FIENDISH LIMITS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15821, 19 January 1915, Page 8

FIENDISH LIMITS.

TREATMENT OF PRIESTS.

TOKTURED ALL DAY

The Official Press Bureau issues a record dealing with the maltreatment of priests in Belgium by the Germans. It states that chinches mid religious houses in almost every village were profaned and destroyed. In the majority of cases the sacred edifices were used as stables or prisons.

From some dioceses many of the priests were carried off to Germany, where some have been subjected to abominable usage and molested in odious fashion.

At Bucchen, a priest of 83 years was accused of firing on the Germans, though he was too infirm even to conduct Mass. The poor invalid was twisted on to a cannon and then thrown into a ditch. Next the soldiers seized his arms and legs and dragged him along the street. Tortured beyond bearing, the victim said. "I prefer death." He was promptly shot.

At Shaffun. where the enemy accused the people of firing on the advancing troops, a priest was maltreated in every way, one of his punishments being that he was forced to stare at the sun for a long while. A blacksmith, who was his fellow-prisoner, had both arms broken, and finally he was killed. The priest was thrust into the burgomaster's house, which was set on fire, and then he was dragged out again in the evening and ordered to look at his church for the last time. At 8.45 p.m. he was released, bleeding badly from a flogging with a riding-whip. An officer told him to get up and make himself scarce, but he had only got 200 yds away when the soldiers * commenced to shoot. Miraculously, he was not hit, but lay like dead all night, halfnaked, under a bush. The Germans thought he was killed and did not follow him up. At Liege ten priests were shot; at Namur 20. At Spontin the priest was hung up by his feet and his hands were pierced with bayonets. Finally, he, too was shot. *