At Charleroi

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 7, 26 August 1914, Page 5

At Charleroi

EYE WITNESSES REPORT ON CHALEROI.

GERMAN TREATM-NT OF CIVILIANS.

"A TERRIFYING SPECTACLE."

(Received 11 a.m.)

Ostend, August 2 (morning)

Eye-witnesses of the fightin gstate concerning the Germans' descent on Charleroi: The Germans were preceded by swarms of scouts. The latter reached the upper town of Charleroi on Saturday morning. Owing to their wearing khaki, a detachment of Death's Head Hussars was mistaken for Englishmen. The French had machine £uns in an avenue leading to the viaduct commanding the Genappe road. Others wore stationed at Portede, Waterloo, commanding the Fleuiis road. The Germans captured ten miners coining from work and marched them at the head of the column, still carrying safety lamps. Elsewhere the soldiers forced six civilians to march at tho head of a column of Germans.

Artillery was posted on the outskirts of tlio upper town and shelled tbe railway station and salient points of the lower town in trying to forco n passage across the bridges over the Sambre. / Street fighting occurred throughout Saturday morning at Charleroi. Many were killed by quickfirers, the bodies lying in heaps in North Charleroi. French forces opened lire on the wood and fresh forces of cavalry charged and drove the Germans out of the wood half-way between Namur and Charleroi. A battery of four French guns shelled the Germans out of the wood, and when they came out they opened rifle fire. Ripht and left the Germans were shot down, thr whole column being swept down. Tt was a Unifying sp«ctaeln.