| Show PARISH PRIEST USED AS SHIELD brand whitlock tells of cowardly act of commander of ger man detachment HUGH GIBSON ADDS EVIDENCE tell tells of priests compelled to walk be for fore hum hunt to form screen cardinal mercier Mer cler statement as a to taking of hostages He stages that the germans in belgium made use of women children and priests as screens to protect the in baders from belgian troops is shown by the following testimony gathered by the committee on oft public information Alln 11 hilster lster in ills his report of 0 september 12 1017 1917 to the secretary of mates states gives un ingance In tance ot of the german practice of seeking protection tile germans attacked tia on the august the bel lan troops were holding the gette bridge in the tillage village the germans forced the parish priest of to walk tn in front of them as a shield As they neared the barricade the belguin sol set titers fired and ani the priest was killed after the retreat if t the belgians the germans shot four men burned 60 bouses houses and looted hugh gibson in III A journal krom our legation in belgium page given another incident tnt two old priests have staggered in to the location legation more mure dead than alive after having baring been compelled to ma walk ik ahead attend of the german troops for miles as a a sort of protecting screen one ot ol them la Is ill and it Is said sald that he may llo die as a result of what he has gone through statement of cardnal card nal mercier Mer cler at the time of the invasion belgian civilians in 20 place places viere ere made to taku take part la in operations of war aar against their owr country at ter monde lebbeke labbeke Leb beke and elsewhere in many places pt citizens women and children were forced to barren in front of german regiments mente or to make a screen before diem them the sy system of hostages was as carried out with a fierce cruelty the proclamation of august ath quoted above declared without circumlocution llo hostages stages will lit be freely taken takee an official proclamation procla madon posted at liege in the early days lay of auguet ran thus every aggression commito tj against the german troops by any per sons gone other than soldiers in uniform not expose exposes the guilty person to be immediately shot but will also eo ea lall tall the severett reprisals against all the inhabitants and especially hose those eg of aiace who abu bare been detained as ss hostages I 1 the citadel of liege by the of the ger man troops hostage hostages are goor rut ten bishop of liege uese X KI 1 u burgomaster of liege the senators sei depre and the permanent deputy and sheriff of liege tn the above quotation la Is taken from an appeal to train truth addressed november 24 1915 by cardinal herder mercier and the other bishops of belgium to the cardinals archbishops arch bishops and bishops of germany and austria flun hungary tary some ten or a dozen american correspondents of whom I 1 was wax one wit lewd toa tho drat german drive through Bl allum lum host of us were so to appalled aad and horrified by abat we saw as to be anti german for life will irwin in saturday post october 0 flient flie 1917 iT page 4 41 1 Ril libery under cuts of f finis the ost ast lons to cladin who aped lbs of the second peace pence conference at the hague 1907 pledged atheni themselves teles to the rol fol loning article L I 1 bo no general penalty pc cullaty or otherwise shall be inflicted upon the population on account of the nets acts of individuals for nelch aich they can not be regarded as jointly and several ly responsible article III requisitions in kind and services shall not be b demanded from municipalities or inhabitants ex capt for the needs of the army of oc cu tiny halt shall be in prop proportion to the resources of the country and ot of such a it nature as not to involve the in ili habitants in the obligation of taking part in military operations against their own country countr 11 the ite german fierman authorities hare have violat cd ed theeo these articles from the tile very begin nan ning As u boon as they invaded ba elum glum heavy lines were laid upon individual communities as reprisals for some one net act against the german army or its ili regulations which gift as committed within their boundaries in an appeal to truth cardinal mercier cites the following cases I 1 malanes Mall nea nes a corking claes class town without resources has had a fin fint of 0 inflicted on it because the burgon nister did not inform lie the military authority of a journey which litch the cardinal deprived depris ed of the use of bf his its motorcar had find bi been bien en obliged tf to make on foot in fact upon the flimsiest pretexts fines are inflicted on communes the tilt commune of pliers was subjected to A tine fine of 3 marks because a telegraph wire vas as broken although the inquiry showed shoed tart it bad had riven given way through wear merciless exactions in addition to yjih arbitrary sporadic exactions in Le december zember 1014 the germans demanded francs ow a month to be b pad by tilt litan an provinces pro inces jointly concerning this imposition cardinal mercier says IQ in the appeal to truth now in december 1114 pelgrum Iel glum was devastated contributions of war imposed on the towns and innumerable requisitions in kind had exhausted her ahe greater part of the factories were idle und and in those v aich ere re still at work mork raw materials viere contrary to all law being freely commandeered it was mas on this impoverished bel glim living on foreign charety cli charl artty ty that a contribution of nearly COO francs was imposed the german military rules bare have also made the families rc re for acts committed by or charged agalise mem bers hers as Is shown la to the following ex amples oples ar which are quoted from the appeal to truth cited above the rhe belgian government have sent orders to rejoin the army to the lot tat of several classes all i those who ho receive theme orders are strictly forbidden to act upon them in case of disobedience the family of the L will bo be held equally responsible punishment without mercy the commander in chief of the german army in belgium posted a proclamation declaring the villages where acts of hostility shall be committed by the inhabitants against our troops will be burned tor for nil all destruction of roads rall rail wae bridges etc the villages vil lazes in the neighborhood of the will be held responsible the punishments announced iboa will be carried out severely eve rely ind and without 16 mercy abe the whole community will b held responsible will if r taken in large number tb th heaviest be artest war taxes wilt will be levied at the end of the appl appeal 0 cardinal mercier says but we wc ann annot say 11 all II here bere not quote oil if however oar car readers weh for tb proof roof of abr we hall be glad to furnish there Is not la in our letter nor not la in thi four annexes to tb the appeal to troth truth one allegation of which w not the proof proofs in conr re corda t |
