We shall not waste time over the looting of cellars, of larders, of
poultry yards, of linen-chests, or of whatever can be consumed promptly,
or immediately made use of by the troops--all these are the merest
trifles. Let us also dismiss pillage, organised on a large scale by the
authorities, of all sorts of raw material and industrial machinery: the
bill on this score will come to several thousand million francs. Let us
likewise put aside official robberies, committed by governors of towns,
or provinces, from municipal treasuries (even the treasury of the Red
Cross at Brussels was robbed), usually under the form of fines, or of
taxes imposed under transparent pretences. There again there will be
millions to recover.
We shall deal here with _personal robberies_ only, as distinct from the
pilfering carried on by hungry soldiers, distinct too from the regular
contributions levied on a conquered country by an unscrupulous
administration. These robberies are innumerable, committed sometimes by
private soldiers, but often by officers, doctors, and high officials.
Here are some examples.
(1) _Soldier thieves_: They are rougher in their dealings, and kill
those who offer resistance. It is a case of "Your money or your life."
Madame Maupoix, aged 75, living at Triaucourt, was kicked to death while
soldiers ransacked her cupboards. Monsieur Dalissier, aged 73,
belonging to Congis, was summoned to give up his purse: he declared
that he had no money; they tied him up with a rope and fired fifteen
shots into his body. Let us pass quickly over the "soldier
thief"--merely small fry!
(2) _Officer thieves_: At Baron, an officer compelled the notary to open
his safe, and stole money and jewellery from it. Another, after going
through several houses, was seen wearing on his wrists and fingers six
bracelets and nine rings belonging to women. Soldiers who brought their
officer a stolen jewel received a reward of four shillings. The
robberies at Baccarat and Creil were "directed" by officers. At Creil, a
captain tried to induce Guillot and Demonts to point out the houses of
the richest inhabitants, and their refusal cost them harsh treatment. At
Fossé, a French military doctor in charge of an ambulance, conveying two
hundred patients, and himself wounded, was arrested and taken before a
captain. The captain told the doctor that he would have him shot, and
meanwhile opened the doctor's tunic with his own hand, took out his
pocket-book and appropriated the 400 francs he found in it.
Officers and privates sometimes share the stolen money. From a diary
belonging to a titled Lieutenant of the Guards, let us quote this
note:--
"Fossé. Village entirely burnt. The 7th Company made
2000 francs in booty."