But this was not all. Later some twenty-four people, including
women and children, were shot, and the town was then pillaged and fired. Another town, Creil, was threatened with military execution in the most barbarous terms, while at Reims a proclamation was issued, of which a copy has been obtained, which, incredible as it may seem, ended with the following words :- " With a view to securing adequately the safety of the troops and to instil calm into the population of Reims the persons named below [eighty-one in number] have been seized as hostages by the Commander-in-Chief of the German Army. These hostages will be hanged at the slightest attempt at disorder. Also the town will be totally or partly burnt and the inhabitants will be hanged for any infraction of the above.—By order of the German authorities."
