he Red Cross. Further, shots
were fired on the German wounded and the military hospital
containing a German ambulance. On account of these acts of
hostility a contribution of 650,000 francs is imposed on the
commune of Luneville. The Mayor is ordered to pay this
sum--50,000 francs in silver and the remainder in gold--on
Sept. 6, at 9 o'clock in the morning, to the representative
of the German military authority. No protest will be
considered. No extension of time will be granted. If the
commune does not punctually obey the order to pay 650,000
francs all the goods which are available will be seized. In
case payment is not made domiciliary searches will take
place, and all the inhabitants will be searched. Any one who
shall have deliberately hidden money or shall have attempted
to hide his goods from the seizure of the military
authorities, or who seeks to leave the town, will be shot.
The Mayor and hostages taken by the military authorities
will be made responsible for the exact execution of the
above order. The Mayor is ordered to publish these
directions to the commune at once.

Henamenil, Sept. 3, 1914.

Commander in Chief,
Von FOSBENDER.

On reading this extraordinary document one is justified in asking
whether the arson and murders committed at Luneville on Aug. 25 and 26
by an army which was not acting under the excitement of battle, and
which during its preceding days had abstained from killing, were not
ordered on purpose to make more plausible the allegation which was to
serve as a pretext for the exaction of an indemnity.

The village of Chanteheux, situated quite close to Luneville, was not
spared either. The Bavarians, who occupied it from the 22d of August
to the 12th of September, burned there 20 houses in the customary
manner and massacred 8 persons on the 25th of August, MM. Lavenne,
Toussaint, Parmentier, and Bacheler, who were killed, the first three
by rifle shots, the fourth by two shots and a blow with a bayonet;
young Schneider, aged 23, who was murdered in a hamlet of the commune;
M. Wingerstmann and his grandson, whose death we have recorded above
in setting out the crimes committed at Luneville; lastly, M. Reeb,
aged 62, who certainly died as the result of the ill-treatment which
he suffered. This man had been taken as hostage with some 42 of his
fellow-citizens who were kept for