WILLIAM THE MURDERER

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3162, 14 August 1917, Page 8

WILLIAM THE MURDERER

HIS DAILY REPRIEVE

GERMAN PRISONER'S AVOWAL A wounded English officpv bad much to say to an interviewer who asked him for his impressions of the situation on the Western Front, and hie opinion seeined to be that if the people at home really knew what rapid progress is actually being made by the Allies they would be "agreeably astonished. But one of the most interesting things ho had to relate was his meeting with a German who was taken prisoner at the time he himself wns wounded and who carried him some distance back before the ambulance men took charge of him. This German was a very different kind ef man from the ordinary, and gave his views on the war and its long-deferred but inevitable outcome with complete candour and detachment. He had resided for some years in America, but when the war threatened he was on a visit to London, and, afraid of being interned, never having taken out papers as ah American subject, he crossed over to the Continent, aud found hie way into his native land. It was only last year, when the Somme push began, that lie was compelled to join up. The following are the .statements he made to the wounded British officer, who wrote them down from memory the same evening; when he was in the clearing station: This war is the greatest crimo the world hae ever seen. The crimes that made the French Revolution are nothing if you compare them with the crimes of. the beasts who are running Germany today and keeping this war going. They were only thieves and brigands when they began its and thought they'd bring it off; but now they're the bloodiest murderers by Wholesale that the world ever produced. There never was anything like it before. They know perfectly well they've lost the war; they've known for months that the last chances they ever had have gone. But they are frightened of their own miserable skins to admit it and call a halt; and because they are frightened of what the people might do when they learned the truth they keep the thing Roing, and sacrifice many thousands of Germans every single day ami millions of money. .For what? To shield the reputations of a handful of princes and politicians. It's the greatest crime the world has ever known. Here on this front our people are neiUK K.l.ert ■like flies. Your artillery kills them in bunches.. There isn't n mifKiJ* of •-•» day but legs and arms are hems blowu off Our men would gladly fiv» themselves up to end it, but you know they cannot. When there seems to be a chance there is always an olhcer 01 ■ii c.o.'s about. It is not only your guns that kill. Many Germans fall every day with German bullets in them. They are driven like dogs to the fighting. Arid to what end 0 Because our cursed lvaisei •and Hie creatures we ; call st«tcsii.cn are afraid of their live? for what will hnppln to them when-the. people know its all up.

A People Helpless as Slaves. But plenty of them know it now Many knew before ever I was forced to join B.a-rtß'.Tß.'Sr.tt be lnißtlpd out of the way. 'I hat is v,h\ 1 B ec no hope for Germany; because ■ word. The few vrbo speak soon find H, »*e hustled into the -front line, «ml no move is heard of them They tfo on paying the price-thousands ot lives everv day; every single iln>. Iho Usn tral Powers' casualties now must be a hundred thousand a to*. Am aU foi what? The crazy dreams of a few banß ers and merchants and the cowardb fears of a few politicians ami ot mil ft, onzollerns. They say the Hapsbnnw. too- hut the Austrinns would be thankful to make peace to-morrow, but they "innot. They are as much sacrificed by Berlin as we'noor devils aro hero on. tho front All Iho bloody slaughter ol Huh war with its milliards of money nnd thousands of lives lost-ovory angle duy -what keens it. Romp: Ion? after it has been finally decided is not tho will ol: nations. No, it is the murderous criminiility and cowardice of si mllo hiindful of men in Berlin ivho never liavo been anything but a pest, in liurone. [s not that the grcalosl crime (ho world has ever known? And is it nob strictly tme? Oops any sane, German suppose the apnointed end con V» altered when the -whole- New World is ranged against Germany as wpII as the Old.- , / They know (ill about Ihe hundred miJlion"men in the States; and tho millions of millions of money; the innumerable factories and shipyards. They know that America can put hundreds of thousands of fresh troops on this front next spring and that the exhaustion of fieriuany Ion" beforo then will he frishllul. It is frightful now; it has been Irujhtful for ii year and more. They know it all; and hrute devils that they are, they choose to keep the awful slaughter going, not because they hope it can alter the Mid., but for what you call Wait and see!" because they fear b< face to<lav what they can put off till to-mor-row at the cost of another few thousand decent livss, another few milliards of money. Never before since the world bepui lias a twentieth part of such siiffprin" been allowed to continue day after"dar and month after mouth to protect a- 'handful of exalted -.-riminals from ceneral recognition of their crimes. The Bnssiim people rose and /mashed the bonds that bound them, les; but not our people. Our tyrants liave been cleverer. Tt was only the bodies ot the IMi'sian people that wero fettered. Then' minds were free. No German mind. in. Germany, has been free since Ibid. J. lie Berlin criminals have seen 100 well to that Our people think they havo been well'educated. So they hnvo-very well, verv carefully-for just what they are doihi? now: for the blindest and most damnable kind of slavery tjhc world has ever seen; for a slavery in -<vhich tho will of tho masters must be paid for dailv by steadily running streams of blood of their victims-victims taught to bare their throats to tho knife on the word of cqmma-nd. Tf your armies could reach Germany itself the slavery might end suddenly. But Germany 10-day is one. vast prison full of (starving s eves who cannot, lift a hand to help themselves, and that it will remain while William the Murderer'Cim go on buying n daily reprieve for his own ;>-.ise.rable family in "return for tho blood of ten thousand of his slaves. Thank Gcd, I am out of it!