entreindre cet
avis, et ceux qui croiraient ne pas devoir se soumettre a cet avis,
seront traduits devant les Officiers de la Justice Imperiale, et
nous les prevenons que la peine peut-etre celle de mort.

Marechal Von der Goltz
Septembre 1914

Translation:

Field-Marshal von der Goltz announces to the Belgian population that
he is informed by the Generals commanding the troops occupying
French territory that cholera is raging fiercely among the allied
troops and that there is the greatest danger in crossing the lines
or entering enemy territory.

We call upon the Belgian population not to infringe this notice.
Those who do not comply with this notice will be brought before the
Imperial Officers of Justice and we warn them that the penalty of
death may be inflicted upon them.]

There is no end to the stories of individual atrocities. One is that
Monsieur Wasseige, director of one of the banks, was seized by the
Germans, who demanded that he should open the safes. He flatly refused
to do this, even under threat of death. Finally he was led with his two
eldest sons to the Place d'Armes and placed with more than one hundred
others, who were then killed with machine guns. Monsieur Wasseige's
three youngest children were brought to the spot by German soldiers, and
compelled to witness the murder of their father and two brothers.

From Dinant we struck across country through Phillipeville and some
little by-roads to Rance, where we were expected at the house of G.
D----. He and his wife and their little girl of five had just returned
that morning to receive us, but the place was brightly lighted and as
completely prepared as though they had been there all the time. It was a
lovely old place, and we were soon made comfortable. German officers
have occupied it most of the time, and it required a good deal of
cleaning and repairing after they left, but fortunately this work had
just been completed, and we had a chance to enjoy the place before any
more enforced guests appeared. One of the Imperial princelings had been
there for one night, and his name was chalked on the door of his room.
He had been _tres aimable_, and when he left had taken D----'s motor
with him.

We took a tramp around the town in a biting wind, and looked at some of
the houses of our neighbours. Some of them were almost wrecked after
having served as quarters for troops