Show Vo M ff Under the LII By BRAND WHITLOCK The story of the son of ot the bur burgomaster burgomaster burgo burgo- o- o master and the shooting of tho genera general general gen gen- era eral did not servo long as the reason for 01 destroying Louvain The alleged cause took on larger larser proportions us HS mho Iho effects grew the thc Germans claimed that the civilians of Louvain fired on the soldiers from Crom windows along the Rue flue de la 11 Station the most consequential residence street o of the old university sit sity ctt city a n long quiet avenue lined 4 with handsome residences of the local quality university professors lawyers doctors and the haute bourgeoisie But even this was not enough it was not sufficiently the thing must be deeper more profound morein more morein in accord with the current legend of oC the franc and so gO it grew and expanded until in jn the final and official version it blossomed forth as a krieg lulS In the v very r houses where German German Ger Ger- man soldiers were quartered it was Raid Bald Belgian soldiers who had changed their for civilian attire had n i i o- o nA i f. f A the teeth U II VII u u I i provided pro even with and at a sl signal nal in secret j communication with the Belgian government government government gov gov- at Antwerp at the moment when hen Belgian troops were making a sortie from tho the Antwerp forts h had ll from windows windows windows win- win winI sprung sprung suddenly forth Corth firing j I dows and even from Crom loop holes hotes in the i it Is Intimated I there houses placed exigency when I Ithe with a view to this very ery II the houses were built and had hall treacherously trench trench- German soldiers soldiers sol sol- fired on innocent diers going to the support of or their sorel sorely tried comrades at the front Such is time the German version given Inthe inthe In Inthe the White book of May 10 1916 1915 The signal for this uprising is said to have been skyrockets falling Calling like stars tars in the evening sky sky- It Is not at atall atall atan all an unlikely that Germans did see stars that evening Never In history were soldiers more badly scared than the they were when those ridiculous ho horses ses came clime galloping Into town through the rte Porte de do Malines and disturbed disturbed dis dis- the officers at their food diS 1 and wine For forty years the they had been reading about those French franc franc- with Ith the ferocious names those French those dark villains that had skulked through all the German German German Ger Ger- man fiction for fOl two score years There are arc many accounts of it H but the account that than I like e best is the one written by Carl and published pub pub- in the General An- An for September 10 1914 1919 under the title Our Baptism of or Fire at Louvain Louvain Lou- Lou vain I like this account because it falls in with my notion of ot the essential I romanticism of oC German fiction I had just eaten a bite at the thc Hotel Metro pole says sas nu nu numerous mer us detachments of or infantry that did not belong to our regiment were passing In the time street It was said that W- W they were g going to so sound tho the alar alarm and and that perhaps at we have e a to take part in a combat I ranas ranas ran ranas as far as tho mho Place There were our horses saddled that had just jut come from the station and there was installed in- in stalled a camp of ot our field wagons Wo TO mounted and on horseback rode I In Iri the streets where the soldiers were swarming warming The excitement was great end and swelled even more when darkness i irell fell Teti No o one knew what was going on and the officers were forced to hold hack their men by crying at the top of oC their voices In order to dominate the noise nose of ot the shuffling of the the soldiers a and the thc pawing of the tho horses After Arter a ertain certain time limo a counter order arrives Wo 0 return to the tho rear and again oca oc- oc a 1 cupy the Place whose space was filled to the last little corner with the 11 wagons hitched up Now they must more distribute forage In order i that before night men and horses may 1 take tako their quarters My ol neighbor Impatient Im- Im Im- Im Impatient patient was citing to me the thc following phrase The Tho soldier passes the great great- greatest est part of or his life In waiting wailing in vain I ri I When the last word was hardly out of oC oft I t his mouth a formidable detonation had i Just come from the corner of the time Place lVe c turned about with the thc rapidity of a flash of lightning I saw at the them I 1 m t height ht of a man a brilliant light My I first thought Is that the tho Bel Belgian lan artillery artil- artil Jery lery ler has just arrived and Is shooting h 1 at t the troops parked In the tho Place Place- Atthe At the same moment all the saddle horses rushed Crushed rushed to the side from Crom that whence came the d detonation Jostle 1 one one another and enter the street that thatIs that'S ti Is S just In front The harnessed horses also hO seized b by panic shy and drag the thc 1 wagons In every direction Many Ian break 7 their straps and start to gallop across I I til W that crow crowd i ti i Impossible Ible to control them The panic of or the horses threatens to extend lf itself to the men itlen No ono one knows what 11 tt Is going on n. All without un understanding understand understand- it ing any anything thins look fixedly In the direction af ion tion of ot the first t explosion awaiting the time a second Then from the four tour sides of the Place a n. rain of ot bullets corning coming from the tho windows of the principal j houses falls crackling on us All u It ri precaution is useless From whatever side Bide one turns tho the bullets whistle and 1 z A rt d crackle at our ears in a bewildering itt way va Whoever hoever has an arm and every every- 1 t t one has either un an Infantry gun or a t. t musket musket or oi a revolver shoots S d really toward the first point 1 where he hc I t I thinks s there it is an enemy Thc They shoot w a 0 second then a third Th They y I hoot without ceasing and ami everyone finds himself in the double danger r equally QuallY great either cither to b be brought i F down by the Belgians or b by their own II CI comrades omra es My I revolver rc misses fire I I I t th L- L I. I I I I 1 1 a h T U S- S Loa u uw a o u i in n. mo lIU UL l la i 1 l 1 throw myself down on my stomach under a tree trec at the name same time with eral soldiers who worn were shooting I 1 II Cr j in a manner very clear but bUl also very ery hopeless 25 than only a a. highly im- im I Iery possible g miracle can save me rue for Cor this f chaos Pu must endure for some 1 yet I 1 ask only to be struck by tifa SI b a blow that will finish me and not c o me half halt dead In the tho hands of oC oCl I l aggressors There i Listen tv 1 What signify these theBe appeals or orders t with insistence First we un- un un-I un and tand nothing because J explosion explosions s explosion The English come I tit to 1 r 5 ays a n neighbor in my ear car The Gert Ger- Ger GerI I t irp irman an troops come to our aid cries and anther an- an d Dt ther Cher At last the shots became rarer J m khe voices were distinct We 0 hear j shoot any more mote thun thunder er and andt t C t f g keep still And Indeed the It quiets down a L little lillie German GermanI Germand I I d triumphs the tho enemy Is van van- I S W at Could an any psychologist give I e a 1 bet bet- ct- ct 1 5 tel r description of ot the state of oC mind ll fit Of those soldiers One almost has I for ht for rOI poor not r ad ns as to heart at all but young oung imaginative for from d one and and writing for COl the papers jt r rOne One is not nol quite sure whether It dl b tho the Place do In la Station or time the I lace du elu that b J la las s 1 If lun s about perhaps ho he is not noti I 0 1 I i t 1 quite sure himself But ono one concludes that It must have havo been the Place de dela dela e ela la Station in his deposition de deposition de- de position is more matter of fact less Out In the Place me men while he says aYE there was a terrible terrible terrible ter ter- excitement excitement-eln excitement cin tones tolles Dur- Dur the the hors horses were frightened frightened fright fright- ened and ran wa l away in all direction an tithe Ithe soldiers were crying Die sand da Die da TH THE E WHITE Book BOOK At any rate story is now a a. clas classic ic since It has received official reco recognition and is published b by tho the government as evidence of ot what occurred at Louvain and of wh why the arm army had hall to do do what It H did dill there For the Germans hall had an In Investigation In- In a commission was appointed appointed appointed ap ap- ap- ap pointed to examine into the matter malter to take evidence evidence- and it reported that it was waR all the fault faull of ot the Bel Belgians lans and nun fun tho f nr rune in in fn n i no o- o ovis' ovis vis' vis wise t- t to b blame Th The witnesses ss were all German soldiers and a few officers No Belgians and no neutrals neutrals neutrals neu neu- were allowed to follow the progress of the hearing Certain Belgians among them the notables notable of the tho city city of oC Louvain volunteered to appear and testify but their testimony testimony mon mony was for Cor the most part r refused fused and that which was given does oes not appear appeal in in the time German White Book vv which Is the official document on the subject The Inquiry was conducted conducted conducted con con- ducted or in part art conducted by a aGer Geran Gellan Ger- Ger an er Dr DI Ivers hers He seems to havo have been a u. kind of oC judge advocate His conclusions conclusions con con- of course were that tho Germans were in no wise to blame for what occurred at Louvain and that they were wholly justified in doing what they did Tho The Germans had hall been eager to have Gibson Ibson Bulle and Blount testify to the effect that while at Louvain they had seen Belgian civilians shooting from the windows I 1 would not consent to Gibsons Gibson's testifying testifying tes tes- tes unless unless' the American government government govern govern- ment desired it and the American n government go did not desire it Thereupon Thereupon Thereupon There There- upon and md Bulle declined to testify Their testimony in an any event according to our rules of or evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence could have havo established no other fact than that three days after aCter the tragedy began there was still shootIng shooting shoot- shoot Ing inS in the streets at Louvain The They could not have been certain as to who shot and for all the they knew the Belgian Behlan theory that German soldiers I had been placed in empty houses to shoot from upper windows in order to Impress the representatives of ot neutral neutral neutral neu neu- powers with the viciousness of the Belgians was just as valid as the German claim I lOne One morning during durinS' the progress of the hearin hearing a Ger German officer appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap at the legation lIe He was large portly dressed in the lurid gray green uniform wore a heavy sword and thick prof professorial spectacles Under his arm he bore an enormous portfolio that might have contained could he have havo found It It enough evidence evidence evi evi- dence to convict seven million Belgians BelI Belgians Bel Bel- I gians gians- He entered clicked his heels placed his hand at hi hi- helmet bowed I stiffly an and without more ado seated himself at al my desk opened his portfolio portfolio port port- folio spread it over before him and in short told us to testifying ln I looked at the time man In amazement I do not Imo know just what confused notions of or his power and authority I I were ebullient in his skull Rut tut ut I I finally convinced him that he was wasI I labori ir under some somo i r. r r I i and anel ultimately he went away pausing pausing paus- paus I ing inh only for fOl a rather petulant salute j I do not know whether this man wa was Dr Ivers Iver or not It would be too bold a a. confession of the weakness s of by own character to say I 1 wish It were for reading the other oilier clay day dayoC of oC Dr Ivers I this mans man's ph physiognomy camp to m my mind the mind the thick neck I the tho heavy Jowls the upstanding stiff I cropped hair the m myopic ole spectacles spectacles- and the time manner I know that the tho thead thead ad all argument is a fallacy and a repugnant weapon besides but it is not wholly uninteresting In this Inn In tn n nn n t r n t. t Ti I v vl V 4 JIU I U III b I I ers ems has since been tried and convicted cOn before the criminal courts of Berlin on a charge of haInS' haInS having has hav InS fag used his legal functions for tho the purpose of extorting mone money from tho the mother of a R man then servin serving in the army whose wife was suing him for COI fora COIa I a divorce that for Cor this ho has been sent to prison and that in sentencing him the Judge who presided ed at the I trial tria 1 said that from the evidence e It had Iad been shown that the accused Ivers ers was without moral sense or judgment The Investigation however seems not to have been een alwa always s 's a n hearing I in the ordinary sense Benso of ot the word To l c evidently I had hall a rogatory commission for he ime I went a about out from front ono one place to another another an- an anI I j other much as he came into the l K- K gallon gation that morning holding court ourt wherever where he found u a l witness wl whose o c F t testimony was desired There There was was was' no cross examination The tit tit- i t liens were taken token in many different j i places I am urn am not sure sine that tho they J were sworn swo-n to to nut not that it makes any difference for tor 1 could 11 never er quite t tsee 8 see myself why so much to do du 1 m made ld about lOUl oaths n a n man who I would lie Jle would probably U- U willing l to swear to it nut But the depositions i I were made mael many of them uc weeks ks and ami I Ioven Ioven oven n months mouths afterwards anti and It Il Is Isa Is' Is Isa a curious Ious that they limey wore were dc so n a as to refute in advance I the points that were raised THE FATEFUL WHISTLE This Tills skirmish in the tho Place de tie la Station was vas tho the most in intense in- in tense Pay Officer Rudolph nUdolph testified that from the night of the twenty twenty- fourth to the twenty twenty- twenty fifth fifth all of the I chambers were still sUll held helel by hy German Gelman officers He tried to get gel room at the I Hotel Marie Mario Theresa but It was full Cull On the evening of the twenty-sixth twenty I the cafes were closed at S 8 o'clock in accordance with the order of the and ro civilian llian was wag I allowed in the street The Place tie lle del della I Ila la Station tation was at the time moment filled I with wagons and soldiers A 1 few lew moments after aCter S o'clock a whistle blew somewhere and Immediately the thc I soldiers In the time Place began shooting In alt all directions The occupants of the houses naturally frightened took refuge In the rear rooms and in ht the cellars The officers and soldiers themselves eM stricken with panic I joined tho the people In the tho cellars Ever Everyone yone in Louvain Lou knows and I smiles about it u. u except when 1 THE GERMAN EXPLANATION OF LOUV LOUVAIN AIN Pr he n q fr rr i a B Bp p n Q ems pA r r 0 Brus s i r K t 1 S 4 I i I jr j- j I 1 r Sly t f e eI I k r L tr r t 4 f r i r r r f V r rr r f t r l 1 a R 4 nf fr frt t f v r t i J 11 aw o 1 Y 1 wm tt C w zi I 9 1 Refugees at Louvain I f before I tE P Germans sr burned it I k t I I I I 7 r f fc c 4 1 c j o I S' S I they speak pf pC those Germans who had the time very ones with whom the they had taken refuge dragged out afterwards afterwards after after- wards and shot One other deposition is |