“We found the village of Herent in flames, so much so that we had to quicken up to prevent ourselves from being suffocated and burned up by the flames in the middle of the road.  Half-burned corpses of civilians were lying in front of the houses.  During a halt soldiers stole cattle and slaughtered them where they stood.  Firing started on our left.  We were told it was the civilians firing, and that we were going to be shot.  The truth is that it was the Germans themselves who were firing to frighten us.  There was not a single civilian in the neighborhood.  Shortly afterward we proceeded on our march to Malines.  We were insulted and threatened....  The officers were worse than the men.  We got to Campenhout about 7 P.M., and were locked into the church with all the male population of the village.  Some priests had joined our numbers.  We had had nothing to eat or drink since the evening of the day before.  A few compassionate soldiers gave us water to drink, but no official took the trouble to see that we were fed.”

Next day, Thursday, the 27th, a safe conduct to return to Louvain was given, but the prisoners had hardly started, when they were stopped and taken before a Brigade General and handed to another escort.  Some were grossly ill-treated.  They were accused of being soldiers out of uniform, and were told they could not go to Louvain, “as the town was going to be razed to the ground.”  Other prisoners were added, even women and children, until there were more than 200.  They were then taken toward Malines, released, and told to go to that town together, and that those who separated would be fired on.  Other witnesses corroborate the events described by the witness.

A woman employed by an old gentleman living in the Rue de la Station tells the story of her master’s death: 

“We had supper as usual about 8, but two German officers, (who were staying in the house,) did not come in to supper that evening.  My master went to bed at 8:15, and so did his son.  The servants went to bed at 9:30.  Soon after I got to my bedroom I saw out of my room flames from some burning house near by.  I roused my master and his son.  As they came down the stairs they were seized by German soldiers and both were tied up and led out, my master being tied with a rope and his son with a chain.  They were dragged outside.  I did not actually see what happened outside, but heard subsequently that my master was bayoneted and shot, and that his son was shot.  I heard shots from the kitchen, where I was, and was present at the burial of my master and his son thirteen days later.  German soldiers came back into the house and poured some inflammable liquid over the floors and set fire to it.  I escaped by another staircase to that which my master and his son had descended.”

On the 26th, (Wednesday,) in the City of Louvain, massacre, fire, and destruction went on.  The university, with its library, the Church of St. Peter, and many houses were set on fire and burned to the ground.  Citizens were shot and others taken prisoners and compelled to go with the troops.  Soldiers went through the streets saying “Man hat geschossen."[A] One soldier was seen going along shooting in the air.