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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1914)
TIIE -MORNING OltEGONTAX, TJIUItSDAY, SEPTET rR"RR 17, 1914. BRUSSELS FINDS FRIGHT NEEDLESS BELGIUM'S ROYAL COMMISSION AND NEW PHOTOS APH OF PRESIDENT, WHO RECEIVED THEM YESTERDAY. Hoover Suction Sweepers $5 Down $5 Month Free Sewing Machines $1 Down $1 Month Merchandimtt oT o Merit Out," a Stories of German Atrocities Dissolve Into Myths as Army Marches In. OBSERVER DENIES EXCESS Associated Press Staff Correspond ent Says He Failed to Authentic Frightful Reports Told Dy Belgians. oate NEW YORK, Sept. 16. An Associated Press staff correspondent of American birth and antecedents, who was sent from the New York office and was caught in Brussels at the time of the Herman In vasiornand held as a pris oner for several days before escaping to Holland, has seul by mail the following- story of his experiences: "The night berore the Germans en tered Brussels, when the Belgian civil guards and refugees began pouring into the city from the direction of Lou vain, they brought stories of unspeak able atrocities, maltreatment of old men and children, and the violation of women. "In less than 24 hours the Belgian citizens were chatting comfortably with the German invaders, and the allegation of German brutality and de moniacal torture dissolved into one of the myths which, have accompanied all wars. Rumors Xot Substantiated. "Neither in Brussels nor in Its environs was a single offensive act, so far as I know, committed by a German Boldier. In a city of more than half a million people, invaded by a hostile army of perhaps a quarter of a million soldiers, no act sufficiently flagrant to demand punishment or to awaken pro test came to my attention. "The frightful reports that had pre ceded the German army into Brussels included the disemboweling of old men and the Impaling of children on lances Just outside Louvain. Investigation not only failed to substantiate these rumors, but could not even discover any one in the immediate vicinity who credited them. An eye witness of un impeachable veracity told me that the worst behavior he had obserx'ed during the first German entry into Louvain (August 19). was that of a German soldier who leaned from his horse and kissed . a pretty Flemish girl who brought him a glass of beer. Single limtancc Mentioned. "I marched for days with the Ger man columns, often only one day be hind the fighting, with the houses that had been burned still smoldering, the ground freshly broken by shell and trampled by horses and men, and the memory of the German advance vivid in the minds of the Inhabitants. 1 in terviewed an average of 20 persons in each of a dozen , towns and found only one instance of a non-combatant who had been killed without a justifiable provocation. "It was said by some inhabitants that the murdered man showed a pair of binoculars; but a more probable ex planation was that Knglish outposts had concealed themselves in the house, from which they pourel a rain of fire on the first German invaders. . The in ference that the shooting was done by Belgian civilians may have inflamed the Germans to reprisals. In that neighborhood four houses had been burned and one was still ablaze as I passed on Wednesday, August 26. Shooting Dune by Small Number. "This town of Merbes-le-Chateau, which had been the scene of an unim portant skirmish between the Germans and English on the previous Sunday, was riddled with rifle shots. The small number of windows Intact showed that the Germans had made a deliberate assault upon the residents of the town. But the inhabitants them selves admitted that all of the shooting naa Deen done by a comparatively small number of Germans, and that the firing had not been begun until Knglish soldiers who. had concealed themselves In the houses, had fired first upon the Germans. "I have emphasized the one fatality of the non-combatant because the news or it traveled up and down the Sambre and across -to Hantes-Wiberie and fcolre-sur-Sambre, multiplying as it went, and developing ghastly and in human details until it seemed an un answerable reproach to the whole Ger man empire. With this one possible exception, I did not encounter in Ni velles. in Blanche, Buissiere or Solre-sur-Sambre, or any of the other towns I visited, a single incident of mistreat ment of any sort by German officers or soldiers. . .. City Destroyed by Cromlre. "Buissiere particularly the lower part of the city virtually had been de stroyed by a crossfire from French and German artillery. But here two days after the battle women and children were moving comfortably about the town and not a single complaint was uttered against German conduct. "The town of Solre-sur-Sambre is a small village about five miles south of Buissiere. In this town 130 French were killed and more than 100 wounded were brought in in a single day. Au guste Blariaux, Burgomaster, said that he knew of no cases of German cruel ties save distant rumors, whibh he had learned to discredit. It ought to be said to the credit of the Belgians that they have not allowed their bitterness toward the Germans to carry them into unfair recrimination. Provocation Hard to Welsh. "Robert J. Thompson, American Con sul at Aachen, visited Liege during and after the capture of the forts. It is the opinion of Mr. Thompson that no outrage was committed by Germans during the several days' fighting there. There are, of course, reported outrages beyond investigation, either on account of their vagueness or because it is im possible to weigh the provocation. It is known, for instance, that 112 na tives were killed in Penouchamp,' not far from Ardennes: German soldiers say that they were killed because they fired on them from the roofs and win dows of the houses. "The history of the absolute destruc. tion of the historic city of Louvain with its cathedral and its university is by this time well known. "The German version of this is that the inhabitants, under the direction of the Burgomaster, established them selves in the church, in which they also installed a machine gun. They pro ceeded to greet the Germans with a deadly fire. "The Belgians say, on the other hand, that part of the German army, mis taking one of their own retiring divisions- for the enemy, opened fire upon them, whereupon, deluded into thinking this an assault by Belgian civilians, the Germans razed the whole city. Belgian Accused of Treachery. "I have not been able to acquire any direct evidence in regard to these last two instances, but the explanation gen erally credited by disinterested per sons is that the Belgians who had laid down their arms according to the I. --741. -r i f w $ -. ""'r rfPSZtf- f I x ' 'fl pK rj - . - J 1 V - f iW ? """I 1 I S; 2 I . rk -IV v 7 1 f I . Six - 3 -"a l f ' l ' W3Xv:X-: ZJ?$' y ' '' : 'VH iWiBliilWliiffeitt WX?X---- XC9&9ll9mKg9B 5 - , - J. W . . ' WrT- " " X - v - - - - . .... -. X& , , Photo Copyrighted Bain News Service. TOP, LEFT TO RIGHT, COUNT LEWIS DE I-ECHTKRVKLDK, EMIL VAN DGR VELDB, HENRI CARTON DE WIART AND PAUL HYMA.VS. BELOW, WOODROW WILSON. Burgomaster's, proclamation on the entrance of the enemy took them up again ;when it looked as if the Ger mans were retreating from the town and opened fire from their windows upon a retiring German train. "The most authoritative German de nial of German offenses comes from Major-General Thaddeus von Jarotz sky, military governor of Brussels, who informed me that in numerous cases he fiad been received with a pre tense of friendliness by Belgian civil ians, who later fired on the German soldiers. "In such violations of the rules' of warfare, the General said, he punished the offenders by burning the houses from which the shots were fired. Severities Half Excnaed. ."This explanation of the burning of villages i3 given with such perfect unanimity by all German officers and men that to go into separate Instances is unnecessary. It seems to serve as a sort of blanket extenuation for all German severities. I can only say that in every case of reported outrage or reprisal which was susceptible of in vestigation, I have found either that the outrage was a figment of the Bel gian mind, or that it was more than half excused by circumstances. "I have actual knowledge of the sniping by Belgian civilians at Manage and other towns, and even the Belgians admit that in a few instances they have been guilty of this. "A Belgian fugitive from a suburb of Charlerol brought to Nivelle a story of the Germans marching the priest and several of the inhabitants before the army as a protection against fire from the houses. This has received ample verification, but hardly comes under the heading of atrocities. Officers Expect Snlpins "The prevalence of the Belgian prac tice of sniping from the houses was perhaps indicated by the warning of the German officer who acted as guard for five American correspondents, in. eluding myself, who were being taken as prisoners from Beaumont to Aachen in an army train. We were advised to lie down on the floor of the car, as the Belgian snipers would shoot at us from the houses. But there was no firing. "This, of course, is not a brief for the German army; it is an account of German conduct as it appeared to an impartial observer who had the rather extraordinary opportunity of traveling for days with the German columns over a distance of more than a hun dred miles through a dozen important cities and towns. "I witnessed numerous cases of the most careful courtesy on the part of German soldiers. In Brussels they not only paid their cafe bills, but tipped generously. , . Captora Hungry; Prisoners Eat. "German officers always turned to the French prisoners with a pleasant word and - treated them with every consideration. A French Lieutenant and two English officers traveled with us in the prison train from Beaumont to Aachen, a halting journey, which took over 36 hours. German officers went without food so that the prison ers might be fed. "I have seen perhaps half a dozen cases of drunkenness in observing nearly a million soldiers. "If the conduct of the German sol dier errs at all. it is on the side of a too complete subordination. "It is impossible for anyone who has seen much of the German system to believe in the tales of - deliberate depredations and unsoldierly conduct." BELGIAN REPORT IN Commission Says Murder Was Accompanied by Torture. DESTRUCTION IS PICTURED Allegations Divided Into Groups and Are Declared Supported by Evi dence Individual I n- stanceaTfinuruerated. (Continued From First Page.) Troop Movement Denied. MONTREAL. Sept 16. The Canadian Pacific formally denied this afternoon persistent reports that troops from Australia, New Zealand and India had been passing through Canada on their way to Europe. The railroad officials asert that no such troops have been transported on their lines. and looted valuables. They burned his barn, hay, cornstacks, implements, cattle and his farmyard. They car ried off Mme. Deglimmeq, half naked, to a place two miles away. She was then released and as she fled was fired on, without being hit. however. Her husband was carried to 'a point In an other direction and fired on; he Is dy ing. The same troops sacked and burned the house of a railway watch man. . "Farmer Jef DSerck of Neerhespen is an eye-witness to the following atrocities committed by German cav alry at Oresmael and Neerhespen on August 10, 11 and 12: An old man had his arm cut In three longitudinal slices; he was then hanged head downward and burned alive. Xoung girls ' were assaulted and little children outraged at Oramael and mutilations too hor rible to describe were inflicted- on oth er inhabitants. Prisoners were hanged, while others were tied to telegraph- posts and Bhot. Wounded Commandant Murdered.' "After an engagement at Haelen, commandant Van Damme was so se verely wounded that he was lying prone on his back. He was murdered by German Infantry firing their re' volvers into his mouth. "Numerous wounded and unarmed soldiers were ill-treated or killed by German troops and in different places doctors and nurses and ambulances were fired upon. "At times the Germans went into battle with a Belgian flag. - . "While digging trenches and with the white flag hoisted. Belgian soldiers were set on by Germans and shot. "Another time, near a fort at Llncln, a group of German Infantry hoisted the white flag, and when the Belgian sol diers approached them to take them prisoners they were fired upon at close range. "The massacre of Aerschot: "Aerschot, a town of . 8000 inhabi tants, was invested by the Germans the evening of August 19. No Belgian troops remained behind. No sooner had the-Germans entered the city than they began shooting several ' inoffensive civilians. In the evening, declaring that a superior German officer had been shot by the son of the burgo master, or, according to another ver sion of their story, that a conspiracy had been hatched against the German oommandant -by: the . burgomasterand his family, the .Germans took bold ol every man in the city, carrying them SO at a time within some distance of the town. There they grouped them in lines of four men, made them run ahead of them and fired on them. killing them afterward with their bayonets. More than 40 men were found thus massacred. Every Third Man Shot. "They pillaged the whole town, tak ing from private residences all they could lay their nanus on. The follow ing morning they took one man out of every three whom they had arrested the previous evening, and, leading them outside the city, shot them. Among these were, the Burgomaster of the town. Mr. Tielemans. his lo-year-old son and his brother. "Then they compelled the remaining villagers to dig holes to bury their victims. "For three whole days they con tinued to pillage and set fire to every thing in their way. . "About ISO inhabitants of Aerschot are supposed to have thus perished. "The largest part of the city- is de stroyed. , "The destruction of Louvain: "The German army penterated into Louvain. after having set fire to the surrounding towns and villages. "They took hostages; all the prom inent men of the city were detained Women and children were outraged and ill-treated by the soldiers. "Previous to the German Invasion the whole city had been warned re peatedly not to offer any resistance to the German troops, or to oppose hostile acts. More than that, all arms belong ing to civilians, down to fencing- foils, had been ordered deposited several days previously in the City Hall, and there was not a weapon found on any civilian. "On August 2o an engagement took place in the neighborhood of Louvain between German and Belgian troops. The Germans, repulsed and pursued by the Belgians, retreated toward Louvain in full panic Many witnesses testify that at that moment the German gar rison' in Louvain was erroneously in formed that Belgians were entering the city. Immediately the German gar rison stationed at Louvain withdrew toward the station, where they clashed with their own troops, which were being pursued by the Belgians. Every thing seems to point to the fact that a contact took place. Troops Bombard City. "From that point, pretending that the Belgian civilians had fired on German troops, the Germans began bombarding the city and kept up their bombardment until 10 o'clock that night. At the place where the affray started not- a single body was found of a civilian, proving that the popula tion had not participated in the shoot ing. "The houses which had not taken afire were set afire by rockets with which the German soldiers were pro vided. The largest part of the city of Louvain. especially the Haute Ville, that is to say, the part comprising the modern houses, the cathedral of St. Peters, the University Halls, with the old and famous library of the univer slty, its manuscripts, its collections and scientific institutions, the theater and many more buildings were at that time consumed by flames. "The fire continued for several days. Numerous corpses of civilians covered the streets and squares. An eye-witness testified that in one - place he counted more than 50 charred bodies; many persons who had taken refuge in their cellars trying to escape and falling into the furnace of the blazing ciiy. "The fire started a little above the American college: the city is entirely destroyed, with the exception of the city Hall and the station. "The rrocedure of the Germans seems to be the same everywhere. First of all they requisition food and drink, of which . they partake o the point of New Voile Blouses $1.50 The prettiest of new Autumn blouses of plain and embroiderd voile are here. The styles are widely varied, too. They show the new long set-in sleeves, joined with, hemstitching, yoke effects back and front, also hemstitched. Collars of organ die, tucked and hemstitched, of self material edged with Ori ental lace, and of pique, form ing vest effect in front. The sleeves are finished with cuffs to correspond with the collar. Trimmed down the front with plain and fancy pearl buttons. Third Floor Sale Now of Women's Misses' Children's Knit Underw'r First Floor First Autumn Showing C-B A La Spirite Corsets MODELS FOR EVERY FIGURE The present-day tendency to ward extreme individuality ' in dress makes every well-dressed woman seem to be presenting a different version of smartness. If you are corseted in a C B A La Spirite Corset, wear ing the model designed for you especially, you will rest assured that your version of fashion de notes a true realization of smart ness and elegance. The new models show the long and medium-length hip, and me dium and high bust with a slight incurve at the waistline, with light boning for medium and slender figures and boned more substantially for fuller figures. The materials are particularly pretty and dainty, in white and flesh color. $1.00 to $5.00. Fourth Floor New Shapes of Black Velvet $1.95 $2.45 $3.95 $4.95 $7.95 Every express these days brings us new black velvet shapes. We. ourselves, have no knowledge of what is coming. We have selected amongst the many hat-makers, five or 6ix of the foremost millinery houses who specialize on import millinery. To them we give the privilege of expressing to us without order any new shape or style created. That is why customers continually find millinery that is new, different from what is found elsewhere. Exclusive millinery at prices that are always attractive. Come and see the new velvet shapes. Second Floor When People Buy Blankets in September There Must Be a Reason The reason is this: We are selling standard blankets now at prices deeply lowered from our regular figures. We are doing this be cause months ago we laid the foundation of this sale. We purchased 3700 pairs of blankets from the best mills in America. These were bought long before there was any thought of war, before wool rose to such a high figure. For this reason we are enabled to offer most attractive sale prices on blankets. For this reason people are buying them by the half dozen. The following quotations give you some idea of the reductions: SIZE BLANKETS COTTON FLEECE B'KETS X4.00 Wool Rlanhtx X2.79 85c Fleeced Blankets. .68c $5.00 Wool Blankets $3.33 $6.50 Wool Blankets $4.79 $7.50 Wool Blankets $5.63 $8.50 Wool Blankets $6.45 $10.00 Wool Blankets $7.33 $12.50 Wool Blankets $9.45 $1.00 Fleeced Blankets 77c $1.25 Fleeced Blankets 89c $1.50 Fleeced B'kets $1.19 $1.75 Fleced B'kets $1.33 $2.25 Fleeced B'kets $1.79 $2.50 Fleeced B'kets $1.98 Fifth Floor Marabou Collarette Regular Price $12.50 $1.48 Fashion again decrees that mara bou shall be the vogue for early Fall neckwear. Today we offer very retly soft marabou collars in black and natural with silk tassel ends, fecial, at $1.48. First Floor Regular $1.25 to $2.50 Oval Antique Gold Picture Frames From Cabinet I to 14x18 Sizes Many Styles 59 c Sixth Floor K $1.00 ITALIAN CASTILE SOAP 69c BAR Genuine imported Italian olive oil Castile soap, in white or green. 3Y2-pound bar 69c Although Castile soap has dou bled in price since the war began, we are offering this genuine import ed Castile at a lower price than ever before for this fine quality of soap. We were fortunate in receiving a large import order last week, placed before the war was thought of, which' enables us to sell this soap at a figure so far- below the market cost today. We cannot too strongly advise our customers to purchase a large supply, for it will in all prob ability be many a day before Cas tile soap can be bought at anywhere near as low a price. Imported Soaps Cottan's imported violet soap, spe- i cial. a cake 19c 8 Violet de IN ice soap 19c Grenville soap, all odcrs. bx $1.00 Roger & Gallet's soap, all odors, special . . . .25c 471 1 unscented soap 75c Pear's unscented soap 12c Pear's glycerine soap ,15c Crown English bath tablets. all odors (imported) v 20c John Knight's (London) bath tab- S lets, each 25c; dozen . .$2.50 Half size tablets 15c Terebene shampoo soap 20c English Hair Brushes One-Fourth Off $2.50 whalebone headache brushes, special $1.39 $2.75 split horn brushes ..$1.98 $3.50 whalebone brushes, $2.69 $3.50 na.ural brushes, spl $2.23 3 Pearsons cushion brushes, with double brisJes 69c $1.00 Pearson's cushion brushes, with single bristles 59c Royal British Ivory One-Fourth Off This ivory is heavj in veight, with fine grain, which closely re sembles the genuine. $2.75 mirror; $1.S8 $3.50 mirrors $2.69 $5.00 bonnet miners $3.69 $1.75 .rays $1.29 $1.25 buffers 94c $3.00 concave hair brushes $2.23 $4.00 con ave hair brushes $2.98 $2.00 jewel boxes $1.48 $1.50 hair pin boxes 98c $2.50 pin cushions $1.48 $2.75 puff boxes $1.91 Face Powders Imported face powders can no longer be imported. Roger & Gallet's Violet de Parme. ,,box 5f?c Vera Violette 98c Peau de Espasne 98c Coty L'Origan or Jasmine . . $2.00 D'er Kiss Powder 75c, $1.00 Djer Kiss Talcum, can 25c Mary Garden Talcum 50c Roger & Gallet's Violet Talcum at 25c Roger & Gallet's Bouquet des - Amour Talcum 50c Bourjois Vanity Powders and Rouges S0c Genuine Rice Powder 25c La Noye Face Powder 50c La Noye Liquid Powder", a bot tle 50c and $1.00 La Noye Dry Rouge 50c La Noye Rice Talcum 50c La Noye Ric? Powder 25c Charny's Myral Powder. .$1.00 Charny's Lyrtis Powder . .$1JZ5 D'Orsay's Face Powder. . .$1.50 Pinaud's Tivoli Powder . . . .50c FRENCH POWDER PUFFS 35c Lamb's Wool Puffs 23c 50c Lamb s Wool Pufts 29c French Chamois, each 10c Imported Perfumes in Bulk No further importations. Mary Garden, ounce $2.00 D'Orsay's Reve, Chevalier. Charme, Rose Violet, Jasmine or Muguet, ounce $2.00 Houbigant's Moss Rose, Honey suckle. Violet Muguet, an ounce. at $1.00 Bouquet Farnese, Ext. oz., $1.50 Houbigant's Ideal, ounce. . .$1.75 Coty's L'Origan, ounce . . . $2.50 Roger & Gallet's Violet de Parme Indian Hay, Oleitte, ounce 75c Charny's Myral or Lyrtis Extracts. ounce $1.50 Charny's Myral or Lyrtis Toilet . Water, bottle $1.00 1 Djer Kiss Extract, ounce. .$1.25 Drug Section. First Floor drunkenness. They they begin to shoot wildly from the windows of abandoned houses, declaring that the inhabitants have fired on them. "Then the firing and shooting scenes begin, and murder, and especially pil lage and acts of cold cruelty, are wit nessed. Neither age nor sex is re spected. Cven where they claim to know the perpetrator of the deed, they allege, the Germans do not content themselves with executing summarily the culprit they wreak their ven geance on the whole town. After a first massacre, somewhat at random, they shut the men in the churches and order tn wonea to so back to their homes and leave the doors open. "In several instances the civilians were sent to Germany to be compelled there, it seems, to labor In the fields, as was done in the days of slavery." The Commission adds: "Since collecting the above testimony the following cables regarding the same subjects were received from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bel glum: " "September 8 You- nave received the reports of the commission of Au gust 25 and 31. fMnce then a great many localities situated in the VII-vorde-Malines-Lou vain triang? an ex tremely fertile and densely populated district, have been parMally pillaged and totally destroyed by fire. Their Inhabitants have fled, while a number of them, among them women and chil dren, were arrested and shot without trial and without apparent reason ex cept to Inspire the population with ter ror. This was done in Sempst, Weerde. Elewyt. Hofstade. Wespelaer, Wllseie. Bueken. Kppeghem, Houtehm, Theme loo. Tlstelt, Melrode. Horent. At Wavre. where the population was unable to pay a levy of three millions, C6 houses were set on fire. The largest part of Cortenberg Is burnt. To excuse these attacks the Germans allege that ar army of civilians resisted Uiem.