diff options
| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-06 18:06:23 -0800 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-06 18:06:23 -0800 |
| commit | 570e6b88d4564969cf5cb60b2927eeb97e0c3cdf (patch) | |
| tree | d4eb2a05400ae7ecf8564fd1e7615a04cd434e9c | |
| parent | 831e6705b68afb1b71821cb40def609702c5b764 (diff) | |
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53636-0.txt | 1410 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53636-0.zip | bin | 28057 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53636-h.zip | bin | 140866 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53636-h/53636-h.htm | 1685 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/53636-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 117864 -> 0 bytes |
8 files changed, 17 insertions, 3095 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..4ab48d0 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #53636 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53636) diff --git a/old/53636-0.txt b/old/53636-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7ad7ce6..0000000 --- a/old/53636-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1410 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Martyrdom of Belgium, by Gerard Cooreman - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Martyrdom of Belgium - Official Report of Massacres of Peaceable Citizens, Women - and Children by The German Army - -Author: Gerard Cooreman - -Release Date: November 30, 2016 [EBook #53636] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARTYRDOM OF BELGIUM *** - - - - -Produced by Cindy Horton, Brian Coe, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE MARTYRDOM OF BELGIUM - - OFFICIAL REPORT OF - - Massacres of Peaceable Citizens, Women and Children - - BY THE - - German Army - - TESTIMONY OF EYE-WITNESSES - - - “It is by a deep study of the history of wars - that one may protect oneself against exaggerated - humanitarian ideas.” - --“KRIEGSGEBRAUCH IM LANDKRIEGE” - Published by the German General Staff, 1902. - Pages 6 and 7. - - - THE W. STEWART BROWN COMPANY, INC. PRINTERS BALTIMORE, MD. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The Official Belgian Commission of Inquiry, which has been charged with -the task of examining into the violation of the rules of International -Law and of the Customs of War, is composed of Statesmen and Jurists of -the highest standing. The Reports of the Commission have been published -from time to time. Report XI will be found in the following pages. - -These reports are given out by the Commission only after careful -examination of the evidence. Consequently the findings of the -Commission command the same respect as the findings of the highest Law -Court. - -Names of witnesses have, in certain cases, been withheld from -publication. All the depositions are, however, in the possession of -the Commission and the names of the witnesses will be given out at -the proper time. The publication of these names at the present moment -would, inevitably, cause the German troops to take revenge upon -witnesses, or upon the relatives of witnesses, remaining within the -German lines. - -The authenticity of the depositions is guaranteed by the eminent -Statesmen and Jurists who compose the Commission and who have signed -the Reports. - -No commentary can add anything to the tragic eloquence of these simple -and well-authenticated depositions. Who can read the recital of these -horrors without feeling his heart throb with righteous indignation, -and without feeling an infinite sorrow at the thought that these -abominations have been committed, after two thousand years of Christian -civilization, by a nation which, only yesterday, claimed to be the -foremost in modern Progress. - -It should be remembered that Belgium had done nothing to bring on the -war nor to involve her in it. She was a neutralized country. Every -shot fired by a German soldier in Belgium is a violation of the solemn -treaty whereby Germany pledged her faith to uphold the neutrality of -Belgium. - -At the end of this pamphlet (page 20) will be found extracts from the -“Laws of War on Land,” published by the German General Staff in 1902, -and other documents, showing that the massacres, arson and pillage -committed by the German army in Belgium are attributable, not to the -innate brutality of the German soldier, but rather to an organized -system of terrorism laid down and ordered by the superior German -Military authorities. - -The authenticity of the following text of the Report of the Commission -of Inquiry is certified by the Belgian Legation, Washington, D. C. - - - - -OFFICIAL BELGIAN COMMISSION OF INQUIRY - -on the violation of the Rules of International Law, and of the Laws and -Customs of War. - -ELEVENTH REPORT SUBMITTED TO HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. CARTON DE WIART, -Belgian Minister of Justice. - - -(I.) INCIDENTS AT NAMUR. - -On August 21st, 1914, the Germans bombarded the town of Namur, without -any previous notice given. The bombardment began about 1 p. m. and -continued for twenty minutes. The besieger was in possession of -long-range guns, which enabled him to fire upon the town before the -forts had been taken. Shells fell upon the prison, the hospital, the -Burgomaster’s house and the railway station, causing conflagrations and -killing several persons. - -On August 23rd, the German Army pierced the exterior line of defence, -and the Belgian 4th Division retreated by the angle between the rivers -Sambre and Meuse, while the greater number of the forts were still -uninjured and continuing to resist. The German troops penetrated into -the town of Namur on the same day about 4 p. m. - -On this day order was preserved: officers and soldiers requisitioned -food and drink, paying for them sometimes with coined money, more often -with requisition-certificates. Most of the latter were bogus documents, -but the townspeople were trustful and ignorant of the German language, -and so accepted them without making difficulties. - -Matters went on in the same way on August 24th till 9 o’clock in the -evening. At that hour shooting suddenly began in several quarters of -the town, and German infantry were seen advancing in skirmishing order -down the principal streets. Almost at the same moment an immense column -of smoke and fire was seen rising from the central quarter of the -place: the Germans had fired houses in the Place d’Armes and four other -spots, the Place Leopold, Rue Rogier, Rue St. Nicolas and the Avenue de -la Plante. - -All was now panic among the peaceable and defenseless townsfolk: the -Germans began breaking open front doors with the butts of their rifles, -and throwing incendiary matter into the vestibules. Six dwellers in the -Rue Rogier, who were flying from their burning houses, were shot on -their own doorsteps. The rest of the inhabitants of this street were -forced to avoid a similar fate by escaping through their back gardens. -Many of them were in their night clothes, for they had not the time to -dress or to pick up their money. - -In the Rue St. Nicolas several workmen’s dwellings were set on fire, -and a larger number, together with some wood-yards, were burned in the -Avenue de la Plante. - -The conflagration in the Place d’Armes continued till Thursday. It -destroyed the Town Hall, with its archives and pictures, the adjacent -group of houses, and the whole quarter bounded by the Rue du Pont, the -Rue des Brasseurs, and the Rue Bailly, with the exception of the Hotel -des Quatre Fils Aymon. - -No serious attempt was made to prevent the fire from spreading. At its -commencement some of the townspeople came out at the appeal of the -Fire-Bell, but they were forbidden to stir from their houses. The Chief -of the Fire Brigade, though the balls were whistling round him, got as -far as the site of the disaster; but an officer arrested him in the -Place d’Armes, and then, acting under the orders of his superior, sent -him away under an escort. - -The Germans, with the object of justifying their proceedings, alleged -that shots had been fired against their troops on the Monday evening. -Every circumstance demonstrates the absurdity of this statement. The -juxtaposition of observed facts and the sequence of concordant evidence -lead to the conclusion that the incidents at Namur were deliberately -prepared, and merely formed part of the general system of terrorism -which was habitually practised by the German Army in Belgium. - -Fifteen days back the people of Namur had given over to the Belgian -Authorities all the firearms that they possessed. They had been -informed by Official Notices as to the tenor of the Laws of War, and -had been invited by the Civil and Military Authorities, by the Clergy -and the Press, to take no part with the belligerents. The Belgian -troops had evacuated the town 36 hours before the conflagration. The -people, even if they had possessed weapons, would not have been so -insane as to rise and assail the masses of German troops who crowded -the town and occupied all its approaches. And how can anyone account -for the strange fact that, at all the five points at which the alleged -rising was supposed to have broken out, the Germans were found in -possession of the incendiary substances which were required for the -prompt burning of the place? - -The disorder which followed helped the pillage in which the German -Army habitually engages. In the Place d’Armes houses were thoroughly -sacked before they were set on fire. In the quarter by the Gate of St. -Nicolas the inhabitants, when they returned to their homes, found that -everything had been plundered; in one case a safe had been broken up -and 17,000 francs worth of securities had disappeared. - -On the subsequent days, though things were comparatively quiet, pillage -continued. In several houses where German officers were quartered, -the furniture was broken up, and wine and underclothing (even female -underclothing) was stolen. - -Our witnesses have detailed to us several outrages on women. In one -case we have evidence concerning the rape of a girl by four soldiers. A -Belgian quartermaster of Gendarmes saw the daughter of the proprietor -of the hotel in which he was staying outraged by two German soldiers, -without being able to intervene for her protection, at four o’clock in -the morning. - -Many inhabitants of Namur perished during the fire and the fusillade. -Some aged people were left in the burning houses: others were -killed in the streets, or shot in their own dwellings. In all, -seventy-five civilians perished in one of these ways or another on the -23rd-24th-25th August. - -We may mention, without detailing, the arrest of hostages, and the -brutal treatment to which the most distinguished inhabitants of the -town were exposed during the early days of German occupation. - -Namur and the seventeen neighbouring communes were subjected to a war -contribution of fifty million francs (£2,000,000), which was afterwards -reduced to thirty-two millions, on condition that the first million -should be paid within twenty-four hours. The deposits at a private bank -(the _Banque Generale_ Belge) were confiscated. On the petition of its -directors the concession was made that the sum seized should count -towards the war contribution. - -The immediate neighborhood of the town was the scene of many similar -acts of violence. In this part of the province many mansions and -villas were systematically pillaged. One citizen of Namur saw his own -furniture from his country house going to the rear on a German cart. -The plunder was all sent off to Germany. - -At Vedrin a boy was shot because he was found to have in his possession -an empty German cartridge case. Twenty-six priests and members of -religious orders were shot in the diocese of Namur. - - -(II.) MASSACRE AT TAMINES. - -Tamines was a rich and populous village situated on the Sambre between -Charleroi and Namur. It was occupied by detachments of French troops on -the 17th, 18th and 19th of August last. On Thursday, the 20th August, -a German patrol appeared in front of the suburb of Vilaines. It was -greeted by shots fired by French soldiers, and by a party of the Civic -Guards of Charleroi. Several Uhlans were killed and wounded, and the -rest fled. The people of the village came out of their houses and -cried: “Vive la Belgique!” “Vive la France!” In all probability it was -this incident which caused the subsequent massacre of Tamines. - -Some time afterwards the Germans arrived in force at the hamlet of -Alloux. They there burnt two houses and made all the inhabitants -prisoners. An artillery combat broke out between the German guns posted -at Vilaines and at Alloux and the French guns placed in a battery at -Arsimont and at Hame-sur-Heure. - -About 5 o’clock on 21st August, the Germans carried the bridge of -Tamines, crossed the River Sambre, and began defiling in mass through -the streets of the village. About 8 o’clock the movement of troops -stopped, and the soldiers penetrated into the houses, drove out the -inhabitants, set themselves to sack the place, and then burnt it. The -unfortunate peasants who stopped in the village were shot; the rest -fled from their houses. The greater part of them were arrested either -on the night of the 21st of August or on the following morning. Pillage -and burning continued all next day (22nd). - -On the evening of the 22nd (Saturday) a group of between 400 and 450 -men was collected in front of the Church, not far from the bank of the -Sambre. A German detachment opened fire on them, but as the shooting -was a slow business the officers ordered up a machine gun, which soon -swept off all the unhappy peasants still left standing. Many of them -were only wounded and, hoping to save their lives, got with difficulty -on their feet again. They were immediately shot down. Many wounded -still lay among the corpses. Groans of pain and cries for help were -heard in the bleeding heap. On several occasions soldiers walked up -to such unhappy individuals and stopped their groans with a bayonet -thrust. At night some who still survived succeeded in crawling away. -Others put an end to their own pain by rolling themselves into the -neighboring river. - -All these facts have been established by depositions made by wounded -men who succeeded in escaping. About 100 bodies were found in the river. - -Next day, Sunday, the 23rd, about 6 o’clock in the morning, another -party consisting of prisoners made in the village and the neighborhood -were brought into the Square. One of them makes the following -deposition:-- - -“On reaching the Square the first thing that we saw was a mass of -bodies of civilians extending over at least 40 yards in length by 6 -yards in depth. They had evidently been drawn up in rank to be shot. We -were placed before this range of corpses, and were convinced that we -too were to be shot. - -“An officer then came forward and asked for volunteers to dig trenches -to bury these corpses. I and my brother-in-law and certain others -offered ourselves. We were conducted to a neighbouring field at the -side of the Square, where they made us dig a trench 15 yards long by -10 broad and 2 deep. Each received a spade. While we were digging the -trenches soldiers with fixed bayonets gave us our orders. As I was -much fatigued through not being accustomed to digging, and being faint -from hunger, a soldier then brought me a lighter spade, and afterwards -filled a bucket of water for us to drink. I asked him if he knew what -they were going to do with us. He said that he did not. By the time -that the trenches were finished it was about noon. They then gave us -some planks, on which we placed the corpses and so carried them to the -trench. I recognized many of the persons whose bodies we were burying. -Actually fathers buried the bodies of their sons and sons the bodies of -their fathers. The women of the village had been marched out into the -Square, and saw us at our work. All around were the burnt houses. - -“There were in the Square both soldiers and officers. They were -drinking champagne. The more the afternoon drew on the more they -drank, and the more we were disposed to think that we were probably -to be shot too. We buried from 350 to 400 bodies. A list of the names -of the victims has been drawn up and will have been given to you (the -Commissioner). - -“While some of us were carrying the corpses along I saw a case where -they had stopped and called to a German doctor. They had noticed that -the man whom they were conveying was still alive. The doctor examined -the wounded man and made a sign that he was to be buried with the rest. -The plank on which he was lying was borne on again, and I saw the -wounded man raise his arm elbow-high. They called to the doctor again, -but he made a gesture that he was to go into the trench with the others. - -“I saw M. X---- carrying off the body of his own son-in-law. He was -able to take away his watch, but was not allowed to remove some papers -which were on him. - -“When a soldier, seized with an impulse of pity, came near us, an -officer immediately scolded him away. When all the bodies had been -interred, certain wounded were brought to the Church. Officers -consulted about them for some time. Four mounted officers came into -the Square, and, after a long conversation, we with our wives and -children were made to fall into marching order. We were taken through -Tamines, amid the debris which obstructed the streets, and led to -Vilaines between two ranks of soldiers. Think of our mental sufferings -during this march! We all thought that we were going to be shot in the -presence of our wives and children. I saw German soldiers who could not -refrain from bursting into tears, on seeing the despair of the women. -One of our party was seized with an apoplectic fit from mere terror, -and I saw many who fainted.” - -When the cortege arrived at Vilaines, an officer told the unhappy -people that they were free, but that anyone returning to Tamines -would be shot. He obliged the women and children to cry: “Vive -l’Allemagne.” The Germans burnt, after sacking them, 264 houses in -Tamines. Many persons, including women and children, were burnt or -stifled in their own homes. Many others were shot in the fields. The -total number of victims was over 650. The Commission of Enquiry -devoted special attention to ascertaining whether the inhabitants of -the village had fired on the German troops. Every surviving witness -unanimously declared the contrary. They explained the massacre of -their fellow-villagers by the fact that the Germans attributed to the -inhabitants the shots which had been fired by the French skirmishers, -or perhaps to the anger produced among the Germans by the success of an -attack which had been made on them that night by the French troops. - - -(III.) PILLAGE AND MASSACRE AT ANDENNE. - -The town of Andenne is situated on the right bank of the Meuse between -Namur and Huy. It is connected by a bridge with the village of Seilles, -which is built along the river on the opposite, or left, bank. The -German troops who were wishing to invade the territory on the left -bank of the Meuse arrived at Andenne on Thursday, August 19th, in -the morning. Their advance guard of Uhlans found that the bridge was -not available. A regiment of Belgian Infantry had blown it up at 8 -o’clock on the same morning. The Uhlans retired after having seized the -Communal cash box at Andenne and brutally maltreated the Burgomaster, -Dr. Camus, an old man of more than 70 years. The Burgomaster had -several days before taken the most minute precautions to prevent the -population from engaging in hostilities. He had posted up everywhere -placards ordering non-resistance. All firearms had been collected in -the Hotel de Ville, and the local authorities had personally visited -certain of the inhabitants to explain their duty to them. - -The main body of the German Troops arrived at Andenne in the -afternoon. The Regiment halted in the Town and outside it, waiting -for the completion of a pontoon bridge, which was not finished till -the following morning. The first contact between the troops and the -people was quite pacific. The Germans ordered requisitions, which were -satisfied. The soldiers at first paid for their purchases and for the -drink which they served to them in the Cafes. Towards the evening the -situation began to grow more strained. Whether it was that discipline -was getting relaxed, or that alcohol commenced to produce its effect, -the soldiers ceased paying for what they were taking. The inhabitants -were too scared to resist. No friction took place and the night was -calm. - -On Thursday, the 20th August, the bridge was finished and the troops -defiled through the town in great numbers in the direction of the -left bank. The inhabitants watched them passing from their houses. -Suddenly, at 6 o’clock in the evening, a single rifle shot was heard -in the street, followed immediately by a startling explosion. The -troops halted, their ranks fell into disorder, and nervous men fired -haphazard. Presently a machine gun was set up at a corner and commenced -to fire against the houses, and later a cannon dropped three shells -into the town at three different points. - -At the first rifle shot the inhabitants of the streets through which -the troops were defiling, guessing what might happen, took refuge in -their cellars or, climbing out over the walls of their gardens, sought -refuge in the open country or in distant cellars. A certain number -of people who would not or could not make their escape were killed -in their houses by shots fired from the street, or in some cases by -soldiers who burst into their dwellings. - -Immediately afterwards commenced the pillage of the houses in the -principal streets of the Town. Every window shutter and door was broken -in. Furniture was smashed and thrown out. The soldiers ran down into -the cellars, got drunk there, breaking the bottles of wine that they -could not carry away. Finally, a certain number of houses were set on -fire. During the night rifle shooting broke out several times. The -terrified population lay low in their cellars. - -Next day, Friday, the 21st August, at 4 o’clock in the morning, the -soldiers spread themselves through the Town, driving all the population -into the streets and forcing men, women and children to march before -them with their hands in the air. Those who did not obey with -sufficient promptitude, or did not understand the order given them in -German, were promptly knocked down. Those who tried to run away were -shot. It was at this moment that Dr. Camus, against whom the Germans -seemed to have some special spite, was wounded by a rifle shot, and -then finished off by a blow from an axe. His body was dragged along -by the feet for some distance. A watchmaker, a Fleming by birth, who -had lived for some time in the Town, was coming out of his house on -the order of the soldiers, supporting on his arm his father-in-law, -an old man of 80. Naturally, therefore, he could not hold up both his -hands. A soldier stepped up to him and struck him with an axe on the -neck. He fell mortally wounded before his own door. His wife tried to -bring him assistance, was pushed back into the house, and had to assist -helplessly at the last agony of her husband. A soldier threatened to -shoot her with his revolver if she crossed the door-sill. - -Meanwhile the whole population was being driven towards the Place des -Tilleuls. Old men, the sick and the paralysed were all brought there. -Some were drawn on wheel-chairs, others pushed on hand carts, others, -again, borne up by their relations. The men were separated from the -women and children, then all were searched, but no arms were found on -them. One man had in his pocket some empty cartridge cases both German -and Belgian. He was immediately apprehended and set aside. So was a -cobbler who had a wounded hand; the wound was a month old. An engineer -was also put apart because he had in his pocket a spanner, which was -considered as a weapon. Another man seems to have been arrested because -his face showed his contempt and rage at what was going on. These -people were shot in presence of the crowd and all died bravely. - -Subsequently the soldiers, on the order of their officers, picked out -of the mass some 40 or 50 men who were led off and all shot, some along -the bank of the Meuse, and others in front of the Police Station. - -The rest of the men were kept for a long time in the Place. Among -them lay two persons, one of whom had received a ball in the chest, -and the other a bayonet wound. They lay face to the ground with blood -from their wounds trickling into the dust, occasionally calling for -water. The officers forbade their neighbours to give them any help. -One soldier was reproved for having wished to give one of them his -water-bottle. Both died in the course of the day. - -While this scene was going on in the Place des Tilleuls, other soldiers -spread themselves through the Town, continuing their work of sack, -pillage and arson. Eight men belonging to the same household were led -out into a meadow some 50 yards from their dwelling, some of them were -shot, the rest cut down with blows of an axe. One tall red-haired -soldier with a scar on his face distinguished himself by the ferocity -with which he used an axe. A young boy and a woman were shot. - -About 10 in the morning the officers told the women to withdraw, giving -them the order to gather together the dead bodies and to wash away the -stains of blood which defiled the street and the houses. About midday -the surviving men to the number of 800 were shut up as hostages in -three little houses near the bridge, but they were not allowed to go -out of them on any pretext, and so crammed together that they could -not even sit down on the floor. Soon these crowded buildings reached a -highly insanitary condition. The women later in the day were allowed -to bring food to their husbands. Many of them, fearing outrage, had -fled from the Place. These hostages were not finally released till the -Tuesday following. - -The statistics of the losses at Andenne give the following -total:--Three hundred were massacred in Andenne and Seilles, and -about 300 houses were burnt in the two localities. A great number of -inhabitants have fled. Almost every house has been sacked; indeed, the -pillage did not end for eight days. Other places have suffered more -than Andenne, but no other Belgian Town was the theatre of so many -scenes of ferocity and cruelty. The numerous inhabitants whom we have -cross-examined are unanimous in asserting that the German troops were -not fired upon. They told us that no German soldier was killed either -at Andenne or in its neighbourhood. They are incapable of understanding -the causes of the catastrophe which has ruined their town, and to -explain it they give various hypotheses. Some think that Andenne was -sacrificed merely to establish a reign of terror, and quote words -uttered by officers which seemed to them to show that the destruction -of the place was premeditated. Others think that the destruction of the -bridge, the ruining of a neighbouring tunnel, and the resistance of -the Belgian troops were the causes of the massacre. All protest that -nothing happened in the place to excuse the conduct of the Germans. - - -(IV.) SACK OF DINANT. - -The town of Dinant was sacked and destroyed by the German Army, and its -population was decimated on the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th August. - -On August 15th a lively engagement took place at Dinant between the -French troops on the left bank of the Meuse and the German troops -coming up from the East. The German troops were routed by the French, -who passed over to the right bank of the river following them. The -town had little to suffer on that day. Some houses were destroyed by -German shells, aimed no doubt at French regiments on the left bank, and -a citizen of Dinant belonging to the Red Cross was killed by a German -ball as he was picking up a wounded man. - -The days which followed were calm. The French occupied the neighborhood -of the town. No engagement took place between the hostile armies, and -nothing happened which could be interpreted as an act of hostility by -the population. No German troops were anywhere near Dinant. On Friday, -the 21st, about 9 o’clock in the evening, German troops coming down the -road from Ciney entered the town by the Rue St. Jacques. On entering -they began firing into the windows of the houses, and killed a workman -who was returning to his own house, wounded another inhabitant, and -forced him to cry “Long live the Kaiser.” They bayoneted a third -person in the stomach. They entered the cafes, seized the liquor, got -drunk, and retired after having set fire to several houses and broken -the doors and windows of others. The population was terrorised and -stupefied, and shut itself up in its dwellings. - -Saturday, August 22nd, was a day of relative calm. All life, however, -was at an end in the streets. Part of the inhabitants, guided by the -instincts of self-preservation, fled into the neighbouring country -side. The rest, more attached to their homes, and rendered confident by -the conviction that nothing had happened which could be interpreted as -an act of hostility on their part, remained hidden in their houses. - -On Sunday morning next, the 23rd, at 6.30 in the morning, soldiers -of the 108th Regiment of Infantry invaded the Church of the -Premonastrensian Fathers, drove out the congregation, separated the -women from the men, and shot 50 of the latter. Between 7 and 9 the same -morning the soldiers gave themselves up to pillage and arson, going -from house to house and driving the inhabitants into the street. Those -who tried to escape were shot. About 9 in the morning the soldiery, -driving before them by blows from the butt ends of rifles men, women, -and children, pushed them all into the Parade Square, where they were -kept prisoners till 6 o’clock in the evening. The guard took pleasure -in repeating to them that they would soon be shot. About 6 o’clock a -Captain separated the men from the women and children. The women were -placed in front of a rank of infantry soldiers, the men were ranged -along a wall. The front rank of them were then told to kneel, the -others standing behind them. A platoon of soldiers drew up in face of -these unhappy men. It was in vain that the women cried out for mercy -for their husbands, sons, and brothers. The officer ordered his men -to fire. There had been no inquiry nor any pretense of a trial. About -20 of the inhabitants were only wounded, but fell among the dead. The -soldiers, to make sure, fired a new volley into the heap of them. -Several citizens escaped this double discharge. They shammed dead for -more than two hours, remaining motionless among the corpses, and when -night fell succeeded in saving themselves in the hills. Eighty-four -corpses were left on the Square, and buried in a neighbouring garden. - -The day of August 23rd was made bloody by several more massacres. -Soldiers discovered some inhabitants of the Faubourg St. Pierre in the -cellars of a brewery there and shot them. - -Since the previous evening a crowd of workmen belonging to the factory -of M. Himmer had hidden themselves, along with their wives and -children, in the cellars of the building. They had been joined there by -many neighbours and several members of the family of their employer. -About 6 o’clock in the evening these unhappy people made up their -minds to come out of their refuge, and defiled all trembling from the -cellars with the white flag in front. They were immediately seized and -violently attacked by the soldiers. Every man was shot on the spot. -Almost all the men of the Faubourg de Leffe were executed _en masse_. -In another part of the town 12 civilians were killed in a cellar. In -the Rue en Ile a paralytic was shot in his armchair. In the Rue Enfer -the soldiers killed a young boy of 14. - -In the Faubourg de Leffe the viaduct of the railway was the scene of a -bloody massacre. An old woman and all her children were killed in their -cellar. A man of 65 years, his wife, his son and his daughter were shot -against a wall. Other inhabitants of Leffe were taken in a barge as far -as the rock of Bayard and shot there, among them a woman of 83 and her -husband. - -A certain number of men and women had been locked up in the Court of -the Prison. At six in the evening a German machine gun, placed on the -hill above, opened fire on them, and an old woman and three other -persons were brought down. - -While a certain number of soldiers were perpetrating this massacre, -others pillaged and sacked the houses of the town, and broke open all -safes, sometimes blasting them with dynamite. Their work of destruction -and theft accomplished, the soldiers set fire to the houses, and the -town was soon no more than an immense furnace. - -The women and children had been all shut up in a Convent, where they -were kept prisoners for four days. These unhappy women remained in -ignorance of the lot of their male relations. They were expecting -themselves to be shot also. All around the town continued to blaze. The -first day the monks of the Convent had given them a certain supply of -food. For the remaining days they had nothing to eat but raw carrots -and green fruit. - -To sum up, the town of Dinant is destroyed. It counted 1,400 houses; -only 200 remain. The manufactories where the artisan population worked -have been systematically destroyed. Rather more than 700 of the -inhabitants have been killed; others have been taken off to Germany, -and are still retained there as prisoners. The majority are refugees -scattered all through Belgium. A few who remained in the town are dying -of hunger. It has been proved by our Enquiry that German soldiers, -while exposed to the fire of the French entrenched on the opposite bank -of the Meuse, in certain cases sheltered themselves behind a line of -civilians, women and children. - - -(V.) MASSACRES AT HASTIERE AND SURICE - -On August 23rd, the Germans entered the village of -Hastiere-par-dela.(1) They arrested Dr. Halloy, a Surgeon of the Red -Cross, and shot him. Crossing the street, they went to the house of -Alphonse Aigret, a butcher, drove out him, his wife and his children, -and shot him and his elder son. Next they went to the farm of Jules -Rifon, took him out of his cellar, where he had hidden with his -daughters, and shot him. They also killed the farmer Bodson and his -two sons, with ten other inhabitants of the village. The place was -then sacked, and the greater part of the houses burned. The number of -persons killed or wounded was very large. - -The ancient church of Hastiere suffered odious profanation. Horses -were stabled in it. The priestly vestments were torn and befouled. The -lamps, statues, and holy-water stoups were broken. The reliquary was -smashed, and the relics scattered about. Among them were some relics -of the Eleven Thousand Virgins of Cologne, which had escaped the fury -of the Huguenots of 1590 and the Revolution of 1790. The tabernacle -resisted an attempt at burglary, but two of the four altars were -profaned; the sepulchres at the altars were broken open and the remains -in them thrown out and trampled under foot. - -The parish priest of Hastiere, Abbe Emile Schogel, had taken refuge in -the crypt, with his brother-in-law, M. Ponthiere, a professor of the -University of Louvain, the wife and two daughters of the professor, two -servants, the schoolmaster of the village with his wife and family, and -other inhabitants. The Germans fired at them through the windows of the -crypt, and then forced them to come up to the road, where they were -brought before several officers, of whom some were intoxicated. Some -questions were put to the Abbe, but he was given no time to answer. -The women were then dragged apart from the men, and the priest, M. -Pointhiere, the schoolmaster, and the other men were shot; their bodies -were left lying on the road. All this happened on August 24th, 1914, at -about 5.30 in the afternoon. - -On this same day the village of Surice was occupied by the German -troops. At about 11 p. m. they set fire to some of the houses. Next -morning, about 6 o’clock, the soldiers broke open doors and windows -with the butts of their rifles, and forced all the inhabitants to come -out. They were led off in the direction of the church. On the way -several most inoffensive people were fired upon. For example, the old -choirman, Charles Colot, aged 88, was shot as he came out of his door; -the soldiers rolled his body in a blanket, and set fire to it. - -A man named Elie Pierrot was seized by the Germans as he was coming -out of his burning house, carrying his aged and impotent step-mother -(she was over 80 years of age), and was shot at short range. The clerk, -Leopold Burniaux, his son Armand, who had been recently ordained -priest, and another of his sons were shot before the eyes of Madame -Burniaux. She, with her last surviving son, a professor at the College -of Malonne, were marched off with the surviving inhabitants on the road -to Romedenne. In a garden below the road there was a dead woman lying, -with two small children crying over her. - -On arriving at Fosses the party were led to a piece of fallow -ground--they numbered between 50 and 60 persons of both sexes. “It was -about 7.15 a. m. when the men and the women were separated. An officer -came up who said to us in French with a strong German accent, ‘You all -deserve to be shot: a young girl of 15 has just fired on one of our -Commanders. But the Court-martial has decided that only the men shall -be executed: the women will be kept prisoners.’ - -“The scene that followed passes all description: there were eighteen -men standing in a row: besides the parish priests of Anthee and -Onhaye, and the Abbe Gaspiard, there was our own priest, Mons. Poskin, -and his brother-in-law, Mons. Schmidt, then Doctor Jacques and his -son Henri, aged just 16, then Gaston Burniaux, the clerk’s son, and -Leonard Soumoy: next them two men named Balbeur and Billy, with the -17-year-old son of the latter: last two men from Onhaye and Dinant who -had taken refuge in Surice, and two people more whom I did not know. -Mons. Schmidt’s little boy of 14 was nearly put into the line--the -soldiers hesitated, but finally shoved him away in a brutal fashion. At -this moment I saw a young German soldier--this I vouch for--who was so -horror-struck that great tears were dropping onto his tunic: he did not -wipe his eyes for fear of being seen by his officer, but kept his head -turned away. - -“Some minutes passed: then under our eyes and amid the shrieks of -women who were crying ‘Shoot me too; shoot me with my husband!’ and -the wailing of the children, the men were lined up on the edge of the -hollow way which runs from the high road to the bottom of the village. -They waved last greetings to us, some with their hands, others with -their hats or caps. The young Henri Jacques was leaning on the shoulder -of one of the priests, as if to seek help and courage from him: he was -sobbing, ‘I am too young; I can’t face death bravely.’ Unable to bear -the sight any longer, I turned my back to the road and covered my eyes -with my hands. The soldiers fired their volley, and the men fell in a -heap. Someone said to me, ‘Look, they are all down!’ But they were not -all shot dead; several were finished off by having their skulls beaten -in with rifle-butts. Among these was the priest of Surice, whose head -(as I was afterwards told) was dreadfully opened out. - -“When the massacre was over the Germans plundered the corpses. They -took from them watches, rings, purses, and pocket-books. Madame Schmidt -told me that her husband had on him about 3,000 francs, which was -stolen. Dr. Jacques had also a good sum on him, though his wife could -not say exactly how much. - -“After this some more German soldiers brought up a man named Victor -Cavillot, and shot him before he reached the spot where the others were -lying; they fired on him, and I saw him double up and fall into the -hollow way.”(2) - -The village of Surice was thoroughly sacked. The pillage began on -Tuesday night, and continued all day on Wednesday. The safe of Madame -Laurent-Mineur, a widow, was blown open with dynamite. Of the 131 -houses of the village only eight escaped the conflagration. - -This Report gives no more than an incomplete picture of the German -ravages and crimes in the Province of Namur. We lack detailed knowledge -of what went on in three of the six cantons which form the district of -Namur. The total of 800 persons killed and 1,160 houses burned in that -district may have to be largely increased. In the district of Dinant, -that town itself and 21 villages have been destroyed. In the district -of Philippeville 20 villages have been sacked, plundered, and more or -less burned down. In the whole province, which has 364,000 inhabitants, -nearly 2,000 unoffending people--men, women, and children--have been -massacred. - - * * * * * - -The Commission makes it a rule to limit its publications to a mere -statement of facts, thinking that no commentary could add anything to -their tragic eloquence. It thinks, however, that the evidence given -above leads to certain conclusions. - -It has been said that when Belgium makes up the account of her -losses, it may appear that war has levied more victims from the civil -population than from the men who were called out to serve their country -on the battlefield. This prophecy, which seemed contrary to reason, is -now confirmed as regards the Province of Namur. In certain parts of -it half the male adult population has disappeared: the horrors of the -conflagrations at Louvain and Termonde, of the massacres at Aerschot -and in Luxembourg and Brabant, are all surpassed by those of the -slaughter at Dinant, at Andenne, at Tamines, and at Namur. - -In this twentieth century the people of Namur have had to live through -all the frightful details of a mediæval war, with its traditional -episodes of massacres _en masse_, drunken orgies, sack of whole towns, -and general conflagration. The “exploits” of the mercenary bands of the -XVIIth Century have been surpassed by those of the national army of a -State which claims the first place among civilized nations! - -The German Government cannot deny the truth of these facts--they are -attested by the ruins and the graves which cover our native soil. But -already it has set to work to excuse its troops, affirming that they -only repressed, in consonance with the Laws of War, the hostile acts of -the Belgian civil population. - -From the day of its First Session our Commission has been trying to -discover what foundation there might be for this charge--a charge -which seemed very unconvincing to anyone who knew the character of the -Belgian people. After having examined hundreds of witnesses--foreigners -and natives--and after having exhausted every possible means of -investigation, we affirm once more that the Belgian people took no part -in the hostilities. The supposed “France-Tireur” War, which is said -to have been waged against the German Army, is a mere invention. It -was invented in order to lessen in the eyes of the civilized world the -impression caused by the barbarous treatment inflicted by the German -Army on our people, and also to appease the scruples of the German -nation, which will shudder with fear on the day when it learns what a -tribute of innocent blood was levied by its troops on our children, our -wives, and our defenseless fellow-citizens. - -Moreover, the chiefs of the German Army have made a singular error -when they try to influence the verdict of the civilized world by this -particular argument. They seem unaware of the fact that the repression -by general measures of individual faults--a system condemned by the -International Conventions at which they scoff--has long been condemned -by the conscience of the nations of to-day. Among those nations -Germany appears for the future as a monstrous and disconcerting moral -phenomenon. - - (Signed) COOREMAN, - _Minister of State, President_. - - COMTE GOBLET DE AVIELLA, _Vice-President, - Minister of State and Vice-President of the - Belgian Senate_. - - CHEVALIER ERNEST DE BUNSWYCK, - _Chief Secretary to the Minister of Justice_. - - ORTS, - _Councillor of Legation to H.M. the King of the - Belgians_. - -FOOTNOTES: - -(1) Testimony of the Right Reverend Monsignor X---- annexed to the -proceedings of the Session of Dec. 18, 1914. - -(2) From the testimony of Mademoiselle Aline Diericz, of Tenham, -annexed to the Report of the Session of Dec. 18, 1914. - - - - -THE GERMAN MILITARY CODE - - -In 1902 the Historic Section of the German General Staff published a -collection of works for the instruction and guidance of the officers -of the German Army. Among these works is a Manual upon “The Laws of -War on Land.” (“Kriegsgebrauch im Landkriege.”) The following extracts -from this manual show that the ideas of the German General Staff on the -conduct of warfare are diametrically opposed to the views generally -adopted by civilized countries. It is the systematic carrying-out of -these ideas which has caused the devastation and desolation of Belgium. - - It is by making a deep study of the history of wars that, “_one may - protect oneself against exaggerated humanitarian ideas_.” - - (Laws of War on Land, pp. 6 and 7) - - The claims of professors of International Law (in regard to a certain - point under discussion) “should be deliberately rejected in principle - as being opposed to the rules of war.” - - (Ibid page 46) - - The claims of certain professors of International Law in this respect - are absolutely contrary to the necessities of warfare, “and should be - rejected by military men.” - - (Ibid pages 44 and 45) - - An energetically conducted war cannot be carried on solely against - the combatant enemy and his defenses, but extends and should extend - to _the destruction of his material and moral resources. Humanitarian - considerations, such as respect for persons and property, can be taken - into consideration only provided that the nature and object of the war - adapt themselves to that course._ - - (Ibid page 3) - -The above extracts indicate clearly the spirit of the German military -class, namely, - - To protect themselves against humanitarian ideas, as against a - dangerous infection. - - To cast aside international law if found incompatible with convenience. - - To strike not only at the enemy’s armed forces, but to terrorise him - by striking at his “material and moral resources,” _i. e._ his home - and property, his wife and children. - -These injunctions of the German Code of 1902 have been fully carried -out in Belgium, and have converted the German army into “a horde of -barbarians and a band of incendiaries.” - -The “ethics” of the German Military Code have also been supported by -German jurists inoculated with the germ of the same “Kultur.” - -Meurer, in his book on the Hague Peace Conference, says that there is -no violation of international law “when an act of war is necessary to -support the troops or to defend them against a danger which cannot be -avoided by any other means, or when the act is necessary in order to -realize or assure the success of a military operation which is not in -itself prohibited.” - - (“Die Haager Friedenskonferenz,” II Band, page 14) - -In other words “Necessity Knows No Law.” It is the same doctrine -proclaimed by the Imperial German Chancellor, Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg, -and upheld by other German jurists such as Dr. Karl Strupp, who says: - - “A body of troops may be obliged to let their prisoners starve, if the - commander thinks this is the only means of carrying out an order which - he has received, for example, an order to reach, at a certain time, a - place indispensable for the proper conduct of the operations. - - “The stipulations of the Laws of War may be disregarded whenever - the violation of them seems to be the only means of carrying out - a military operation or of assuring its success, or, indeed, of - supporting the armed forces, even though it be only one soldier.” - - (“Das Internationale Landkriegsrecht,” 1914, - pages 7 and 8) - -In short, according to the German idea, the recognized Laws of War, -as understood by civilized nations, are to be practised by Germany -only when found convenient. The alleged killing of one German soldier -in Aerschot led to the destruction of the whole town and the massacre -of many innocent citizens. It was contrary to Law, but it was in -accordance with the spirit of the German Military Code of 1902. - -The German Army invaded Belgium with the full intention, in case of -resistance, of carrying on a war of terror by means of massacre, -robbery and destruction--a war to “destroy the material and moral -resources of the enemy.” Moreover, the German officers were provided -with forms drawn up in the French language to facilitate them, -especially in their work of robbery and arson. - -They do not seem to have needed anything to facilitate them in their -work of massacre. - -These forms are found in a book published at Berlin by Bath, in 1906, -entitled “The Military Interpreter,” destined for the use of German -officers “in the enemy’s country,” which seems to be a French speaking -country such as Belgium or France, as the forms are drawn up in French. -The book contains, to quote its introduction, “the French text of the -majority of the documents, letters, proclamations and other forms which -may be needed in time of war.” - -Among these interesting documents we find the following form to be -used by officers when wishing to rob a whole city at once. It will be -observed that the pretended excuse for the robbery is supplied. The -document is as follows: - - “A fine of 600,000 marks, on account of the attempted assassination of - a German soldier by a .........., has been imposed upon the City of - O......... by order of........... - - “Fruitless efforts have been made to secure the remittance or - reduction of this fine. - - “The limit of time fixed for the payment of the fine expires tomorrow, - Saturday, December 17th, at noon. - - “Bank Notes, Coin, or Silverware will be accepted.” - -The general outline of this useful form was followed by General Baron -von Leutwitz when on November 1st, 1914, he imposed upon the City of -Brussels “an additional fine of Five Million Francs” on account of an -alleged altercation between a Belgian policeman, named De Ryckere, and -a German soldier. - -Here is another form, intended to give an air of justification to an -act of robbery: - - “The German authorities, having demanded a war contribution of two - million francs from the city of M........., because its inhabitants - fired upon the German troops when entering the city, and the - municipality having declared that it has not the necessary funds - and that it cannot find such funds among the citizens, the German - authorities demand a settlement by bills of exchange.” - -If the above demand failed to produce the desired results, the German -Commanders were provided with another form to be used as a “follow-up” -letter. This is a form of letter to be written by the Commanding -General to his subordinate, and the substance is to be communicated to -the recalcitrant citizens. - - “I acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 7th of this month telling - me of the great difficulties you think you will meet in collecting the - contributions. - - “I can only regret the explanations that you think proper to make on - this subject. The order in question (which comes from my Government) - is so clear and precise, the orders which I have received (on this - subject) are so explicit, that, _if the amount due by the City of - B......... is not paid the city will be burned without mercy_.” - -The foregoing form seems to have been substantially followed by -Lieutenant General von Niebur in his letter to the Burgomaster of Wavre -on August 27th, 1914. A fine of three million francs was imposed upon -the little town of Wavre for an alleged attack on the German troops, -and in his letter of the above date Lieutenant General von Niebur -declares that “_the City of Wavre will be burned and destroyed if the -levy is not paid in due time, without regard for anyone; the innocent -will suffer with the guilty_.” - -Here is another form for extorting money from a community: - - “On account of the destruction of the bridge at F......... I command, - as follows: - - “The district shall pay an additional contribution of ten million - francs, as a fine. This information is brought to the knowledge of - the public with the following notice, namely, that the manner of - distributing the assessment will be indicated later, and that the - payment of the said amount will be exacted with the greatest severity. - _The village of F......... has been at once burned with the exception - of certain houses reserved for the use of the troops._” - - The foregoing form recalls the Proclamation of General von Buelow to - the Municipal Authorities of Liege, on August 22nd, 1914, in which - he said: - -“_It is with my consent that the Commander-in-Chief has ordered the -whole town (of Andenne) to be burned and that about one hundred people -have been shot._” - -The scenes of horror and barbarism depicted in the Reports of the -Official Belgian Commission of Inquiry have not been brought about -by accident. They are the direct result of the orders given and the -doctrines inculcated by the German General Staff. - - - - - * * * * * - -Transcriber’s Notes - -The use of Roman numerals for the section headings was made consistent. - -Minor punctuation errors have been corrected. - -On page 18, “druken” was changed to “drunken.” (drunken orgies, sack of -whole towns) - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Martyrdom of Belgium, by Gerard Cooreman - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARTYRDOM OF BELGIUM *** - -***** This file should be named 53636-0.txt or 53636-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/6/3/53636/ - -Produced by Cindy Horton, Brian Coe, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/53636-0.zip b/old/53636-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 378aada..0000000 --- a/old/53636-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53636-h.zip b/old/53636-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2363bb6..0000000 --- a/old/53636-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/53636-h/53636-h.htm b/old/53636-h/53636-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 0594bfd..0000000 --- a/old/53636-h/53636-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1685 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - The Martyrdom of Belgium, by Gerard Cooreman—a Project Gutenberg eBook. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -h1 {line-height: 1.5;} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - text-indent: 1em; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; } - -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } - -.f50 {font-size: 50%;} -.f80 {font-size: 80%;} -.f90 {font-size: 90%;} - -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} - -.mtn1 {margin-top: -1em;} - -.ml3 {margin-left: 3em;} -.ml4 {margin-left: 4em;} -.ml5 {margin-left: 5em;} -.ml7 {margin-left: 7em;} -.ml10 {margin-left: 10em;} -.ml40 {margin-left: 40%;} - -.mr2 {margin-right: 2em;} -.mr10 {margin-right: 10em;} - -.noindent {text-indent: 0em;} - -div.hang p { - margin-left: 2em; - text-indent: -2em; -} - -hr {clear: both;} -hr.r20 {width: 20%; margin-right: 40%; margin-left: 40%;} -hr.r15 {width: 15%; margin: 1em 42.5% 1em 42.5%;} - -div#titlepage { - margin-top: 6em; - text-align: center; - page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; -} - -div#titlepage p { - text-indent: 0em; - line-height: 1; - margin-top: 3em; -} - -div#titleblock {text-align: left;} - -div.chapter {margin-top: 6em;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; -} /* page numbers */ - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -/* Images */ -img {max-width: 100%; height: auto; width: 100%;} - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; -} - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.tnotes { - background-color: #eeeeee; - border: 1px solid black; - padding: 1em; - margin-top: 6em; -} - -@media print, handheld { -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} -} - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's The Martyrdom of Belgium, by Gerard Cooreman - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Martyrdom of Belgium - Official Report of Massacres of Peaceable Citizens, Women - and Children by The German Army - -Author: Gerard Cooreman - -Release Date: November 30, 2016 [EBook #53636] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARTYRDOM OF BELGIUM *** - - - - -Produced by Cindy Horton, Brian Coe, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 516px;"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="516" height="800" alt="cover" /> -</div> - -<div id="titlepage"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<h1><span class="f90">THE MARTYRDOM OF BELGIUM</span><br /> - -<span class="f80">OFFICIAL REPORT OF</span><br /> -<span class="f80">Massacres of Peaceable Citizens, Women and Children</span><br /> - -<span class="f50">BY THE</span><br /> -<span class="f80">German Army</span></h1> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p style="margin-bottom: 3em" class="ph4 center"><strong>TESTIMONY OF EYE-WITNESSES</strong></p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p class="ml40 noindent">“It is by a deep study of the history of -wars that one may protect oneself against exaggerated humanitarian -ideas.”<br /> - -<span class="ml3">—“KRIEGSGEBRAUCH IM LANDKRIEGE”</span><br /> - -Published by the German General Staff, 1902.<br /> -<span class="ml7">Pages 6 and 7.</span></p> - -<div class="p6"> - -<p class="f80 center">THE W. STEWART BROWN COMPANY, <span class="smcap">Inc.</span><br /> -PRINTERS<br /> -BALTIMORE, MD.</p> - -</div></div> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a><br /><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE.</h2> - -<p>The Official Belgian Commission of Inquiry, which has been charged with -the task of examining into the violation of the rules of International Law -and of the Customs of War, is composed of Statesmen and Jurists of the -highest standing. The Reports of the Commission have been published from -time to time. Report XI will be found in the following pages.</p> - -<p>These reports are given out by the Commission only after careful examination -of the evidence. Consequently the findings of the Commission command -the same respect as the findings of the highest Law Court.</p> - -<p>Names of witnesses have, in certain cases, been withheld from publication. -All the depositions are, however, in the possession of the Commission and -the names of the witnesses will be given out at the proper time. The publication -of these names at the present moment would, inevitably, cause the German -troops to take revenge upon witnesses, or upon the relatives of witnesses, -remaining within the German lines.</p> - -<p>The authenticity of the depositions is guaranteed by the eminent Statesmen -and Jurists who compose the Commission and who have signed the -Reports.</p> - -<p>No commentary can add anything to the tragic eloquence of these simple -and well-authenticated depositions. Who can read the recital of these horrors -without feeling his heart throb with righteous indignation, and without feeling -an infinite sorrow at the thought that these abominations have been committed, -after two thousand years of Christian civilization, by a nation which, only -yesterday, claimed to be the foremost in modern Progress.</p> - -<p>It should be remembered that Belgium had done nothing to bring on the -war nor to involve her in it. She was a neutralized country. Every shot fired -by a German soldier in Belgium is a violation of the solemn treaty whereby -Germany pledged her faith to uphold the neutrality of Belgium.</p> - -<p>At the end of this pamphlet (page <a href="#Page_20">20</a>) will be -found extracts from the “Laws of War on Land,” published by -the German General Staff in 1902, and other documents, showing that the -massacres, arson and pillage committed by the German army in Belgium -are attributable, not to the innate brutality of the German soldier, -but rather to an organized system of terrorism laid down and ordered by -the superior German Military authorities.</p> - -<p>The authenticity of the following text of the Report of the Commission of -Inquiry is certified by the Belgian Legation, Washington, D. C.</p> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p> - <span class="pagenum"> - <a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a> - </span><br /> - <span class="pagenum"> - <a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a> - </span> -</p> - -<h2>OFFICIAL BELGIAN COMMISSION OF INQUIRY</h2> - -<p class="f80 center mtn1 noindent"><strong>on the violation of -the Rules of International Law, and of the Laws and Customs of -War.</strong></p> - -<p class="f80 center noindent"><strong>ELEVENTH REPORT SUBMITTED -TO HIS EXCELLENCY, MR. CARTON DE WIART, Belgian Minister of -Justice.</strong></p> - -<hr class="r15" /> - -<h3>(I.) INCIDENTS AT NAMUR.</h3> - -<p>On August 21st, 1914, the Germans bombarded the town of Namur, -without any previous notice given. The bombardment began about 1 p. -m. and continued for twenty minutes. The besieger was in possession -of long-range guns, which enabled him to fire upon the town before -the forts had been taken. Shells fell upon the prison, the hospital, -the Burgomaster’s house and the railway station, causing -conflagrations and killing several persons.</p> - -<p>On August 23rd, the German Army pierced the exterior line of -defence, and the Belgian 4th Division retreated by the angle between -the rivers Sambre and Meuse, while the greater number of the forts were -still uninjured and continuing to resist. The German troops penetrated -into the town of Namur on the same day about 4 p. m.</p> - -<p>On this day order was preserved: officers and soldiers requisitioned -food and drink, paying for them sometimes with coined money, more often -with requisition-certificates. Most of the latter were bogus documents, -but the townspeople were trustful and ignorant of the German language, -and so accepted them without making difficulties.</p> - -<p>Matters went on in the same way on August 24th till 9 o’clock -in the evening. At that hour shooting suddenly began in several -quarters of the town, and German infantry were seen advancing in -skirmishing order down the principal streets. Almost at the same -moment an immense column of smoke and fire was seen rising from the -central quarter of the place: the Germans had fired houses in the Place -d’Armes and four other spots, the Place Leopold, Rue Rogier, Rue -St. Nicolas and the Avenue de la Plante.</p> - -<p>All was now panic among the peaceable and defenseless townsfolk: the -Germans began breaking open front doors with the butts of their rifles, -and throwing incendiary matter into the vestibules. Six dwellers in the -Rue Rogier, who were flying from their burning houses, were shot on -their own doorsteps. The rest of the inhabitants of this street were -forced to avoid a similar fate by escaping through their back gardens. -Many of them were in their night clothes, for they had not the time to -dress or to pick up their money.</p> - -<p>In the Rue St. Nicolas several workmen’s dwellings were set on -fire, and a larger number, together with some wood-yards, were burned -in the Avenue de la Plante.</p> - -<p>The conflagration in the Place d’Armes continued till -Thursday. It destroyed the Town Hall, with its archives and pictures, -the adjacent group of houses, and the whole quarter bounded by the -Rue<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -du Pont, the Rue des Brasseurs, and the Rue Bailly, with the exception -of the Hotel des Quatre Fils Aymon.</p> - -<p>No serious attempt was made to prevent the fire from spreading. At -its commencement some of the townspeople came out at the appeal of the -Fire-Bell, but they were forbidden to stir from their houses. The Chief -of the Fire Brigade, though the balls were whistling round him, got as -far as the site of the disaster; but an officer arrested him in the -Place d’Armes, and then, acting under the orders of his superior, -sent him away under an escort.</p> - -<p>The Germans, with the object of justifying their proceedings, -alleged that shots had been fired against their troops on the Monday -evening. Every circumstance demonstrates the absurdity of this -statement. The juxtaposition of observed facts and the sequence of -concordant evidence lead to the conclusion that the incidents at Namur -were deliberately prepared, and merely formed part of the general -system of terrorism which was habitually practised by the German Army -in Belgium.</p> - -<p>Fifteen days back the people of Namur had given over to the Belgian -Authorities all the firearms that they possessed. They had been -informed by Official Notices as to the tenor of the Laws of War, and -had been invited by the Civil and Military Authorities, by the Clergy -and the Press, to take no part with the belligerents. The Belgian -troops had evacuated the town 36 hours before the conflagration. The -people, even if they had possessed weapons, would not have been so -insane as to rise and assail the masses of German troops who crowded -the town and occupied all its approaches. And how can anyone account -for the strange fact that, at all the five points at which the alleged -rising was supposed to have broken out, the Germans were found in -possession of the incendiary substances which were required for the -prompt burning of the place?</p> - -<p>The disorder which followed helped the pillage in which the German -Army habitually engages. In the Place d’Armes houses were -thoroughly sacked before they were set on fire. In the quarter by the -Gate of St. Nicolas the inhabitants, when they returned to their homes, -found that everything had been plundered; in one case a safe had been -broken up and 17,000 francs worth of securities had disappeared.</p> - -<p>On the subsequent days, though things were comparatively quiet, -pillage continued. In several houses where German officers were -quartered, the furniture was broken up, and wine and underclothing -(even female underclothing) was stolen.</p> - -<p>Our witnesses have detailed to us several outrages on women. In -one case we have evidence concerning the rape of a girl by four -soldiers. A Belgian quartermaster of Gendarmes saw the daughter of the -proprietor of the hotel in which he was staying outraged by two German -soldiers, without being able to intervene for her protection, at four -o’clock in the morning.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> - -<p>Many inhabitants of Namur perished during the fire and the -fusillade. Some aged people were left in the burning houses: others -were killed in the streets, or shot in their own dwellings. In all, -seventy-five civilians perished in one of these ways or another on the -23rd-24th-25th August.</p> - -<p>We may mention, without detailing, the arrest of hostages, and the -brutal treatment to which the most distinguished inhabitants of the -town were exposed during the early days of German occupation.</p> - -<p>Namur and the seventeen neighbouring communes were subjected to -a war contribution of fifty million francs (2,000,000), which was -afterwards reduced to thirty-two millions, on condition that the first -million should be paid within twenty-four hours. The deposits at a -private bank (the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Banque Generale</i> Belge) -were confiscated. On the petition of its directors the concession was -made that the sum seized should count towards the war contribution.</p> - -<p>The immediate neighborhood of the town was the scene of many similar -acts of violence. In this part of the province many mansions and -villas were systematically pillaged. One citizen of Namur saw his own -furniture from his country house going to the rear on a German cart. -The plunder was all sent off to Germany.</p> - -<p>At Vedrin a boy was shot because he was found to have in his -possession an empty German cartridge case. Twenty-six priests and -members of religious orders were shot in the diocese of Namur.</p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<h3>(II.) MASSACRE AT TAMINES.</h3> - -<p>Tamines was a rich and populous village situated on the Sambre -between Charleroi and Namur. It was occupied by detachments of French -troops on the 17th, 18th and 19th of August last. On Thursday, the 20th -August, a German patrol appeared in front of the suburb of Vilaines. It -was greeted by shots fired by French soldiers, and by a party of the -Civic Guards of Charleroi. Several Uhlans were killed and wounded, and -the rest fled. The people of the village came out of their houses and -cried: “Vive la Belgique!” “Vive la France!” -In all probability it was this incident which caused the subsequent -massacre of Tamines.</p> - -<p>Some time afterwards the Germans arrived in force at the hamlet -of Alloux. They there burnt two houses and made all the inhabitants -prisoners. An artillery combat broke out between the German guns posted -at Vilaines and at Alloux and the French guns placed in a battery at -Arsimont and at Hame-sur-Heure.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></p> - -<p>About 5 o’clock on 21st August, the Germans carried the bridge -of Tamines, crossed the River Sambre, and began defiling in mass -through the streets of the village. About 8 o’clock the movement -of troops stopped, and the soldiers penetrated into the houses, drove -out the inhabitants, set themselves to sack the place, and then burnt -it. The unfortunate peasants who stopped in the village were shot; the -rest fled from their houses. The greater part of them were arrested -either on the night of the 21st of August or on the following morning. -Pillage and burning continued all next day (22nd).</p> - -<p>On the evening of the 22nd (Saturday) a group of between 400 and 450 -men was collected in front of the Church, not far from the bank of the -Sambre. A German detachment opened fire on them, but as the shooting -was a slow business the officers ordered up a machine gun, which soon -swept off all the unhappy peasants still left standing. Many of them -were only wounded and, hoping to save their lives, got with difficulty -on their feet again. They were immediately shot down. Many wounded -still lay among the corpses. Groans of pain and cries for help were -heard in the bleeding heap. On several occasions soldiers walked up -to such unhappy individuals and stopped their groans with a bayonet -thrust. At night some who still survived succeeded in crawling away. -Others put an end to their own pain by rolling themselves into the -neighboring river.</p> - -<p>All these facts have been established by depositions made by wounded -men who succeeded in escaping. About 100 bodies were found in the -river.</p> - -<p>Next day, Sunday, the 23rd, about 6 o’clock in the morning, -another party consisting of prisoners made in the village and the -neighborhood were brought into the Square. One of them makes the -following deposition:—</p> - -<p>“On reaching the Square the first thing that we saw was a mass -of bodies of civilians extending over at least 40 yards in length by 6 -yards in depth. They had evidently been drawn up in rank to be shot. We -were placed before this range of corpses, and were convinced that we -too were to be shot.</p> - -<p>“An officer then came forward and asked for volunteers to dig -trenches to bury these corpses. I and my brother-in-law and certain -others offered ourselves. We were conducted to a neighbouring field at -the side of the Square, where they made us dig a trench 15 yards long -by 10 broad and 2 deep. Each received a spade. While we were digging -the trenches soldiers with fixed bayonets gave us our orders. As I -was much fatigued through not being accustomed to digging, and being -faint from hunger, a soldier then brought me a lighter spade, and -afterwards filled a bucket of water for us to drink. I asked him if he -knew what they were going to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" -id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> do with us. He said that he did not. By the -time that the trenches were finished it was about noon. They then gave -us some planks, on which we placed the corpses and so carried them -to the trench. I recognized many of the persons whose bodies we were -burying. Actually fathers buried the bodies of their sons and sons the -bodies of their fathers. The women of the village had been marched out -into the Square, and saw us at our work. All around were the burnt -houses.</p> - -<p>“There were in the Square both soldiers and officers. They -were drinking champagne. The more the afternoon drew on the more they -drank, and the more we were disposed to think that we were probably -to be shot too. We buried from 350 to 400 bodies. A list of the names -of the victims has been drawn up and will have been given to you (the -Commissioner).</p> - -<p>“While some of us were carrying the corpses along I saw a case -where they had stopped and called to a German doctor. They had noticed -that the man whom they were conveying was still alive. The doctor -examined the wounded man and made a sign that he was to be buried with -the rest. The plank on which he was lying was borne on again, and I saw -the wounded man raise his arm elbow-high. They called to the doctor -again, but he made a gesture that he was to go into the trench with the -others.</p> - -<p>“I saw M. X—— carrying off the body of his own -son-in-law. He was able to take away his watch, but was not allowed to -remove some papers which were on him.</p> - -<p>“When a soldier, seized with an impulse of pity, came near -us, an officer immediately scolded him away. When all the bodies had -been interred, certain wounded were brought to the Church. Officers -consulted about them for some time. Four mounted officers came into -the Square, and, after a long conversation, we with our wives and -children were made to fall into marching order. We were taken through -Tamines, amid the debris which obstructed the streets, and led to -Vilaines between two ranks of soldiers. Think of our mental sufferings -during this march! We all thought that we were going to be shot in the -presence of our wives and children. I saw German soldiers who could not -refrain from bursting into tears, on seeing the despair of the women. -One of our party was seized with an apoplectic fit from mere terror, -and I saw many who fainted.”</p> - -<p>When the cortege arrived at Vilaines, an officer told the unhappy -people that they were free, but that anyone returning to Tamines -would be shot. He obliged the women and children to cry: “Vive -l’Allemagne.” The Germans burnt, after sacking them, -264 houses in Tamines. Many persons, including women and children, -were burnt or stifled in their own homes. Many others were shot in -the fields. The total number of victims was over 650. The<span -class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -Commission of Enquiry devoted special attention to ascertaining whether -the inhabitants of the village had fired on the German troops. Every -surviving witness unanimously declared the contrary. They explained -the massacre of their fellow-villagers by the fact that the Germans -attributed to the inhabitants the shots which had been fired by the -French skirmishers, or perhaps to the anger produced among the Germans -by the success of an attack which had been made on them that night by -the French troops.</p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<h3>(III.) PILLAGE AND MASSACRE AT ANDENNE.</h3> - -<p>The town of Andenne is situated on the right bank of the Meuse -between Namur and Huy. It is connected by a bridge with the village -of Seilles, which is built along the river on the opposite, or left, -bank. The German troops who were wishing to invade the territory on -the left bank of the Meuse arrived at Andenne on Thursday, August -19th, in the morning. Their advance guard of Uhlans found that the -bridge was not available. A regiment of Belgian Infantry had blown it -up at 8 o’clock on the same morning. The Uhlans retired after -having seized the Communal cash box at Andenne and brutally maltreated -the Burgomaster, Dr. Camus, an old man of more than 70 years. The -Burgomaster had several days before taken the most minute precautions -to prevent the population from engaging in hostilities. He had posted -up everywhere placards ordering non-resistance. All firearms had -been collected in the Hotel de Ville, and the local authorities had -personally visited certain of the inhabitants to explain their duty to -them.</p> - -<p>The main body of the German Troops arrived at Andenne in the -afternoon. The Regiment halted in the Town and outside it, waiting -for the completion of a pontoon bridge, which was not finished till -the following morning. The first contact between the troops and the -people was quite pacific. The Germans ordered requisitions, which were -satisfied. The soldiers at first paid for their purchases and for the -drink which they served to them in the Cafes. Towards the evening the -situation began to grow more strained. Whether it was that discipline -was getting relaxed, or that alcohol commenced to produce its effect, -the soldiers ceased paying for what they were taking. The inhabitants -were too scared to resist. No friction took place and the night was -calm.</p> - -<p>On Thursday, the 20th August, the bridge was finished and the troops -defiled through the town in great numbers in the direction of the left -bank. The inhabitants watched them passing from their houses. Suddenly, -at 6 o’clock in the evening, a single rifle shot was heard in -the street, followed immediately by a startling explosion.<span -class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> The -troops halted, their ranks fell into disorder, and nervous men fired -haphazard. Presently a machine gun was set up at a corner and commenced -to fire against the houses, and later a cannon dropped three shells -into the town at three different points.</p> - -<p>At the first rifle shot the inhabitants of the streets through which -the troops were defiling, guessing what might happen, took refuge in -their cellars or, climbing out over the walls of their gardens, sought -refuge in the open country or in distant cellars. A certain number -of people who would not or could not make their escape were killed -in their houses by shots fired from the street, or in some cases by -soldiers who burst into their dwellings.</p> - -<p>Immediately afterwards commenced the pillage of the houses in the -principal streets of the Town. Every window shutter and door was broken -in. Furniture was smashed and thrown out. The soldiers ran down into -the cellars, got drunk there, breaking the bottles of wine that they -could not carry away. Finally, a certain number of houses were set on -fire. During the night rifle shooting broke out several times. The -terrified population lay low in their cellars.</p> - -<p>Next day, Friday, the 21st August, at 4 o’clock in the -morning, the soldiers spread themselves through the Town, driving all -the population into the streets and forcing men, women and children to -march before them with their hands in the air. Those who did not obey -with sufficient promptitude, or did not understand the order given them -in German, were promptly knocked down. Those who tried to run away were -shot. It was at this moment that Dr. Camus, against whom the Germans -seemed to have some special spite, was wounded by a rifle shot, and -then finished off by a blow from an axe. His body was dragged along -by the feet for some distance. A watchmaker, a Fleming by birth, who -had lived for some time in the Town, was coming out of his house on -the order of the soldiers, supporting on his arm his father-in-law, -an old man of 80. Naturally, therefore, he could not hold up both his -hands. A soldier stepped up to him and struck him with an axe on the -neck. He fell mortally wounded before his own door. His wife tried to -bring him assistance, was pushed back into the house, and had to assist -helplessly at the last agony of her husband. A soldier threatened to -shoot her with his revolver if she crossed the door-sill.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the whole population was being driven towards the Place -des Tilleuls. Old men, the sick and the paralysed were all brought -there. Some were drawn on wheel-chairs, others pushed on hand carts, -others, again, borne up by their relations. The men were separated -from the women and children, then all were searched, but no arms were -found on them. One man had in his pocket some empty cartridge cases -both German and Belgian. He was immediately apprehended and set aside. -So was a cobbler who had a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" -id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> wounded hand; the wound was a month old. -An engineer was also put apart because he had in his pocket a spanner, -which was considered as a weapon. Another man seems to have been -arrested because his face showed his contempt and rage at what was -going on. These people were shot in presence of the crowd and all died -bravely.</p> - -<p>Subsequently the soldiers, on the order of their officers, picked -out of the mass some 40 or 50 men who were led off and all shot, -some along the bank of the Meuse, and others in front of the Police -Station.</p> - -<p>The rest of the men were kept for a long time in the Place. Among -them lay two persons, one of whom had received a ball in the chest, -and the other a bayonet wound. They lay face to the ground with blood -from their wounds trickling into the dust, occasionally calling for -water. The officers forbade their neighbours to give them any help. -One soldier was reproved for having wished to give one of them his -water-bottle. Both died in the course of the day.</p> - -<p>While this scene was going on in the Place des Tilleuls, other -soldiers spread themselves through the Town, continuing their work of -sack, pillage and arson. Eight men belonging to the same household were -led out into a meadow some 50 yards from their dwelling, some of them -were shot, the rest cut down with blows of an axe. One tall red-haired -soldier with a scar on his face distinguished himself by the ferocity -with which he used an axe. A young boy and a woman were shot.</p> - -<p>About 10 in the morning the officers told the women to withdraw, -giving them the order to gather together the dead bodies and to wash -away the stains of blood which defiled the street and the houses. About -midday the surviving men to the number of 800 were shut up as hostages -in three little houses near the bridge, but they were not allowed to -go out of them on any pretext, and so crammed together that they could -not even sit down on the floor. Soon these crowded buildings reached a -highly insanitary condition. The women later in the day were allowed -to bring food to their husbands. Many of them, fearing outrage, had -fled from the Place. These hostages were not finally released till the -Tuesday following.</p> - -<p>The statistics of the losses at Andenne give the following -total:—Three hundred were massacred in Andenne and Seilles, and -about 300 houses were burnt in the two localities. A great number of -inhabitants have fled. Almost every house has been sacked; indeed, -the pillage did not end for eight days. Other places have suffered -more than Andenne, but no other Belgian Town was the theatre of so -many scenes of ferocity and cruelty. The numerous inhabitants whom we -have cross-examined are unanimous in asserting that the German troops -were not fired upon. They told us that no<span class="pagenum"><a -name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> German soldier was killed -either at Andenne or in its neighbourhood. They are incapable of -understanding the causes of the catastrophe which has ruined their -town, and to explain it they give various hypotheses. Some think that -Andenne was sacrificed merely to establish a reign of terror, and -quote words uttered by officers which seemed to them to show that -the destruction of the place was premeditated. Others think that the -destruction of the bridge, the ruining of a neighbouring tunnel, and -the resistance of the Belgian troops were the causes of the massacre. -All protest that nothing happened in the place to excuse the conduct of -the Germans.</p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<h3>(IV.) SACK OF DINANT.</h3> - -<p>The town of Dinant was sacked and destroyed by the German Army, -and its population was decimated on the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th -August.</p> - -<p>On August 15th a lively engagement took place at Dinant between -the French troops on the left bank of the Meuse and the German troops -coming up from the East. The German troops were routed by the French, -who passed over to the right bank of the river following them. The -town had little to suffer on that day. Some houses were destroyed by -German shells, aimed no doubt at French regiments on the left bank, and -a citizen of Dinant belonging to the Red Cross was killed by a German -ball as he was picking up a wounded man.</p> - -<p>The days which followed were calm. The French occupied the -neighborhood of the town. No engagement took place between the hostile -armies, and nothing happened which could be interpreted as an act -of hostility by the population. No German troops were anywhere near -Dinant. On Friday, the 21st, about 9 o’clock in the evening, -German troops coming down the road from Ciney entered the town by the -Rue St. Jacques. On entering they began firing into the windows of -the houses, and killed a workman who was returning to his own house, -wounded another inhabitant, and forced him to cry “Long live -the Kaiser.” They bayoneted a third person in the stomach. They -entered the cafes, seized the liquor, got drunk, and retired after -having set fire to several houses and broken the doors and windows of -others. The population was terrorised and stupefied, and shut itself up -in its dwellings.</p> - -<p>Saturday, August 22nd, was a day of relative calm. All life, -however, was at an end in the streets. Part of the inhabitants, guided -by the instincts of self-preservation, fled into the neighbouring -country side. The rest, more attached to their homes, and rendered -confident by the conviction that nothing had happened which could be -interpreted as an act of hostility on their part, remained hidden in -their houses.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" -id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p> - -<p>On Sunday morning next, the 23rd, at 6.30 in the morning, -soldiers of the 108th Regiment of Infantry invaded the Church of the -Premonastrensian Fathers, drove out the congregation, separated the -women from the men, and shot 50 of the latter. Between 7 and 9 the same -morning the soldiers gave themselves up to pillage and arson, going -from house to house and driving the inhabitants into the street. Those -who tried to escape were shot. About 9 in the morning the soldiery, -driving before them by blows from the butt ends of rifles men, women, -and children, pushed them all into the Parade Square, where they were -kept prisoners till 6 o’clock in the evening. The guard took -pleasure in repeating to them that they would soon be shot. About 6 -o’clock a Captain separated the men from the women and children. -The women were placed in front of a rank of infantry soldiers, the men -were ranged along a wall. The front rank of them were then told to -kneel, the others standing behind them. A platoon of soldiers drew up -in face of these unhappy men. It was in vain that the women cried out -for mercy for their husbands, sons, and brothers. The officer ordered -his men to fire. There had been no inquiry nor any pretense of a trial. -About 20 of the inhabitants were only wounded, but fell among the dead. -The soldiers, to make sure, fired a new volley into the heap of them. -Several citizens escaped this double discharge. They shammed dead for -more than two hours, remaining motionless among the corpses, and when -night fell succeeded in saving themselves in the hills. Eighty-four -corpses were left on the Square, and buried in a neighbouring -garden.</p> - -<p>The day of August 23rd was made bloody by several more massacres. -Soldiers discovered some inhabitants of the Faubourg St. Pierre in the -cellars of a brewery there and shot them.</p> - -<p>Since the previous evening a crowd of workmen belonging to the -factory of M. Himmer had hidden themselves, along with their wives and -children, in the cellars of the building. They had been joined there by -many neighbours and several members of the family of their employer. -About 6 o’clock in the evening these unhappy people made up their -minds to come out of their refuge, and defiled all trembling from the -cellars with the white flag in front. They were immediately seized and -violently attacked by the soldiers. Every man was shot on the spot. -Almost all the men of the Faubourg de Leffe were executed <i lang="fr" -xml:lang="fr">en masse</i>. In another part of the town 12 civilians were -killed in a cellar. In the Rue en Ile a paralytic was shot in his -armchair. In the Rue Enfer the soldiers killed a young boy of 14.</p> - -<p>In the Faubourg de Leffe the viaduct of the railway was the scene -of a bloody massacre. An old woman and all her children were killed in -their cellar. A man of 65 years, his wife, his son and his daughter -were shot against a wall. Other inhabitants of Leffe were taken in a -barge as far as the rock of Bayard and shot there, among them a woman -of 83 and her husband.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" -id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p> - -<p>A certain number of men and women had been locked up in the Court -of the Prison. At six in the evening a German machine gun, placed on -the hill above, opened fire on them, and an old woman and three other -persons were brought down.</p> - -<p>While a certain number of soldiers were perpetrating this massacre, -others pillaged and sacked the houses of the town, and broke open all -safes, sometimes blasting them with dynamite. Their work of destruction -and theft accomplished, the soldiers set fire to the houses, and the -town was soon no more than an immense furnace.</p> - -<p>The women and children had been all shut up in a Convent, where -they were kept prisoners for four days. These unhappy women remained -in ignorance of the lot of their male relations. They were expecting -themselves to be shot also. All around the town continued to blaze. The -first day the monks of the Convent had given them a certain supply of -food. For the remaining days they had nothing to eat but raw carrots -and green fruit.</p> - -<p>To sum up, the town of Dinant is destroyed. It counted 1,400 houses; -only 200 remain. The manufactories where the artisan population worked -have been systematically destroyed. Rather more than 700 of the -inhabitants have been killed; others have been taken off to Germany, -and are still retained there as prisoners. The majority are refugees -scattered all through Belgium. A few who remained in the town are dying -of hunger. It has been proved by our Enquiry that German soldiers, -while exposed to the fire of the French entrenched on the opposite bank -of the Meuse, in certain cases sheltered themselves behind a line of -civilians, women and children.</p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<h3>(V.) MASSACRES AT HASTIERE AND SURICE</h3> - -<p>On August 23rd, the Germans entered the village of -Hastiere-par-dela.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a -href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">(1)</a> They arrested Dr. Halloy, -a Surgeon of the Red Cross, and shot him. Crossing the street, they -went to the house of Alphonse Aigret, a butcher, drove out him, his -wife and his children, and shot him and his elder son. Next they went -to the farm of Jules Rifon, took him out of his cellar, where he had -hidden with his daughters, and shot him. They also killed the farmer -Bodson and his two sons, with ten other inhabitants of the village. -The place was then sacked, and the greater part of the houses burned. -The number of persons killed or wounded was very large.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" -id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p> - -<p>The ancient church of Hastiere suffered odious profanation. Horses -were stabled in it. The priestly vestments were torn and befouled. The -lamps, statues, and holy-water stoups were broken. The reliquary was -smashed, and the relics scattered about. Among them were some relics -of the Eleven Thousand Virgins of Cologne, which had escaped the fury -of the Huguenots of 1590 and the Revolution of 1790. The tabernacle -resisted an attempt at burglary, but two of the four altars were -profaned; the sepulchres at the altars were broken open and the remains -in them thrown out and trampled under foot.</p> - -<p>The parish priest of Hastiere, Abbe Emile Schogel, had taken refuge -in the crypt, with his brother-in-law, M. Ponthiere, a professor of the -University of Louvain, the wife and two daughters of the professor, two -servants, the schoolmaster of the village with his wife and family, and -other inhabitants. The Germans fired at them through the windows of the -crypt, and then forced them to come up to the road, where they were -brought before several officers, of whom some were intoxicated. Some -questions were put to the Abbe, but he was given no time to answer. -The women were then dragged apart from the men, and the priest, M. -Pointhiere, the schoolmaster, and the other men were shot; their bodies -were left lying on the road. All this happened on August 24th, 1914, at -about 5.30 in the afternoon.</p> - -<p>On this same day the village of Surice was occupied by the German -troops. At about 11 p. m. they set fire to some of the houses. Next -morning, about 6 o’clock, the soldiers broke open doors and -windows with the butts of their rifles, and forced all the inhabitants -to come out. They were led off in the direction of the church. On the -way several most inoffensive people were fired upon. For example, the -old choirman, Charles Colot, aged 88, was shot as he came out of his -door; the soldiers rolled his body in a blanket, and set fire to it.</p> - -<p>A man named Elie Pierrot was seized by the Germans as he was coming -out of his burning house, carrying his aged and impotent step-mother -(she was over 80 years of age), and was shot at short range. The clerk, -Leopold Burniaux, his son Armand, who had been recently ordained -priest, and another of his sons were shot before the eyes of Madame -Burniaux. She, with her last surviving son, a professor at the College -of Malonne, were marched off with the surviving inhabitants on the road -to Romedenne. In a garden below the road there was a dead woman lying, -with two small children crying over her.</p> - -<p>On arriving at Fosses the party were led to a piece of fallow -ground—they numbered between 50 and 60 persons of both -sexes. “It was about 7.15 a. m. when the men and the -women were separated.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" -id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> An officer came up who said to us in -French with a strong German accent, ‘You all deserve to be shot: -a young girl of 15 has just fired on one of our Commanders. But the -Court-martial has decided that only the men shall be executed: the -women will be kept prisoners.’</p> - -<p>“The scene that followed passes all description: there were -eighteen men standing in a row: besides the parish priests of Anthee -and Onhaye, and the Abbe Gaspiard, there was our own priest, Mons. -Poskin, and his brother-in-law, Mons. Schmidt, then Doctor Jacques and -his son Henri, aged just 16, then Gaston Burniaux, the clerk’s -son, and Leonard Soumoy: next them two men named Balbeur and Billy, -with the 17-year-old son of the latter: last two men from Onhaye and -Dinant who had taken refuge in Surice, and two people more whom I did -not know. Mons. Schmidt’s little boy of 14 was nearly put into -the line—the soldiers hesitated, but finally shoved him away in a -brutal fashion. At this moment I saw a young German soldier—this -I vouch for—who was so horror-struck that great tears were -dropping onto his tunic: he did not wipe his eyes for fear of being -seen by his officer, but kept his head turned away.</p> - -<p>“Some minutes passed: then under our eyes and amid the -shrieks of women who were crying ‘Shoot me too; shoot me with my -husband!’ and the wailing of the children, the men were lined -up on the edge of the hollow way which runs from the high road to the -bottom of the village. They waved last greetings to us, some with their -hands, others with their hats or caps. The young Henri Jacques was -leaning on the shoulder of one of the priests, as if to seek help and -courage from him: he was sobbing, ‘I am too young; I can’t -face death bravely.’ Unable to bear the sight any longer, I -turned my back to the road and covered my eyes with my hands. The -soldiers fired their volley, and the men fell in a heap. Someone said -to me, ‘Look, they are all down!’ But they were not all -shot dead; several were finished off by having their skulls beaten in -with rifle-butts. Among these was the priest of Surice, whose head (as -I was afterwards told) was dreadfully opened out.</p> - -<p>“When the massacre was over the Germans plundered the corpses. -They took from them watches, rings, purses, and pocket-books. Madame -Schmidt told me that her husband had on him about 3,000 francs, which -was stolen. Dr. Jacques had also a good sum on him, though his wife -could not say exactly how much.</p> - -<p>“After this some more German soldiers brought up a -man named Victor Cavillot, and shot him before he reached -the spot where the others were lying; they fired on him, and -I saw him double up and fall into the hollow way.”<a -name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" -class="fnanchor">(2)</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" -id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p> - -<p>The village of Surice was thoroughly sacked. The pillage began on -Tuesday night, and continued all day on Wednesday. The safe of Madame -Laurent-Mineur, a widow, was blown open with dynamite. Of the 131 -houses of the village only eight escaped the conflagration.</p> - -<p>This Report gives no more than an incomplete picture of the German -ravages and crimes in the Province of Namur. We lack detailed knowledge -of what went on in three of the six cantons which form the district -of Namur. The total of 800 persons killed and 1,160 houses burned in -that district may have to be largely increased. In the district of -Dinant, that town itself and 21 villages have been destroyed. In the -district of Philippeville 20 villages have been sacked, plundered, and -more or less burned down. In the whole province, which has 364,000 -inhabitants, nearly 2,000 unoffending people—men, women, and -children—have been massacred.</p> - -<hr class="r20" /> - -<p>The Commission makes it a rule to limit its publications to a mere -statement of facts, thinking that no commentary could add anything to -their tragic eloquence. It thinks, however, that the evidence given -above leads to certain conclusions.</p> - -<p>It has been said that when Belgium makes up the account of her -losses, it may appear that war has levied more victims from the civil -population than from the men who were called out to serve their country -on the battlefield. This prophecy, which seemed contrary to reason, is -now confirmed as regards the Province of Namur. In certain parts of -it half the male adult population has disappeared: the horrors of the -conflagrations at Louvain and Termonde, of the massacres at Aerschot -and in Luxembourg and Brabant, are all surpassed by those of the -slaughter at Dinant, at Andenne, at Tamines, and at Namur.</p> - -<p>In this twentieth century the people of Namur have had to live -through all the frightful details of a medival war, with its -traditional episodes of massacres <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">en masse</i>, -drunken orgies, sack of whole towns, and general conflagration. The -“exploits” of the mercenary bands of the XVIIth Century -have been surpassed by those of the national army of a State which -claims the first place among civilized nations!</p> - -<p>The German Government cannot deny the truth of these -facts—they are attested by the ruins and the graves which cover -our native soil. But already it has set to work to excuse its troops, -affirming that they only repressed, in consonance with the Laws of War, -the hostile acts of the Belgian civil population.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p> - -<p>From the day of its First Session our Commission has been trying -to discover what foundation there might be for this charge—a -charge which seemed very unconvincing to anyone who knew the -character of the Belgian people. After having examined hundreds -of witnesses—foreigners and natives—and after having -exhausted every possible means of investigation, we affirm once more -that the Belgian people took no part in the hostilities. The supposed -“France-Tireur” War, which is said to have been waged -against the German Army, is a mere invention. It was invented in order -to lessen in the eyes of the civilized world the impression caused by -the barbarous treatment inflicted by the German Army on our people, -and also to appease the scruples of the German nation, which will -shudder with fear on the day when it learns what a tribute of innocent -blood was levied by its troops on our children, our wives, and our -defenseless fellow-citizens.</p> - -<p>Moreover, the chiefs of the German Army have made a singular error -when they try to influence the verdict of the civilized world by this -particular argument. They seem unaware of the fact that the repression -by general measures of individual faults—a system condemned by -the International Conventions at which they scoff—has long been -condemned by the conscience of the nations of to-day. Among those -nations Germany appears for the future as a monstrous and disconcerting -moral phenomenon.</p> - -<p> -(Signed) COOREMAN,<br /> -<span class="ml7"><i>Minister of State, President</i>.</span></p> - -<p class="ml4">COMTE GOBLET DE AVIELLA, <i>Vice-President,<br /> -<span class="ml3">Minister of State and Vice-President of the Belgian Senate</span></i>.</p> - -<p class="ml4">CHEVALIER ERNEST DE BUNSWYCK,<br /> -<span class="ml3"><i>Chief Secretary to the Minister of Justice</i>.</span></p> - -<p class="ml4">ORTS,<br /> -<span class="ml3"><i>Councillor of Legation to H.M. the King of the Belgians</i>.</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<h2>THE GERMAN MILITARY CODE</h2> - -<p>In 1902 the Historic Section of the German General Staff published a -collection of works for the instruction and guidance of the officers of -the German Army. Among these works is a Manual upon “The Laws of -War on Land.” (“Kriegsgebrauch im Landkriege.”) The -following extracts from this manual show that the ideas of the German -General Staff on the conduct of warfare are diametrically opposed -to the views generally adopted by civilized countries. It is the -systematic carrying-out of these ideas which has caused the devastation -and desolation of Belgium.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>It is by making a deep study of the history of wars -that, “<em>one may protect oneself against exaggerated -humanitarian ideas</em>.”</p> - -<p class="right mr2">(Laws of War on Land, pp. 6 and 7)</p> - -<p>The claims of professors of International Law (in regard to a -certain point under discussion) “should be deliberately rejected -in principle as being opposed to the rules of war.”</p> - -<p class="right mr2">(Ibid page 46)</p> - -<p>The claims of certain professors of International Law in this -respect are absolutely contrary to the necessities of warfare, -“and should be rejected by military men.”</p> - -<p class="right mr2">(Ibid pages 44 and 45)</p> - -<p>An energetically conducted war cannot be carried on solely against -the combatant enemy and his defenses, but extends and should extend -to <em>the destruction of his material and moral resources. Humanitarian -considerations, such as respect for persons and property, can be taken -into consideration only provided that the nature and object of the war -adapt themselves to that course.</em></p> - -<p class="right mr2">(Ibid page 3)</p></div> - -<p>The above extracts indicate clearly the spirit of the German -military class, namely,</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>To protect themselves against humanitarian ideas, as against a -dangerous infection.</p> - -<p>To cast aside international law if found incompatible with -convenience.</p> - -<p>To strike not only at the enemy’s armed forces, but -to terrorise him by striking at his “material and -moral resources,” <i>i. e.</i> his home and property, his -wife and children.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<p>These injunctions of the German Code of 1902 have been fully carried -out in Belgium, and have converted the German army into “a horde -of barbarians and a band of incendiaries.”</p> - -<p>The “ethics” of the German Military Code have also -been supported by German jurists inoculated with the germ of the same -“Kultur.”</p> - -<p>Meurer, in his book on the Hague Peace Conference, says that -there is no violation of international law “when an act of -war is necessary to support the troops or to defend them against a -danger which cannot be avoided by any other means, or when the act -is necessary in order to realize or assure the success of a military -operation which is not in itself prohibited.”</p> - -<p class="right mr2">(“Die Haager Friedenskonferenz,” II -Band, page 14)</p> - -<p>In other words “Necessity Knows No Law.” It is the -same doctrine proclaimed by the Imperial German Chancellor, Dr. von -Bethmann-Hollweg, and upheld by other German jurists such as Dr. Karl -Strupp, who says:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“A body of troops may be obliged to let their prisoners -starve, if the commander thinks this is the only means of carrying out -an order which he has received, for example, an order to reach, at -a certain time, a place indispensable for the proper conduct of the -operations.</p> - -<p>“The stipulations of the Laws of War may be disregarded -whenever the violation of them seems to be the only means of -carrying out a military operation or of assuring its success, or, -indeed, of supporting the armed forces, even though it be only one -soldier.”</p> - -<p class="right">(“Das Internationale -Landkriegsrecht,” 1914,<br /> -<span class="mr10">pages 7 and 8)</span></p></div> - -<p>In short, according to the German idea, the recognized Laws of War, -as understood by civilized nations, are to be practised by Germany -only when found convenient. The alleged killing of one German soldier -in Aerschot led to the destruction of the whole town and the massacre -of many innocent citizens. It was contrary to Law, but it was in -accordance with the spirit of the German Military Code of 1902.</p> - -<p>The German Army invaded Belgium with the full intention, in case -of resistance, of carrying on a war of terror by means of massacre, -robbery and destruction—a war to “destroy the material and -moral resources of the enemy.” Moreover, the German officers were -provided with forms drawn up in the French language to facilitate them, -especially in their work of robbery and arson.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" -id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - -<p>They do not seem to have needed anything to facilitate them in their -work of massacre.</p> - -<p>These forms are found in a book published at Berlin by Bath, in -1906, entitled “The Military Interpreter,” destined for -the use of German officers “in the enemy’s country,” -which seems to be a French speaking country such as Belgium or France, -as the forms are drawn up in French. The book contains, to quote its -introduction, “the French text of the majority of the documents, -letters, proclamations and other forms which may be needed in time of -war.”</p> - -<p>Among these interesting documents we find the following form to be -used by officers when wishing to rob a whole city at once. It will be -observed that the pretended excuse for the robbery is supplied. The -document is as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“A fine of 600,000 marks, on account of the attempted -assassination of a German soldier by a .........., has been imposed -upon the City of O......... by order of...........</p> - -<p>“Fruitless efforts have been made to secure the remittance or -reduction of this fine.</p> - -<p>“The limit of time fixed for the payment of the fine expires -tomorrow, Saturday, December 17th, at noon.</p> - -<p>“Bank Notes, Coin, or Silverware will be -accepted.”</p></div> - -<p>The general outline of this useful form was followed by General -Baron von Leutwitz when on November 1st, 1914, he imposed upon the City -of Brussels “an additional fine of Five Million Francs” on -account of an alleged altercation between a Belgian policeman, named De -Ryckere, and a German soldier.</p> - -<p>Here is another form, intended to give an air of justification to an -act of robbery:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“The German authorities, having demanded a war contribution -of two million francs from the city of M........., because its -inhabitants fired upon the German troops when entering the city, and -the municipality having declared that it has not the necessary funds -and that it cannot find such funds among the citizens, the German -authorities demand a settlement by bills of exchange.”</p></div> - -<p>If the above demand failed to produce the desired results, the -German Commanders were provided with another form to be used<span -class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> as a -“follow-up” letter. This is a form of letter to be written -by the Commanding General to his subordinate, and the substance is to -be communicated to the recalcitrant citizens.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“I acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 7th of this -month telling me of the great difficulties you think you will meet in -collecting the contributions.</p> - -<p>“I can only regret the explanations that you think proper -to make on this subject. The order in question (which comes from my -Government) is so clear and precise, the orders which I have received -(on this subject) are so explicit, that, <em>if the amount due by the -City of B......... is not paid the city will be burned without -mercy</em>.”</p></div> - -<p>The foregoing form seems to have been substantially followed by -Lieutenant General von Niebur in his letter to the Burgomaster of Wavre -on August 27th, 1914. A fine of three million francs was imposed upon -the little town of Wavre for an alleged attack on the German troops, -and in his letter of the above date Lieutenant General von Niebur -declares that “<em>the City of Wavre will be burned and destroyed -if the levy is not paid in due time, without regard for anyone; the -innocent will suffer with the guilty</em>.”</p> - -<p>Here is another form for extorting money from a community:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“On account of the destruction of the bridge at F......... I -command, as follows:</p> - -<p>“The district shall pay an additional contribution of ten -million francs, as a fine. This information is brought to the knowledge -of the public with the following notice, namely, that the manner of -distributing the assessment will be indicated later, and that the -payment of the said amount will be exacted with the greatest severity. -<em>The village of F......... has been at once burned with the exception -of certain houses reserved for the use of the troops.</em>”</p> -</div> - -<div class="hang"> -<p>The foregoing form recalls the Proclamation of General -von Buelow to the Municipal Authorities of Liege, on August 22nd, 1914, -in which he said:</p> -</div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>“<em>It is with my consent that the Commander-in-Chief -has ordered the whole town (of Andenne) to be -burned and that about one hundred people have been -shot.</em>”</p></div> - -<p>The scenes of horror and barbarism depicted in the Reports of -the Official Belgian Commission of Inquiry have not been brought -about by accident. They are the direct result of the orders given -and the doctrines inculcated by the German General Staff.</p> - -<div class="chapter"></div> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="ph3">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a -href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">(1)</span></a> Testimony of -the Right Reverend Monsignor X—— annexed to the proceedings -of the Session of Dec. 18, 1914.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a -href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">(2)</span></a> From the -testimony of Mademoiselle Aline Diericz, of Tenham, annexed to the -Report of the Session of Dec. 18, 1914.</p></div></div> - -<div class="tnotes"> - -<p class="ph3">Transcriber’s Notes</p> - -<p>The use of Roman numerals for the section headings was made consistent.</p> - -<p>Minor punctuation errors have been corrected.</p> - -<p>On page <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, “druken” was changed to “drunken.” (drunken orgies, sack -of whole towns)</p> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Martyrdom of Belgium, by Gerard Cooreman - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MARTYRDOM OF BELGIUM *** - -***** This file should be named 53636-h.htm or 53636-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/6/3/53636/ - -Produced by Cindy Horton, Brian Coe, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - - - -</pre> - -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/53636-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/53636-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index dc2cddf..0000000 --- a/old/53636-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null |
