2 and printed in the Nord Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung of
Sept. 21, said as follows:
"Belgian girls gouged out the eyes of the German wounded.
Officials of Belgian cities have invited our officers to
dinner and shot and killed them across the table. Contrary to
all international law, the whole civilian population of
Belgium was called out and, after having at first shown
friendliness, carried on in the rear of our troops terrible
warfare with concealed weapons. Belgian women cut the throats
of soldiers whom they had quartered in their homes while they
were sleeping."
No evidence whatever seems to have been adduced to prove these tales,
and though there may be cases in which individual Belgians fired on the
Germans, the statement that "the whole civilian population of Belgium
was called out" is utterly opposed to the fact.
An invading army may be entitled to shoot at sight a civilian caught
redhanded, or any one who, though not caught redhanded, is proved guilty
on inquiry. But this was not the practice followed by the German troops.
They do not seem to have made any inquiry.
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