MORE HUN ATROCITIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2902, 14 October 1916, Page 6

MORE HUN ATROCITIES

TERRIBLE RECORD FROM THE

GAUEROONS

GERMAN BARBARIANS

Papers relating to atrocities and breaches of the rules of war in Africa were recently issued in the form of a British Blue Book, containing another long catalogue of German crimo and inhumanity.. Reproductions from photographs of a native who had fallen into German hands in the Cameroons show how his back and neck were lacerated and gashed. Two huge cuts above tie wrists would seem to indicate that an attempt had been mado to cut off both hands..

Brigadier-General Dobell, in 1 a letter to the Governor of Jaunde in December last, said: —

"I take this opportunity to bring to I Your Excellency's attention the barbar- • ous manner in which German troops are carrying on warfare, especially in the Edea districts. . With regard to this, I enclose a report of the cases treated by the Frenchj medical authorities, which removes any. doubt as to the facts. This report can only contain a small proportion of tho unspeakable atrocities actually'committed by your troops. It requires no reference to the Hague Convuntion to point out that the brutalities which have been committed against unarmed non-combatants and innocent women and children are contrary to every principle of civilised warfare, and against every dictate of humanity. lam unable to belicvo that such acts could be perpetrated without the sanction of your military authorities, and in some cases I have reason to think that Europeans ■ were actually, present directing operations. In the. name of humanity. I request Your Excellency to put an instant stop to such proceedings. Should they eoni tinue, I shall be obliged to give directions that'any German soldier captured and found guilty of taking part in these atrocities shall bo deemed to have forfeited, his right, to be regarded as a prisoner of war, a'nd will be dealt with accordingly, "I would also draw Your Excellency's attention ;to the fact that my subordinate commanders have reported, cases of natives armed with poisoned arrows fighting in your ranks. ..This is contrary to article 23 of the Hague Convention, c-jncerning the. laws and customs of war on laud. I need not point out to Your Excellency that, for my' , part, I use fclio utmost endeavour that the laws and customs of war are re- , spected by the troops fighting under 1 my command, and expect Your ExceJ--1 lency to lake similar measures."

Yillago After Village. Mr. lilphinstone, the chiet political otlicer, who forwarded l a memorandum as the result of his inquiries, says; "1 could go on taking miuuti'S of evidence of tliq murders committed at village alter village, but they nil havo a . certain sameness. The German officers concerned in these murders are aa follow: —The Herman troops operating up the Northern railway line were under the command of Hauptmann V. lingclbrecliten, an officer of one of file Guards' regiments. . He has heen in West Africa for years. 110 was in command of No. '1 company. Alter liuea was takon 'his force waa juined by the remnants of the fluca garrison, which has been under Gaiser, .who was taken prisoner at Buca. Meinliardt, mentioned elsewhere, was an officer under Kugclhrcchten, Tho troops operating up tho Wuri River were under Hiiedickc, in eommand of No. I depot company. With him were Havcman, in command of a police force, Von

Ga-sleiy; "Dis'tler,': Kntitz; trader;Fischer, a trader.; Frank,- a road surveyor; and others.: The troops round Edea were probably under PriesteT, the District Commissioner at Edea.

"It should be noticed that certain, officers appear not to have, allowed their troops to commit these murders, as, for instance, Gaiser's troops in the Victoria and Buea country." 1 '.Major Statham, Director of the Medical Services, says that several of the wounded had wounds which might have been caused by soft-nosed or expanding bullets. Among the cases cited by the Major are those of' a married woman of twenty-one, who was shot at and wounded while 'carrying her. child; and a girl of twenty who was escaping with her ■ husband, and was shot through tho abdomen by a German civilian—she was pregnant at the time. ' . Poisoned Well in S.W, Africa. General Botha,'in a : dispatch to the officer commanding the.'Gorman, forces in German South-West Africa, complained that, on the occupation of Swakopmund by the forces under his command it was discovered that six wells from which' water was to be drawn for human consumption hail been poisoned by means of arsenic. In some instances bags full of poison' were found. Continuing, General Botha said:

"If the practice is persisted iu 1 shall, though with reluctance, employ such measures of reprisal by the destruction of property or other moans, as. may seem to. be . advisable. After the war has ceased, however, whatever its outcome may be in South Africa; tho people of both countries will presumably continue to live in close proximity to each other, and whilef as I have, said, the campaign will no doubt be prosecuted with vigour on hoth sides, I shall be glad to know if I caii rely on your co-operation to prevent any bitterness which is avoidable.' Any repetition of the<■ shameful occurrence to which I have referred will produce a feeling on the part of the troops I commancl which will lead to regrettable actions, which it. is entirely within your power'-to avoid by discountenancing practices which, while perhaps causing unnecessary.loss of life, will -not netard. by a moment my advance, nor (feter my troops from doing their duty. In the meantime I must hold the officer commanding the German troops at Swakopmund, or :at tho military post nearest to that place at the dato of our occupation, as responsible for the act of poisoning to which I have referred. Failing this officer, the responsibility must, of course, rest on the officer, in'supreme, command. 1 shall similarly regard any officer responsible and being responsible as liable, to pay any proper penalty for.his act who resorts to such actions in tko'fut-ure." Attention is drawn to a. speech by a Gorman officer, von Hagen, to his men; offering ten • marks for - each white man's head. . i . •General I'Vanke, in his. reply, ' tolls General Botha that ho Jias been "tho victim of a gross .deception." ' He "explains" that the officer who was m charge at Swakopmund had several sacks of cooking salts thrown int-o tho wells! These, hp, tells General Botha, "are your bags full of poison." Thereafter'the Germans tried kopper dip in order to compel the enemy occupying i-lie town to bring his water from elsewhere. General Botha treated this' letter, ,which made other obviously lying statements, as it deserved. He firmly repeated that he should hold responsible the Gonna n officer commanding.