The Dawson News

GERMAN METHODS
OF FRIGHTFULNESS

MIGHTY EFFORT TO TERRORIZE CIVILIANS. BOMB WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

NEW YORK. A German offensive of terror against the civilian population of France and Italy was described today by Henry P. Davison on his return from a 12,000-mile tour of inspection of Red Cross work abroad.

"The outstanding feature of German methods at the present time," he said, "is the effort to terrorize women, children and old men at home. While the German troops are making their drive on the front airplanes are bombing, nearly every night, towns behind the lines, with the deliberate and declared purpose of terrorizing civilians and breaking down the morale to such a point that they will importune their governments for peace. It is the most dastardly, unrighteous, cruel, devilish plan which could be conceived.

Thousands of Innocents Maimed.

"It is based upon the theory that the killing of four children out of five will induce the mother to implore her government to have the war stopped that her fifth child may live. It is carried on from the English channel to the Swiss border and from the Swiss border to the Adriatic and has resulted in the maiming of thousands of women and children and the driving of hundreds of thousands of terror stricken from their homes.

"All of this is accompanied by the most active possible propaganda, especially in Italy."

Mr. Davison regards the bombing of Paris by big guns as part of the offensive of terror, and says that the damage to buildings is so slight that one might drive about the city a week without noticing it.

Red Cross Relief.

In France relief is being extended in 121 cities and towns; in Italy in forty-five cities and towns with branches in 218 other places. There are 3,000 Americans abroad working for the Red Cross. In France the organization has thirty-seven warehouses containing more than $7,000,000 worth of goods.