The New York Times Current History, A Monthly Magazine: The European War, March 1915Various
History
The New York Times Current History, A Monthly Magazine: The European War, March 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
At Hartennes-et-Taux, in the Arrondissement of Soissons, the Germans,
as everywhere else, pillaged the houses. At the hamlet of Taux they
set fire to the straw with which they had stopped up the openings of
an isolated cellar in which were three of the inhabitants whom they
had taken for soldiers. The three men were suffocated by the smoke.
ACTS OF A MILITARY NATURE.
Acts committed in the violation of the laws of war and affecting
combatants, murder of wounded or prisoners, stratagems forbidden by
international conventions, attacks on doctors and stretcher bearers,
have been innumerable in all the places in which there has been
fighting. We have not been able to verify the majority of them because
the witnesses are for the most part soldiers, who are obliged to move
from place to place continually. Besides, these acts have been set
forth in reports addressed by corps leaders to the military
authorities, who may add them to the documents of our inquiry if they
think fit to do so. Many are also attested by evidence collected by
magistrates in hospitals, and we are engaged at this moment in
analyzing them with a view to drawing up a supplementary report. A
certain number, however, have been laid before us in the course of our
investigation.
At Bar-le-Duc M. Ferry, the head surgeon, gave us a report of
depositions made to him in the course of his duties. Sergt. Lemerre of
the --th Infantry Regiment told him that on the 6th of September, when
he was wounded in the leg at Rembercourt by a fragment of a shell, he
had been left on the battlefield eight days by the German Red Cross
people although they knew quite well that he was there. On the fourth
day this non-commissioned officer received a further wound by a
soldier, who fired at him on the order of an officer who was going
over the scene of action with his revolver in his hand. Moreover, he
repeatedly saw near him German stretcher bearers firing on our
wounded.
The soldier Dreyfus of the --th Infantry Regiment related the
following story to Dr. Ferry:
"On the 10th of September at Somaine, as he was leaving the
battlefield, wounded, he met three Germans. He told them in German
that he had just been wounded, but these men answered that this was no
reason why he should not receive another bullet, and they thereupon
shot him point blank in the eye."
At Vaubecourt an infantry sergeant and two soldiers were shot by the
enemy. They alleged that one of the latter was found on the church
tower in the village, from which he would have been able to exchange
signals with our troops.
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