when again and again ENTIRELY UNTRUE ACCUSATIONS are made
against the priesthood of their Church."

The Rev. Duhr's exposure of what he calls "erlogener Schauergeschichten"
("lying horror tales") kills most of the "fairy-tales" accusing the
Russians, French and Belgians of atrocities on German soldiers. A few
illustrations will suffice to show the absence of all foundation for the
charges against the Belgians; charges, we must remember, which the
German soldiery believed, and which convinced them they were performing
a holy task at Louvain, Tirlemont, Dinant, etc.

"On October 1st, 1914, a telegraphic agency (Wolff's?) issued the
following notice: 'A high Bavarian officer writing from the front has
informed the _Muenchen-Augsburger Abendzeitung_ of this incident. South
of Cambrai a column of German motor-cars was attacked by a company of
French cyclists. For the most part the guard was killed by rifle fire,
while the cars were all burnt. Later a German patrol discovered the
remains, and on investigation, found that the dead Germans had all had
their eyes gouged out.'"

The reverend Father comments as follows: "On following up this case, it
was impossible to prove whether the patrol had seen rightly or whether
they had really made the report at all. So much is certain, however,
that in the matter of eyes being gouged out, an absolute mania of
gruesomeness broke loose. An innumerable swarm of such horrible tales
were told, passed on, and finally guaranteed as true--AND YET THEY WERE
ALL FAIRY-TALES. A few cases will suffice.

"In September, 1914, the following paragraph appeared in the papers:
'Several ladies engaged in Red Cross work on Cologne Station were
informed with every assurance of truth, that a hospital at
Aix-la-Chapelle contained a whole ward full of wounded whose eyes had
been gouged out on the battlefields of Belgium.'

"On September 26th the editor of the Catholic _Koelnische Volkszeitung_
wrote to Dr. Kaufmann, a high Roman Catholic dignitary in
Aix-la-Chapelle, begging him to ascertain whether the report were true.
Two days later that gentleman replied: 'As regards the rumour mentioned
in your letter, I beg to inform you that I at once put myself in
communication with the authorities. I inquired of the doctor in charge
of a hospital here (he is, by the way, a famous specialist for the
eyes), and he assures me that in all the local hospitals there is no
ward for wounded whose eyes have been put out,