WHO ARE THE HUNS?

242 German Refutations and Investigations.
even in the secrecy of prison cells, the tools of the French Government
have made themselves guilty of murder in its basest
forms. In August, 1914, German prisoners of war in the jail
at Montbéliard were shockingly mutilated by French gendarmes
and then beaten to death without the slightest reason. (Appendix
115.) Another case is furnished by the assault made by
robber hordes of French soldiery upon the post-office at Niedersulzbach.
They seized the members of the postmaster's family,
dragged them off, maltreated them in a most cruel and outrageous
manner, and finally threw the postmaster, an old and
ailing man of 68 years, down a flight of steps into the street.
In the prison at Belfort this poor man was abused so shockingly
by his warder, so kicked and tortured and beaten, that he
died a miserable death during the night of August 17th, 1914,
(Appendix 116.) These cases are likewise substantiated by the
sworn testimony of reputable eye-witnesses.
The statements in this memorial, as well as in the special
publications so far issued, are all supported by sworn depositions
of the most unassailable kind. My own material is also open
to inspection by neutral committees at any time. It contains
the most damning and abundant evidence against the methods
of war sanctioned by the French Government and is full of
the most shameful excesses as perpetrated upon German doctors,
officers, and soldiers.
The "Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung," of the 20th of
May, 1915, published a "White Book" dealing with "the conduct
of the Belgian guerilla warfare in violation of international
law." The resume contains the following:
"It would be easy for the Belgian Government to provide
its organs with the requisite directions for quieting the impassioned
and artificially engendered excitement of the people.
They must therefore bear the entire responsibility for the
monstrous blood-guilt which lies heavy upon Belgium. Their
only purpose has been to escape this responsibility, so that the
blame for the workings of the fury of destruction might fall
upon the shoulders of the German troops, who would thus be
shown to have committed causeless acts of violence. They have
established a Committee of Investigation and have made the
depositions of this Committee the subject of an official diplo-