WAR- CHRONICLE

was blue in 'the face as a result of suffocation which had caused
death., Mouth, nose and eyes-were filled with sawdust and marks
of strangulation were on the throat. The grass had been trampled
down in a circle of • about 20 m., showing : that several persons
had been engaged in this hideous undertaking. The body of a
seargent whose skull had been crushed, the brain oosing out. was
added to these victims. A fourth had a cut in the left temple,
which alone could not have been fatal. This man's ring finger was
cut completely off at the joint, and he had 4 bullet wounds in the
abdomen surrounded by powder smoke, showing that the shots were
fired at close range. There were 4 exit wounds in his back corresponding
to the entrance wounds. Beside these 5 other men had
been killed; they all bore signs of injuries which could only have
been caused hj brute force. One man had received a grazing shot
on the right nostril, which had torn away the upper lip and chin.
The face was black with powder and the flesh around the wounds
was burnt, indicating the proximity of the weapon used. The
people of the neighbourhood had treated one man most barbarously.
The right eye socket was empty, the left eye had run out. This
alone could have been the cause of the man's death.
These circumstances prove that a great number of men fell
uiiwôunded into the hands of the enemy, who tried to prevent
their escape by cutting their suspenders, ripping off all buttons and
stealing their boots. The rings of all had been taken, the fingers
bearing distinct marks where they had been worn.
The first battalion of the Bavarian engineer' corps buried the
21 men in 3 graves by the road-side 500 metres southeast of
Orchies. It was possible to find out the names of some of the
victims.
Assault on Ambulances.
Report of the Infantry Regiment Ko. 76 to Army Headquarters.
Bethencourt, September 10 th , 1914.
On September 8 th , two automobiles flying the Geneva flag and
transporting wounded, were assaulted by a French Cyclist detachment
under command of an officer in the Forêt Domaniale. Wounded
and attendants were killed and robbed. Only two wounded men
escaped and made this report to the surgeon of their battalion, who
handed it over to the medical company at Gondreville on September
9 th .
Surprise of a Hospital.
Report of the Army Surgeon of the 2 nd Army to the Head
Field Surgeon at Army Headquarters.
Wannererville, September 26 th . 1914.
The field hospital of the 2 nd army corps at Péronne was robbed
of materials and the attendants carried off by the French. Hundreds
of wounded are without care.
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