de Dampierre) and "Paroles Allemandes." "Crimes allemands
d'apres des te-moi gnages allemands," by J. Bedier, is published by
Colin.
ROBBERY
We shall not waste time over the looting of cellars, of larders, of
poultry yards, of linen-chests, or of whatever can be consumed promptly,
or immediately made use of by the troops--all these are the merest
trifles. Let us also dismiss pillage, organised on a large scale by the
authorities, of all sorts of raw material and industrial machinery: the
bill on this score will come to several thousand million francs. Let us
likewise put aside official robberies, committed by governors of towns,
or provinces, from municipal treasuries (even the treasury of the Red
Cross at Brussels was robbed), usually under the form of fines, or of
taxes imposed under transparent pretences. There again there will be
millions to recover.
We shall deal here with _personal robberies_ only, as distinct from the
pilfering carried on by hungry soldiers, distinct too from the regular
contributions levied on a conquered country by an unscrupulous
administration. These robberies are innumerable, committed sometimes by
private soldiers, but often by officers, doctors, and high officials.
Here are some examples.
(1) _Soldier thieves_: They are rougher in their dealings, and kill
those who offer resistance. It is a case of "Your money or your life."
Madame Maupoix, aged 75, living at Triaucourt, was kicked to death while
soldiers ransacked her cupboards.
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