" What
spectacle?--the shooting, or the counting of the corpses? To get some
certainty on this historic point, the artist should question that noble
soldier--the Colonel of the 178th.
His work of that night, however, was in accord with the spirit of his
companions in arms, and of his chiefs. We may assure ourselves of this
by consulting the Sixth Report of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry
upon, the violation of the rules of the law of nations (Havre, Nov. 10,
1914) and the ignoble proclamations placarded by the Germans throughout
Belgium. I will content myself with three short extracts.
Extract from a proclamation of General von Buelow, placarded at Liege,
Aug. 22, 1914:
The inhabitants of the city of Andenne, after having protested
their peaceful intentions, were guilty of a treacherous
surprise upon our troops. It was with my consent that the
General in Chief set fire to the whole locality, and that
about one hundred persons were shot.
(The Belgian report controverts the accusation against the inhabitants
of Andenne of having taken hostile measures against the German troops,
and adds: "As a matter of fact, more than two hundred persons were
shot"--almost everything was ravaged.
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