“More arrests are about to be made in the environs.  It has been established that numerous attempts have been made during the last few days to blow up the railway bridges.  In Freudenstadt a gypsy’s wagon was seized which contained a quantity of explosives."[40]

[Footnote 40:  Berliner Tageblatt, August 3rd.]

“Some of our contemporaries (Oh, shade of Pecksniff!—­Author) announced yesterday that in Stuttgart eighty, according to other reports, ninety millions in French gold had been seized.  In answer to our inquiry at the principal office of the Wuertemberg State Railways we were informed that the statements are pure inventions."[41]

[Footnote 41:  Berliner Lokal-Anzeiger, August 4th.]

Another Socialist paper which denounced this campaign of lies in its columns deserves quotation.  “The spy-mania luxuriates; every Russian is in danger of assault by over-heated patriots.  The nation, however, ought to know that the Russians in our midst are labourers, students, travellers and business men; it is exceeding rare for one of this class, to sell himself to the scoundrels who follow the dirty practices of espionage.

“Civilization and good-breeding demand that everyone should respect the dictates of international law, and treat the peaceful citizens of a land with which we are at war, with decency.

“Especially those wretches deserve to have their knuckles rapped who circulate such infamous bear-baiting news as the alleged attempt on the Crown Prince’s life by Russian students."[42]

[Footnote 42:  Vorwaerts, August 7th.]

“The General commanding the Leipzig district has issued the following reply in answer to an inquiry by the civil authorities:  We know nothing at all of an alleged attempt on the life of the Kaiser or the Crown Prince.  The commanding General von Laffert has never uttered the words ascribed to him, that the Kaiser had been murdered.  These reports must be contradicted with the greatest energy."[43]

[Footnote 43:  Leipziger Tageblatt, August 3rd.]

The following extracts are of the greatest importance, for they prove beyond doubt the source of these lies, and the cold-blooded, calculated manner in which they were circulated by the German authorities: 

“The decision as to what may be published in newspapers, is now in the hands of the military commander in each district.

“The regulations issued by the military authorities, force certain restrictions upon us and threaten the existence of our journals.  As regards our principles and convictions no change has taken place."[44]

[Footnote 44:  The editor of the Vorwaerts to his readers on August 1st.]

“Berlin, August 10th.—­Major Nicolai, director of the Press department of the General Staff, received representatives of the Press to-day and communicated to them, inter alia, the following details:  Our army commanders decline to enter into competition with the lie-factories abroad.  They will convince the world that truth is on our side, and that we spread neither lies nor coloured reports.  We hope in a short time to be able to prove how much our enemies have sinned against the truth.