shot
down, by military order. In cold blood
| In the awful crime of the Rock OF Bay
ard, there overlooking the Meuse be
low Dlnant, infants In their mothers
| arms were shot down without mercy
| The deed, never surpassed In cruelty
| by any band of savages, Is described
by the bishop of Namur himself:
"'One scene surpasses In horror al
others; II is the fuslllade OF the
Rocher Bayard near Dinant. 1t ap
pears TO have been ordered by Colone
Melster. This fusillade made many
victims among the nearby parishes
especially those of des Rlvages anC
Neffe. II caused the death of nearly
90 persons, without distinction of ag'
or sex. Among the victims were ba
bles I'm arms, boys and girls, fathers
aud mothers of families. even oil
men.
Dead Children In Pile OF Bodies.
ait was there that II children unde
the age OF six persisted from the fir'
of the executioners. six OF Them Al
they lay In their mothers arms:
"'The child Fievet, three weeks old
"Maurice Betems, eleven month
old
"'Nelly pollet, eleven months old.
"'Gilda Genon. eighteen months old
"'Gilda Marchot, two years old.
"'Clara Struvay, two years and ST.
months.
"'The pile OF bodies comprised ais
many children from six to fourteen
years. Eight large families have en-
tirely disappeared. Four have but on
survivor. Those men that escapes
death-and many Of whom were rid
died with bullets-were obliged I
bury In a summary and hasty fashio
their fathers, mothers, brothers or sis
tiers; then after having been relieve
of their money and being placed 4
chains they were sent to Cassel (Prus
sia).'"
Mr.. Hugh Gibson. the secretary o
our legation In Belgium, visited Lol
vain during Its systematic destructio
by the Germans. In "A Journal Fror
Our Legation In Belgium" New Yorl
1917, pages 164-l65. he relates wha
the German officers told him:
ut was IA story Of clearing out civil
fans from large part Of the town.
systematic routing out OF men fror
cellars and garrets. wholesale shoe
ings, the generous use Of machin
guns, and the free application Of IN
tareh-fha whola story QnQuRh