Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-03-04
Brand WhitIoCk Tells Of CoWardIy
Act Of Commander of Ger
man Detachment.
HUGH GIBSON ADDS EVIDENCE
Tells Of Priests Compelled to Walk Be.
fore "Huns" 10 Form Screen
Cardinal Mercier's Statement
as to Taking of Hostages.

priests as screens 10 protect the in
UaderS from Belgian troops is Show'
BY the follOwing testimony gathered
BY the committee on public infOr
nation:
Minister Whitlock, in his report OF
September u, 1917, to the secretary OF
states, gives an instance of the Ger
man practice of seeking protection.
"The Germans attacked Hougaerde
on the 18th August; the Belgian troops
were holding the Gette bridge in the
village. The Germans forced the par
ish priest of Autgaerden to walk in
front of them as shield. AS they
neared the barricade the Belgian SOL
diers fired and the priest was killed.
After the retreat Of the Belgians the
Germans shot four men, burned 90
houses, and looted 100."
Hugh Gibson, in "a Journal From
Our Legation In Belgium" page 155,
gives another incident
1.-TWO old priests have staggered In
to the - legation more dead than
alive after having been compelled to
walk ahead of the German troops for
miles as a sort of protecting screen.
One Of them is Ill, and 1t Is said that
he may die as result of what he has
gone through"
Statement Of Cardinal Mereier.
"At the time of the Invasion Bel
gian civilians, In 20 places, were made
to take part in operations of war
against their own country. At Ter
monde, kebbeke, Dlnant and elsewhere
in many places, peaceable citizens,
women and children were forced to
march in front of German regiments
or to make a. screen before them.
"The system Of hostages was carried
out with fierce cruelty. The procla-
mation of August 4th, quoted above,
declared, without circumlocution
Hostages will be freely taken
"An official proclamation, posted at
Liege, in the early days of August, ran
thus: Every aggression committed
against the German troops by any per-
sons other than soldiers in uniform
not only exposes the guilty person to
be Immediately shot, but will also en-
tail the severest reprlsals against all
the inhabitants. and especially against
those natives of Liege who have been
detained as hostages in the citadel Of
Llege by the cOmmandant of the Ger
man troops
"These hostages are Monslgnor Rut-
ten, bishop of Liege NJ. Kleyer, burgo-
master of Liege; the senators, repre-
and the permanent deputy
and sheriff of Liege"
The above quotation is taken from
IAN Appeal to Truth" addressed No
vember "a, 1915, by Cardinal Mercier
and the other bishops of Belgium to
the cardinals, archblshops. and bishops
Of Germany and Austrla-Hungary.
Some ten or a dozen American cor
of whom | was one, wit
messed the first German drive through
Belgium. Nest of us were so appalled,
and Mortified by what we saw as to be-
come antl-German for life" VIII Ir-
win in Saturday Evening Post, Octo-
Der 6, 1917. page Al.
Robbery Under GuIse Of Fines.
The contracting nations. including
Germany, who signed the conventions
Of the second peace conference at The |
Hague, 1907. pledged themselves to the
following:
Article L. No general penalty, Pc
runiary or otherwise. shall be inflicted |
upon the population on account of the |
acts of individuals for which they can
not be regarded as Jointly and several
y responsible"
Article LII. ReQuisitions. In kind |
and services shall not be demanded
from municipalities or inhabitants ex-
eept for the needs of the army of oc-
cupation. They shall be In proportion
10 the resources Of the country, and of
such nature as not to involve the in-
nabitants In the obligation of taking
part In military operations against
their own country"
The German authorities have yiolat-
ed these articles from the very begin
hing. AS soon as they invaded Bel
sium, heavy fines were laid upon lndl-
Eidual communities as reprisals for
some act against the German army or
IS regulations which was committed
within their boundaries. In "An AID.
zeal to Truth" Cardinal Mercler cites
he following cases:
"Malines. working-class town,
Without resources, has had fine of
5000 marks inflicted on 1t because
he burgOmaster did not inform the
military authority Of a journey which
he cardinal. deprived of the use of his
notorcar, had been obliged to make
IN foot, In fact. upon the filmsiest
'retexts heavy fines are inflicted on
'ommunes. The commune Of Puers
vas subjected to a fine of 1900 marks
'eeause telegraph wire was broken.
Though the Inquiry showed that 1t
ad given way through wear"
Mereiless Exaetions.
IN addition TO such arbitrary,
pOr2lic exactions. In December. 1914. !