Their Crimes | Page 6

At Emberménil, Madame Masson
was shot for having, in absolute good faith, given some wrong
information. As she was obviously in a state of pregnancy they made
her sit down on a bench to meet her fate. At Ethe, two priests were shot
"for having buried some weapons." At Marquéglise, a superior officer
ordered the arrest of four young fugitives. Learning that two of them
came from Belgium, he exclaimed, "The Belgians are filthy people,"
and without more ado took his revolver and shot them one after the
other. Three were killed outright, the fourth expired the following day.
From the crowd of fugitives which left Louvain in flames, the priests
were singled out, and searched. On one of them, a Jesuit father, by
name Dupierreux, they found a note-book containing the following
note in French, "When I used to read about the Huns under Attila
devastating towns, I smiled. I smile no longer now that I have seen with
my own eyes the hordes of to-day setting fire to the churches and
library of Louvain." In front of the assembled troops the priests were
placed in a semi-circle round the Jesuit Father. The incriminating
phrase was read out, and then translated into German. The lieutenant
said that it constituted an incitement to murder, and that the Jesuit must
be shot on the spot. The sentence was carried out forthwith, and the
other priests, his companions, were made to bury him where he fell.

At Pin, some Uhlans found two young boys on the road. They tied
them by the arms to their horses and galloped off. The bodies of the
poor lads were found a few miles away--their knees were "literally
crushed"; one had his throat cut and both had several bullets in their
heads. At Sermaize, a labourer, named Brocard, and his son, were
arrested. His wife and daughter-in-law, mad with terror, threw
themselves into a neighbouring stream. The old man broke away, and
ran to try and save them. The Germans dragged him away.... Four days
later Brocard and the son, on being liberated, returned home, and after a
search, found the bodies. The two women, while still in the water, had
been shot several times through the head. A parish priest named
Dergent was taken to Aerschot, stripped, and tied to a cross in front of
the church; his fingers and toes were crushed and broken with the
butt-end of a rifle. The inhabitants were made to pass in front of him
and were each compelled to urinate on him in turn; then he was shot
and his body thrown into the canal.[10]
At Hériménil, during the pillage, the inhabitants were shut up in a
church, and kept there for four days without food. When Madame
Winger, 23 years of age, and her three young servants, one girl and two
boys, were too slow in leaving her farm to go to the church, the captain
ordered his men to fire on them. Four more dead bodies!
The Germans arrived at Monchy-Humières. A group of inhabitants
watched them marching past. No provocation whatever was offered,
but an officer thought that he heard someone utter the word
"Prussians." He at once called out three dragoons, and ordered them to
fire upon the group--one killed and two wounded--one of the latter
being a little girl of four.
At Sommeilles, when the fire--which destroyed the whole place--broke
out, Madame X. took refuge in a cellar belonging to M. and Madame
Adnot, who were there, with their four children, the eldest a girl of 11
years. A few days after, on returning to the village, our soldiers found
the seven bodies in the cellar lying in a pool of blood, several of them
being horribly mutilated. Madame X. had her right arm severed from
her body; the little girl's foot had been cut off, and the little boy of five

had his throat cut.
At Louveigné a certain number of men were shut up in a blacksmith's
shop; in the afternoon the murderers opened the door as if it were a
pigeon-shooting competition, drove the prisoners out, and shot them
down--a ghastly group of 17 corpses.
At Senlis the heroic Mayor, M. Odent, and six members of his staff
were shot.
At Gerbéviller they forced their way into the house of M. and Madame
Lingenheld; seized the son, aged 36, exempt from service, and wearing
the badge of the Red Cross, tied his hands, dragged him into the street
and shot him. They then returned to look for the father, an old man of
70. Meanwhile the mother, mad with terror, made her escape. On
coming out she saw her son lying on the ground. As he still showed
signs of life, they threw paraffin over him and roasted him. The father
was