ALLEGED GERMAN OUTRAGES

83
child on his bayonet. Then the soldiers were hidden by a curve in the
street. The child screamed when the soldier struck it with his bayonet,
but not afterwards. The same day we escaped from Malines and went
to Ghent, taking train from a village called Rumpst. My husband
and children were with me. We stayed at Ghent eight days. From
Ghent we went to Melle, about two hours' walk from Ghent. Then I
saw five German soldiers enter a house. I had been told that there
was an old lady in this house who was sick. Everyone was flying from
Melle and I had gone into the house to speak to the woman and to see
if I could do anything for her. While I was talking to the old lady in
her room, the Germans came in making a lot of noise. I think they were
half drunk* One of them went up to the old woman, who was lying on
her bed propped up with pillows, and asked her if she was sick. The
woman replied, " I am sick, but I should like to see my daughter." He
said, " Oh, you are sick," and as he spoke struck her in the chest with
the butt end of his rifle. I ran away. I do not know whether the old
lady was killed or not, but she was 80 years of age.
Note.—The husband of this witness was examined separately from
her and confirmed her account of the killing of the child. See next
statement.
HUSBAND OF PREVIOUS WITNESS.
Once at the time when Malines was bombarded on the second d5
occasion I was in Drap Street, Malines, with my wife. We were going
to High Street. I saw six or eight German soldiers in Drap Street.
They were dressed in grey uniforms. They were drunk. They
w^ere singing and. dancing. They came along in twos and threes.
I saw a child come out of a house to the middle of the street and get
in the way of the soldiers. I do not know whether it was a boy or a
girl. One of the soldiers drove his bayonet or lance, I don't know
which it was, into the child's stomach and carried it off on his weapon*
They went down Milan Street. As long as they were in my sight the
soldier was carrying the child In the air on his weapon. The child
gave one scream when the soldier struck it.
We left Malines the next day, going by train from Rumpst to Ghent.
My wife told me about the old woman who was struck by a German
soldier at Melle. I was not with her in the house. •
BELGIAN SOLDIER.
On 25th August last, at Malines, at 6 a.m., as we were resting in