LOOT AND BLACKMAIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13540, 18 November 1914, Page 4

LOOT AND BLACKMAIL.

AIDED B V KAISER'S SON \ CILVMPAGKE ANp BRUTALITY. \ (By G. Wav^iX^ice.). PARIS j October 2. ; is., \yhat a German occupation means,: .•.-;• , /;' , !:^)^' ■•■■■'■■ -■•'-•■ V^t.-iEpernay .ithe> ihayoj^iis 4 .M. v Pol-, Roger, tile mercliant. Diredjtty the ;Gormans entered /the I ' town T on 'tlibi 4tli— rfiftep--.bombai:dingf : .it- to the extent .of , ; about .fifty , ! shells^ Avhieh' paused damage apdi? set-several parts'of 'tlie-town,'... alight— they went straight, to tho town hall»and;arrest , od !him, together with Mai-tre'vPerault. .liis'. deputy, and two municipal* councillors. Tliey ' wero .all confined m the towU hall, under the close ;guard of mounted ■sentries, for 36 hours, as hostages, while the Germans were billeting their troops m the town. : It \yastho. Prussian -Guard that pocupier Epernay, • uildci* GcijeraL Baron vbh •plettenibergi. 'There were infantry; cavalry^ artillery, aud pioneers., but 'since "a; number, of the.' , troops . were S' u-ead ; a bout m the .village's all r«und pernay it' is difficult tb-'cbme-by. any estimate of ; their tbta'lf number: -."'■''; '•_''; I; •i The position of the' two^mayors and their - co ttpcillore at ' the v town •; hall ■ was rtpt , a pl«isiuit. one ■•They^' ; ha.cf': hardly ■ been tliei-e nn> hour 'when a "German colonel arrived-- < 'rufious, viry Vi haughty . aiid not polite at 'all," ; as Maitre-Perault deSoribes -himv He accused tlie 'mayor !of. having cut off the water and; tho gas 'supply. • His .men, it appeared, had taken' vp •' their .quarters m '&. . house '.where neither gas nor water -taps. yipld» ed anything.' "If the supply .-isuno.t'i^er stored within an hour," Mon§jfe'iu* '..le Maire," shouted the. colonel thrusting Ms insolent face into that of M. PolRoger ! "you and your calleagucs here I ; .\vill be 'hanged— ha,hged, you ",-tiii dor - stand; not snot — and Epernay will, be burnt and pillaged ; completely— completely." ';.- '.' •: , ; - '■•• 5 ;! The four, aldermen, did !, not lose their heads;' They took the vociferating cok onel into 'itie kitchen of the • tow^ii iiaiil and turned on both gas and. Avq,tcr iap^ before his eyes to show him that • the municipal supply had not been tampered with;, /The house where .his men were quartered had', had its service cut off. before the; Germans entered Eper^ 'nay. ■-' '■ ••;"'.' ""'■'' '".'.- "• .'' " . • ' %, SPARE THE "CHAMPAGNE ;• ,f Meanwhile the Germans established themselves m the . towii. , .paid f<sr ;iiothing. They simply demanded what they Avanted— food, wine, 'tobacco ;. and if payihent-were mentioned: they: refused .brutally. When they came.:; m Me ftrbops %r : e.re very, hungry.' . "They were Wagon grease -dn •bibs of dry biscuit and eating it,"' the waiter .of the .hotel : .told mP,.|iit. their first thought ,w ? as for the famous champagne -oflt he iEpernay, district! f he' general>\ssue"d a strict order 'that neither the vines; nor |,the cellars where the wine is stored; -wiere to; be 3njured--for -ihe , invaders at. tliat time regarded Eperiiay as-jJai.pevs 'maiient conque'&t and", were deterinin|di not tb : danlage' What tliey considered' ;as henceforth -*Jieir own, property. ; .-■? , : " -The staff of the general on; its' soH accbuiit lxsquisitioned- ■ SCO bbttles»: and; paid . for them m notes Tedeemable^-: perhaps— aftevth© war. But the- priv^ ato soldiers and junior officers dispensed; even .with this formality. They had alt the' champagne brought :up from, .''..thief cellars of the houses 'where they were; quartered, a^iid they would drmk lidt-h-' ing else. They carried :• < off quantities! of it, .and after the-baittle r «.f.the Vesle'^ tlie'engagenleiit fought.- befor,e the! Ger?. majis abandoned Rheims and witlKlreWi 'to tho ' hills east bf; the town,, dozenst of, empty champagne bottles were found m the r trenches -m whioh they b ac -! °^P n fighting. - '.'/.;•' Tlie staff > ■exacted from the town;as a war contribution :K 120 toi\s of oats. ;•>> 210 tons of bread. ■'■••■■ 10'.- cwt-.- of -roast^coil'eo. . \'- . ; . ' 10 tons bf pvoscx-ved . vegetables. 12 tons of 'salt "bacbir and lard. . ..':..::.-. ONE GOOD ACT. 3 . «».-.-. In addition. to this fobd levy, General von Plcttenbei-g ■' imposed a -fine- ..of £7000 on the i town:-" which itad! to be paid-in cash. The German general did; however, showy one- sigh of decency dbrr, ing his stay. As hi-s -trbops were retiTj ing he sent for the muyor and handed back to him the-.£7000 m -the same moneY, m Hvhich it \vas~paid over. ■.- ,"i do tlvisi" -be saidv "m colisideratioiv sof the carb -tlvat has -been ..shown; fqr <^er; man .wounded m the hospitals at Eper : m\;"'\~-- . '•'' ■■'•:'- ; ' : ■■'-••? '"- : ■-.; ":..'-'? ■: : ' : ' ,i \' It was after- five days', figbtingwiund tho town.. vth'aA-'tho'JOm'mniiavreiireil >on Rheims^ and tfeougli- -that -towti'. »H^to tho wooded bills beyond. «At RhtyniSi h much < larger* town than >t bay • had carried out their policy of intiimda^ tion on a -more inethodicalv plam>j <Thoy; arrested 100 of tho -most » pixaninettt Hplo of the town to hold as liostages: There were five priests among thwn,miid representatives of all classes aud^nuiiiy occupations. There was > even mrr-fcog' lishmah, a Mr Lewenthwaite,. ; .connected with the. English '..combii^ mills-^tlicrtv Obeof the hostages taken was ,a\V."old man of eiglitv J two. -rl 'found, tho green proclamation " which- announces: with brutal. directness .the,' German intention' to .hang alt ..these •. perfectly innocent .persons if ,'it seemed gwd;,to him, stiE posted- on the street watts. . r ; ' The .Mpro^jtion , '..afforded tp t.ne-hbs: tages by' tlie- German Army was of a vcharacteristic kind. ., For when the Ger-, .'mans had to- retreat;, frpjn RhemiS;. with the French hard on their ).,heels they 'formed, un.theu-. 100 prisoners into. %\ compact little body and forced them: to maroh> at ;,the very, end • of itlle retiring column for three miles beyond. the. town so as.,to .oover^it .from aim.rifle bullets. \v hich, "tlie . iof uriated. .inhabitants of Rheims "" might, otberwise' . bayj? . bee;n tempted to send after them. They also carried off with. them £60,000. in .cash— £40,000 of it a war fine and £20,0Qjl uhtii .tSeptembfer yaO." But a week before September -20 --.the • Fi'ehch Armyliad driven; the enemy.;" qVt of, Rheims and the town has accordingly lost the whofe sunvu -• "*" * r .. •'•■•*?''?*'•'."'* > Such . wasr> the "passage >, through the historic. town oft. Rheims .of .thisfyhs:'i*iK vading' horde; accomrjanied inthis;secT tion of it.by :twb, Priiiccs,ofv t% ; Prus* sian Royal • Fanlily .' August , and ? Adalbert,;. the.' Kaiser?s «^nSiU the latter of whom came as* a messensfer tb fetch away tho -town's war lovy fino of ! £40,000.