laume,
Bernasconi, Gauthier, Menu, Simon, Lingenheld (father and son),
Benoit, Calais, Adam, Caille, Lhuillier, Regret, Plaid (aged 14),
Leroi, Bazzolo, Gentil, Victor Dehan, Charles Dehan, Dehan the
Younger, Brennevald, Parisse, Yong, Francois, Secretary of the Mairie;
Mmes. Perrot, Courtois, Gauthier, and Guillaume, and Mlles. Perrin and
Miquel.
Fifteen of these poor people were executed at a place called "La
Prele." They were buried by their fellow-citizens on Sept. 12 or 15.
Almost all had their hands tied behind their backs; some were
blindfolded; the trousers of the majority were unbuttoned and pushed
down to their feet. This fact, as well as the appearance of the
bodies, made the witnesses think that the victims had been mutilated.
We did not think we ought to adopt this view, the bodies being in such
an advanced state of decomposition that a mistake on the subject might
be made. Besides, it is possible that the murderers unbuttoned the
trousers of the prisoners so as to incumber their legs, and thus make
it impossible for them to escape.
On Oct. 16, at a place called Le Haut-de-Vormont, buried under fifteen
to twenty centimeters of earth, we found the bodies of ten civilians
with the marks of bullets upon them. On one of them was found a
laissez passer in the name of Edward Seyer, of Badonviller. The other
nine victims are unknown. It is believed that they were inhabitants of
Badonviller, who had been taken by the Germans into the neighborhood
of Gerbeviller to be shot there.
In the streets and houses, during the day of the sacking, the most
tragic scenes took place.
In the morning the enemy entered the house of M. and Mme. Lingenheld,
seized the son, 36 years of age, who wore the brassard of the Red
Cross, tied his hands behind his back, dragged him into the street,
and shot him. They then returned to look for the father, an old man of
70. Mme. Lingenheld then took to flight. On her way she saw her son
stretched on the ground, and as the unhappy man was still moving some
Germans drenched him with petrol, to which they set fire in the
presence of the terrified mother. In the meantime M. Lingenheld was
led to La Prele, where he was executed.
At the same time the soldiers knocked at the door of the house
occupied by M. Dehan, his wife, and his mother-in-law, the widow
Guillaume, aged 78. The latter, who opened the door, was shot
point-blank, and fell into the arms of her son-in-law, who ran up
behind
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