GERMAN MURDERERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1915, Page 4

GERMAN MURDERERS.

MASSACRE IN A .. FRENCH OFFICIAL REPORT.' The French commission, which was st; up to verify acts committed by the G«r< mans in violation of international'law, has issued a report which only, emphasises the terrible findings of the Belgian Judicial Committee. Perhaps the piece do resistance of this report is the narrative of the massacre of a great number of wounded in tho Red Cross Hospital at Ette, which is told by M. Sedillot, a French military doctor. / ,- One morning, he says, the village was invaded by German troops. A lieutenant; commanding 25 men visited the hospital and left, saying that everything wns right. But the men became very excited and yelled, "This is a war to the death and the blowing out of brains.". A rnjnute or two later another officer -rushed into the place and fired at Dr. Sedillot, who, luckily, struck up the arm.of his assailant and received the bullet in Mb shoulder. In a fit of exasperation the • officer fired two more shots, hitting the doctor in the right calf and the left arm. The officer then called to his men "Fuer! Fuerl" (fire), and an indescribable scene of carnage followed, "The Germans set fire to the hospital' and obliged medical students and civilians who had escaped the bullets,, and were lying on the floor feigning death, to run into the furnace, pushing them into the flames with their bayonets, while they brought rooro hay U keep the Arc alive. Inside the hospital were between 60 and 80 wounded, 'most.of them being unable to walk. Those who tried to escape by jumping from the windows were immediately shot." -•• . Dr. Sedillot meanwhile had regained consciousness and witnessed what <W - happening, besides hearing the appeals of * his compatriots for mercy. The Germans, . as they put the wounded to death, laugh-1 ed and continually shouted "Noch eta," (another one), as they fired at the victims. Finally Dr. Sedillot was able to jump out of the window and to crawl away to a cellar with a broken leg. . The next day, with three soldiers, he ; W(H» taken prisoner. While passing through the village they saw lying all around the bodies of the soldiers who had been shot. The doctor was taken to two different. hospitals for treatment, and then to Ingelstadt, where he remained until March 21, when he was sent through to Switzerland, and thence home to France." He states in his evidence that between 100 and 120 soldiers wore murdered by shoot" ing or burning. •