THE BRUTAL GERMAN.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 4946, 22 September 1914, Page 5

THE BRUTAL GERMAN.

FRIGHTFUL ATROCITIES. EVIDENCE MOUNTING UP. London, Last Night. The Belgian Commission’s third report states that between. 6000 and 8000 inhabitants of Louvain were confined for a whole night in a riding school. The space was so small that all had to stand. Several women lost their reason, and a number of childdren died in. their mother’s arms. The Germans completely burned Vise, except, the religious establishment, and shot several citizens. The evidence emphasises the improbability of a rising by the disarmed population. Witnesses declare that the first shots were fired in intoxicated Germans at their own officers. It is notorious that during the same period the Germans killed one another in camp at Tesch. A number of places situated in the triangle enclosed by Vilvorde, Malines and Louvain were plundered and partially destroyed. The inhabitants were shot without trial, and women unable to escape were exposed to brutal instincts of the Germans. Allowing for isolated cases of histility ou the part of the Belgians, there was nothing to justify the shooting, burning and pillaging of nearly the whole of Belgium. No provocation was proved at Vise, Maisade, Louvain, VVavre or Termonde. The Germans allege that the Belgian Government distributed arms to the inhabitants, that the Catholic clergy preached a sort of holy war ,and that the women were as ferocious as the men, but these allegations are a tisue of falsehoods. The Burgomasters everywhere warned the inhabitants against acts of vio. lenoe. The true motive of the atrocities was to terrorise and demoralise tlie people in accordance with the human theories of German military writers. The Commission says it Is using only facts supported by trustworthy evidence.

LOOTING AND INCENDIARISM. Paris, Last Night. Sir Alfred Sharpe, who traversed the district covered by reoent fightJ hg, states that the Germans wrecked all unoccupied houses as a matter of principle, but the peasants were not molested beyond being requisitioned to provide supplies. The whole of Soissons was sacked and pillaged, and the wanton damage done passed belief. The contents of shops were scattered, though there is no suggestion that the townsfolk resisted. Houses and safes were rifled, and women forced to give up their jewellery. Th retreating Germans systematically looted towns, and fired houses, and destroyed booty which they were unable to carr yoff, the officers taking the pick and the men the rest. INHUMAN MONSTERS. Brussels, Last Night. In connection with the German outrage, witnesses vouched that a Uhlan officer sabred a man aged 8l) because he shook his fist at intruding Germans who took his wife, aged 7S. slit her forearms and fixed her wilh two bayonets thrust into the wall in order to compel her to disclose her money. London, Last Night. When the French re-entered Chalon they found many Germans dead drunk with the contents of jewellers’ shops bulging their pockets. London, Lest Night. Captain Davis in the trenches at Soissons German bayonets with saw edges, though this is forbidden by the laws of war. They bore the Government stamp an dthe word “Erfurt. - ’ A Frenchman states that when lying wounded on the battlefield a German sergeant jointed a revolver at a Frenchman who shielded his eyes with his hands and the German fired through his fingers and put out his eyes. A Frenchman was attending three wounded comrades when a German held the Frenchman’s hand in front of his rifle and blew it off. It is stated that the young Germans disj»lay great heartlessness, but the older are sympathetic. Gabriel D’Aununzio, the novelist, visite dthe battlefields of the Marne and the Aisue. He says that the , things seen were so terrible that no vengeance on the Germans could be too harsh. Prince Adalbert, the Kaiser's son, | collected 240.000 sterling from Rheims and subsequently bombarded it for three days. During the Germans’ 20 days’ j occupation of Luneville twenty towns. > men were killed, over a hundred housese were destroyd and a. contribution of 650,000 francs was levied. GERMAN “CULTURE l” London, Last Night. The Hon. H. H. Asquith, in a speech, stated that German culture was branded on the brow with the i outrages of l/ouvain, Mnlines aud Termondo. The Power claiming to , impose culture oil Europe was a Power whose generals revived methods of warfare condemned by the j civilised world. A nation fix! on lies could not succeed. It wns long known that the British Empire must be preserved by war. Now war had come, il would he a fine renewal of the lease J of Empire.