THE AWFUL TURK

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 50, 23 November 1918, Page 7

THE AWFUL TURK

APPALLING REVELATIONS

BRUTAL TREATMENT OF BRITISH

PRISONERS

FEARFUL JOURNEY ACROSS

THE DESERT

London, November 21. A While Paper has been issued making appalling revelations of the trenimeiit of British prisoners in Turkey. Some officers were treated with almost theatrical politeness, but most of the men wore tormented like beasts. The gret.'er part of their eufforings, however, was duo to Turkish incompetence. Three hundred prisoners from Ivut were dead u week after the surrender. The Turks neither had the will nor power to save the lives of the Kut prisoners. Out of 19,583 prisoners in Turkey, 3290 are already reported dead; and 2222 uniraced. Doubtless they have perished, most of them , being of tho Kut force who died during tho 500 miles journey across the Syrian desert.

In consequence of an urgent message to the Turkish commander, the .British medical staff wns allowed to go to Samara: The medical men picked up. hundreds of Kut prisoners lying by the roadside, suffering miseries from dysentery and starvation. Many were beyond help, and others were dead, ami lay unburied, stripped stark by tho Arab villagers. The last stage of the march over the, mountains was the worst of all, yet the survivors were immediately iaken to Tarsus anil Adana to finish tunnel blasting operations for thef Tbtsus railway. The prisoners were so weakened by their privations that even the Turks were unable to mako them do useful work.

Therefore they wcro sent to camps, in September, 1916, in the interior of .Asia Minor.. They had to ranrcli over the Tiuinis Mountains, driven by gendarmes' rifle-butts. Many dropped and died, (but the main body somehow were beaten and driven' across tho mountain range. The survivors were finally taken to Arion internment jcainp, where flogging was habitual. The Turkish naval officers ruled with the cowhide whip, the prisoners being lashed on their bare backs. —Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn. fPRILTAN nPTTTAIITIITC umuuAlN !sxlUlaLllleiO PRISONERS' BODIES HORRIBLY MARKED ■ London, November 21. Doctors wero furious with anger when describing the horrible marks of the German brutalities on 6omo of the returned prisoners of war, but the majority of the men show n hardy resistance, and aro recuperating rapidly. , All agree that it was only gifts of food received) at tho prison camps from London that prevented utter starvation. There were 350 Russians in one camp receiving no such help, and all died.—AupN.Z. Cable Assn. TERRIBLE SUFFERING OF RELEASED PRISONERS WARNING SENT TO GERMAN HEADQUARTERS. London, November 21. In the House of Commons Mr. Bonar Law staged that Sir Douglas Haig nart sent a. wireless, message to German Headquarters stating :—"lnformation has reached the British Government -of the shocking lack of organisation in the release of prisoners, who are returning on foot, miserably clothed, foodless, and without escorts and guides. This re-j suite in lamentable suffering and mortality. The Government cannot tolerate the continuation of this cruel treatment, and must insisi on adequate arrangements by the German authorities, with whom tho full responsibility lies, otherwise we will be compelled to take this into account in any question of revictualling Germany or satisfying the requirements of the German population and Government." Sir Douglas Haig is ready to forward food, clothing, 'and transport to the prisoners' camps, and our Allies aro being asked to co-operate.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CRIMES BRITISH GOVERNMENT CONSULTING WITH THE LAW OFFICERS. (R?c. November 2-3, 0.45 a.m.) London, November 21. Lord Curzon, in the House pf Lords, replying to a. suggestion that Germans guilty of crimes against our prisoners should be made personally responsible, said the Government was giving tjiematter attcntion - and consulting with the law officers.—Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn. ■ RETURNING PRISONERS LARGE NUMBER REACHING BRITAIN. London, November 20. It is officially announced that arrangements for the repatriation of war prisoners is working satisfactorily. A large number is .arriving in Britain.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. / Amsterdam, November 20. Hundreds of prisoners of war of all nationalities are streaming over the Dutch frontier—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. i