THE SAME OLD HUN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2975, 12 January 1917, Page 6

THE SAME OLD HUN

Sir,—lii last Saturday's Dominion, commenting on a new book by Mr. Hugh' Stakes, "The Devonshire House Circle," your contributor ' "Liber" . mentioned that tho author had been exploring in that jnine of eighteenth contury gossip "The Gentleman's Magazine." I was particularly interest- ' ed in this, as 1 have at my disposal a copy of. that curious publication for tho year 1744. I, too, have been doing somo delving, • and have come across . many interesting -and quaint items, \ and many of,great historical interest. Wo have all been much horrified and I distressed at reading of tho dreadful j cruelties practised by. tho Germans dui- ( ing tho present war, and'inany of us no doubt beliove it to bo a sign of ' Germany's mental degeneracy. But L there is an article in the magazine , in question which shows that this is no , new thing, and indeed were it to bo published as a record of presont hap--1 pollings it would certainly be accepted without question. The article is too ' long to quote in oxtenso, but I may [ be permitted to'givo an extract. It is published in tho Historical Chroniclo i department of tho "Gentleman's Magazine" for November,. 1744, and is as ■follows: — ' . . ' "The accounts given of'the cruelty with .-which tho Prussians have- ravaged ! Moravia aro such as for tho honour ' of human nature .every man that reads them must wish to bo false, and invented only by the relators to mako their enemies odious; but tho attesta- ' tions with which they are accompanied aro such as to loayo very little room for so pleasing an opinion. Major Schutz, who commanded a body of Hussars which entored this unhappy country, in a letter to one of his superiors, applauds himself for tho address with which ho pillages towns, -and the little regret with which ho hangs all the inhabitants whom ho finds in arms, and bastinadoes the civil officers to death. Ho recommends himself yet further by declaring his readiness to lay tho , country in ashes, awKto massacro the ' women and children. It appears from au authentic relation of his conduct i that he is fully qualified for such Tin- ;' dortakings.". ■ t The articlo goes on to say that tho . Prussians demanded four hundred ducats fipm tho town of Hohenstal, > with provision for men and horses, and while waiting for the money de- - manded .the city chest. "Thfe- burgomaster told him that it was in the , hands of tho chief officer, but that he 9 certainly knew it to be empty; but tho major, not satisfied with this answer, r forced him to the castle, -where tlio i Receiver-General lay ill and almost at f tho point of death. Here they required r of him the'chest of tho Prince of " Lichtehstein. The burgomaster answerp ed that it was,in the possession of the Prince's officer, and that ho could givo 3 no. account of it; but though this answer, was confirmed by the Receiver, D it was to so little purpose that the 6 Hussars stripped him, and gavo him ■ one hundred and sixty strokes; and the major declared he thought himself •' obliged in conscience to. see him beaten rt to death. They then thrust irons be- '. tween the nails and flesh of his fingers, aiid left him almost expiring. After i. this they took the Receiver's lady to f the cellar, where they threatened her .- with outrage if she would not discover ,- where the money was buried. She told them she had no part in the direction

of business, and knew nothing of tfc* concealment of treasure, and while they wero digging up tho ground, made her escape." After torturing the dying Receiver they forced him to discover a small bag of money he had in the house. The narrative continues: — "They proceeded afterwards to plunder the towns and villages adjacent, in which they not only broke and destroyed what they did not take away, but practised every kind of inhumanity npon tho persons of the inhabitants, of whom some had their noses cut off, others were bastinadoed, and others treated with cruelties too shocking to bo recited. The'women wero outraged in a most brutal manner. The churches were plundered, and .the consecrated ' plate and votive offerings taken away." That does not seem to read very much differently to the accounts of tho happening which took place at Liege and Louvain during tho present war. The Prussian is evidently a brute by Birth and tradition, and the only way to cure him is to exterminate hini. Apologising for troubling you at such length, let me thank you for your contributor's interesting weekly notes in The Dominion.—l am, etc., CONSTANT READER,