“The ‘Pax’ Society of Priests immediately wrote to the commander of the prisoners’ camp, and received this reply:  ’The ridiculous assertion of a Berlin paper that fingers had been found in the pockets of Belgian civilians in this camp is false.  Neither has any priest or layman been condemned to death, but over one hundred Belgian women and children have been sent home again.’"[126]

[Footnote 126:  Ibid., p. 19.]

The above extracts will suffice to show how these Roman Catholic gentlemen proceeded.  Immediately an atrocity was reported they applied to the authorities, and in every case received an affirmation that the deed had never taken place.  Among the monstrous lies exposed by these investigators, are reports that Belgian priests paid eight shillings for every German head brought to them; high treason charges against Catholic priests in Alsace; all kinds of monstrous crimes charged to the priesthood; that a Belgian boy was caught with a bucketful of dead Germans’ eyes; espionage by priests etc., etc.

Yet one other case deserves quotation:  “On October 5th, 1914, a priest was travelling by rail to Mayence.  In the same compartment there were four privates from Infantry Regiment No. 94.  One of them named Roessner, related the following story to his comrades, and then, at the priest’s request, again repeated it: 

“’In the Belgian village of Patsie the cure welcomed a German major and his orderly into his house.  Afterwards the priest promised a boy of thirteen that he should go straight to heaven if he would murder the two Germans.  The lad perpetrated the murder, after which he and the cure were shot under martial law.’

“When the priest pointed out how incredible the whole story was, the soldier swore to its truth, and became very impolite to his auditor.  An inquiry was instituted and this was the result: 

“’War Office, No. 1866.  The investigations made, in especial the hearing under oath of private Roessner and several officers in his regiment, have resulted in the following particulars being obtained:  At the beginning of the campaign as the troops marched into a village—­name unknown—­they saw by the roadside two or three dead civilians.  One was apparently a boy of about thirteen, while the other was an adult with a dark coat.  It was not established whether this was the body of a priest.  Furthermore, we have not been able to discover by whom, or for what reason, these people were shot.

  “’At that time the story quoted by you about a cure and a boy, was
  told as a “rumour” to all the troops marching through.  It is
  impossible after the lapse of time to test the truth of the narrative.

  “’Signed by order,

  “‘BAUER AND WAGNER.’"[127]

[Footnote 127:  Ibid., pp. 54-5.]

The above document may be said, without presumption, to possess historic importance.  It is a frank admission by the German War Office that Belgian civilians were actually shot down without rhyme or reason.  Apparently German soldiers (!) had a carte blanche to shoot whom they liked, without rendering or being expected to render a report of their doings.