The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-05-19

blood as they emerged. Those who
escaped momentarily were shot down
in the streets as If they had been mad
dogs"
lie tald Of the miraculous escape OF
an entire family. including a young
woman in a most DELICATE condition
and a twelve hour old infant With
their homes in flames over taeir head
and knowing that instant death
awaited ali of them II they attempted
To fee from the burning domicile,
they fed TO the cellar, over which,
fortunately. was concrete flooring.
The house burned 10 the ground and
melted the water pipes. which flooded
the cellar tn the urmpiLs Of, the
refugees in which situation they re-
manned for six days, when the sound
of their voices was heard through
chink of the rear basement wall by
neighbors who had long since given
them I'D -for-dca During their en-
forced Imprisonment the family sub
sisted almost entirely on water soaked
bread
The Sacrcligious Hun
The invaders, according TO the
speaker, were no respectors of
churches asylums hospitals or
scientific institutions. one of tho
finest churches in the city and the
! University of Louyain being among
! the hrst structures to become tar
I gets of the German artillery. In the
! University OF Louvain tho labor and
research and the accumula tion OF
volumes and works of art which re-
auired several centuries was undone
IN icss than twenryrour hours.
The German reputation for building
/, Il fieNJ Ia.
/ them in their destruction of them.
Efforts of tho Louvain fire depart
ment to cxtinguish the flames which
We're consuming the university and
other valued editces was frustrated by
the Germans who ripped open the
hose and demolished the firefghting
equipment.
The population OF I-ouvain, includ
ing men. women and children, were
bearded into cattle ears and deported
into Germany, on the way they
were given no food and little water
J Some of them went insane and others
died 'rhe1r bodies WE'RE thrown on
the train alongside the tracks. The
populations of German towns through
which the Belcian-la laden trains passet
were invited To view the Gagged Bel
gians who were insulted and hac
heaped upon them indescrlba BILE indis
mites. beside which tho polling which
eggs and tomatoes and fruits wa'
mild in comparison. The worst of
tenders, he said. were the German
women.
Following dcporting Of the city''
civilian population, search by the civil
government for the source Of an an
moving stencil revealed the bodies Of
forty Begians. men, women ant
) children, who, upon beng sho
down by the Germans. were buried il
the city square under Il few inches O.
sand In addition. sixteen Other
bodies were discovered in new
building, work of construction 81
which had been interrupted by TIA
invasion
Commander Didn't Care.
Mayor Nerrinxc protested to thf
military authorities with regard tC
bon bardment of The town and espec'
tally the churches hospitals ant
scientific institutions When assured
that there were no German soldier.
in the hospitals. the German com
mander said he didn't care rap" a.
long as no Germans We're endangered
The town WAS not bombatded, "a ic
1.-THE speaker. although mnety-thret
German university professors have
since come forward and Justified tho
reported bomhardment on the GROUND
of military necessity, alleging IT wa.
unavoidable on account of revolt OF
the part of the civilian population,
The Germans, he said had "A par
ticular peuchant for footing wine
cellars. Three thousand soldiers. ht
said, made short work of $4,000 bot
ties of wine.
Eleven hundred houses were de
CT in I,DnNain and the rity W.
left without water supply or illumi
nation OF any sort. Shops were de,
stroyed and the carasses of horses
COWS sheep and dogs strewed tht
streets.
Mayor Nerrinxc repeatedly protcs
ted to the commanding officer at the
outrages Of the soldiers Not once
he said. would the comma nding of,
ficer admit that the Germans were
wrong. His attitude" he added
was that, if mistakes had beer
made, we made them: that if crime.
were committed we were to blame
The sending TO France OF thousand.
OF American soldiers scared the Ger
mans out OF the war and into the ar,
nistice, he declared in conclusion
Belgium, he said, is prostrated and
helpless. but not HOPELESS The war
torn little country. he said, does mo-
want charity What it wants anc
needs is credit and its 100000 PEG
pie want work
BIG MEETING IN PETERSBURG
Mass meetings were held in a score
Of cities OF Virginia yesterday after
noon in behalf OF the Salvation Army
| campaign and meagre reports receive,
lnst night by State Director w. Nc