shop of Mme. Francois. She was then coming out of her cellar
with her boy Stub, and an employee named Contal. As soon as Stub
reached the threshold of the entrance to the door he fell severely
wounded by a rifle shot. Then Contal, who rushed into the street, was
immediately murdered. Five minutes afterward, as Stub was still
groaning, a soldier leaned over him and finished him off with a blow
of a hatchet on the back.

The most tragic incident in this horrible scene occurred in the house
of M. Vasse, who had collected a number of people in his cellar in the
Faubourg de Nancy. Toward 4 o'clock about fifty soldiers rushed into
the house, beat in the door and windows, and set it on fire. The
refugees then made an effort to flee, but they were struck down one
after the other as they came out. M. Mentre was murdered first; then
his son Leon fell with his little sister, aged 8, in his arms. As he
was not killed outright, the end of a rifle barrel was placed on his
head and his brains blown out. Then it was the turn of the Kieffer
family. The mother was wounded in the arm and shoulder. The father and
little boy aged 10 and little girl aged 3 were shot. The murderers
went on firing on them after they had fallen. Kieffer, stretched on
the ground, received another bullet in the forehead, and his son had
the top of his head blown off by a shot. Last of all M. Strieffert and
one of the sons of Vasse were murdered, while Mme. Mentre received
three bullets, one in the left leg, another in the arm on the same
side, and one on her forehead, which was only grazed. M. Guillaume was
dragged into the street and there found dead. Simonin, a young girl of
17, came out last from the cellar, with her sister Jeanne, aged 3. The
latter had her elbow almost carried away by a bullet. The elder girl
flung herself on the ground and pretended to be dead, remaining for
five minutes in terrible anguish. A soldier gave her a kick, crying
"Capout."

An officer arrived at the end of this butchery, and ordered the women
who were still alive to get up, and shouted to them: "Go to France!"

While all these people were being massacred, others, according to an
expression used by an eyewitness, were driven like sheep into the
fields under the threat of immediate execution. The cure, in
particular, owed his escape from being shot to extraordinary
circumstances.

According to the depositions which we have received, all these
abominations were committed chief