TORTURED ANZACS.

Hokitika Guardian, 19 June 1917, Page 4

TORTURED ANZACS.

STORY FOR SOCIALISTS.

TO TELL GERMAN BRETHREN

London, June 4 The -London Press gives great prominence to Captain Beau’s story of the tortured Australian prisoners. Leading organs regard it as the best possible answer to the latest German peace ovei-tures by the German catspaw Karl at his opening o.f the Austrian Reichsvath. The Radical “ Star ” advises Mr Ramsay Macdonald to tell this story to the Russians at Petrograd and the German Socialists at Stockholm, at'the same ti~\e explaining that we have treated the German prisoners with generous humanity, despite Zeppelin, submarine, and aeroplane savagery, and the murders of Nurse Cavell and Captain Fryatt.

Germany wants peace, but we will not have peace with horror. The story of the tortured Australians and the Kaiser’s recent orders regarding the treatment of British prisoners have naturally resulted in much indignation in Britain. This has been intensified by further stories of escaped prisoners, which, if less appalling- than that of the Australians, are sufficiently shocking to merit the most drastic official action to protect war prisoners.

It is now authoritatively stated that Austria is approximating to the brutal German methods, acting with particular cruelty towards penniless civilian British prisoners, of whom several hundreds are herded in insanitary wooden barracks surrounded by barbed wire, and not allowed liberty. They are covered with vermin, with wretched and insufficient food, principally wnrzels, beans, lentils, and vermicelli. They are only able to prolong their existence by parcels from England. They have suffered greatly during the last winter, being kept for weeks at a timo without fires or lights. The older prisoners are suffering terribly.

Eleven British soldiers and three French officers, who escaped from different German prisons' in the last fortnight; landed at an Engli-h port on Friday. They agree that British and Australian prisoners are treated worse than others. One prisoner said that it was “ Gott strafe England ” every other day. The Germans never tired of saying that England was their chief enemy. Another stated that the Australians were equally hated, probably because Bnlleconrt was a bitter memory. At one camp the Germans set ferocious dogs on to Serbians, who were horribly bitten and mauled. The food conditions were bad, Britishers subsisting on home parcels', which badly affected the gaolers and civilians, making them realise for the first time the vmt rath fulness of the press reports that the submarines had absolutely cut off England Two prisoners escaped from a place where 260 men were compelled to sleep in a room 250 yards by 10 yards, in hammocks crawling- with vermin.

A Gordon Highlander, who escaped from the Westerholt coal mines, where he had been working since the battle of Mons, in 1914, said that he had not seen a proper piece of meat for two years and a half. Recently a fresh batch of British prisoners refused to work in the mines, and the gaolers flogged some of them with

rubber hose-pipe. Escapees included a Canadian. He and five others, after escaping, hid in the bush for three days, travelling by night. They swam five rivers and canals. Once a sentry challenged them, but the men remained motionless and escaped.