New-York tribune., 1919-01-16

you have ever been Ievelled to within
four feet of the ground. That was the
condition Of many of the cities Wis
tied. People who had homes there
ran UP the alleyways, after their homes
had been destroyed, whenever any one
in uniform came along. They would
hardly. under these circumstances,
enter into negotiations with them TO
redeem the tickets"
"Do you say that these villages had
! been destroyed by bombardment, or
were they just ruthlessly and deliber-
ately destroyed to terrorize the popu-
lation? ?" the Senator asked.
"They were ruthlessly and deliber-
ately destroyed, largely by fire gren-
AIDES, charged with explosives and with
fre-igniting substances" Mr.. Squires
replied.
at was the rainy season when I
was there, November and December.
There was no shelter for the peop'e in
many OF the towns. They lived in the
open, where there was no protection.
''In one town | was able to take a
small table, where we gathered thirty
or forty of the victi.as and gave them
soup or bread, as we were able to- get
IT ready for them in hurry"
go ahead" said Senator Nelson.
Have you anything more to tell %
ut is not a case of anything more.
1t Is case of trying to forget it." Mr..
Squires replied
In regard to these women who were
attacked" asked Senator Overman,
"was that done in the presence of the
German officers, or was it done by
drunken soldiers who were skylark-
ing?"
ut was mostly the work of private
German soldiers" was the reply. al do
not think the German oficeys were
quite guil:less, but l imagine they
might have done their acts under the
cover of house.
sit is very difficult for you gentle
men to realize it. 1t is not a pretty
picture
Speaking of the destruction Of part
Of Louvaln, Mr.. Squires said:
1T seems the incoming generals who
had entered Louvain and taken it. were
being entertained, as a matter of cour-
tesy, by the burgomaster in his nome.
he called on his daughter to bring in
some light refreshments, cigars and
light wine, for the entertainment of
he guests. While she was bearing in
the cigars and wines, one Of the officers
offered her an insult. During the even
ing word of it came to her brother.
whereupon, with less consideration
than he should have had for his faith
er's guest, he went in and shot the
man dead, ID the presence of the other
German officers.
They left, and the next day the Sec
tlon of the town where the mavor's of
flee was, and where the family resided.
was burned-about one-third of the
city, including the university and the
town hall. The handsome section of
Louvain was destroyed that day"
II asked you these questions" said
senator Nelson, "to meet the nputa-
ton or Won Mack, who appeared here
as witness the other day and who in
slnuated in one form or another that
the treatment of the Belgian people
by the German soldiers in 1914 was not
worse than our soldiers had treated the
people of the South in Sherman's
march to the sea. and he also referred.
l think, to the Philippine Islands,
They did not go through the coun-
TRY according to any practice that had
ever been done in similar warfare in
the past that | know anything about"
said Mr.. Squires.
And. they cruciled children On asked
the Senator
II have had places pointed out Co me
by fathers who had been crazed hy the
sight of their children hanging on door
bells the night before" Mr.. Squires
replied. "One man took me up to a
( door and showed me the nail points in
the door where his little baby had been
nailed the night before because the
boy got in the way of the German
guard of four or FIVE men and stepped
on their feet, or in some way hindered
their passage. and one of the men
snattched up the baby and held it up
against the door, probably in their
drunkenness, nailed it up against the
door, and it was dead in five minutes.
| suppose.
Il did not see the child. The child
was not permitted to remain there
more than a minute or two after the
soldiers went on.
Il know it IS very difficult to believe
these stories, gentlemen, and that is
one reason why | hesitate to tell, but
have seen all that