THE WAY OF THE HUN

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 1 October 1917, Page 5

THE WAY OF THE HUN

HOW THEY TREAT THEIR PRISONERS.) Eight Spanish sailors, who were on board the British vessel Gravina, which was sunk by a German submarine on February 7, 1917, reached their homes in Barcelona in April of,this year. After their steamer was sunk they were taken ! on board the submarine, and sent, with the other members of the crew to a prison camp in Germany. They tell the following stoyr of the treatment prisoners of war received in Germany, and having no interest in i being truthful, their evidence may be as being strictly in accordwith fact “Three days after our arrival in the prison camp,” they say, “we were awakened by cries from the Russians who’ slept in the hut. Fire had broken out in one hut apart from the others, which served as a dungeon where they shut up prisoners who were rebellious. That day six Russians, one Frenchman, and one Englishman were undergoing punishment. The prisoners naturally called to be let out, but in vain. The sentry remained unmoved. No doubt he was awaiting orders from his superiors. Those inside the dungeon were being stifled. The Englishman broke the panes of a small window, with the idea of freeing himslf and his companions. The sentry seeing him leaning out of ‘the window, gave him a tremendous bayonet thrust in the chest. The wounded man fell like lead. A small but revolting struggle then took place. The prisoners attempted to get out and the German soldier reddened his bayonet again and again with the blood' of the men shut up, who saw with horror that the fire was increasing The fir ecould not be extinguished by the other prisoners until it had done its work. The eight unhappy individuals who occupied the dungeon were corpses. For an hour afterwards, northing was heard but shouts of indig■.nation. It looked as if a formidable outbreak , would take place. The guards were immediately reinforced, and we were surrounded by a number of German soldiers. The commander of the camp issued an order saying he was sorry for what bad occurred, and that on the following day he would allow the funeral of the victims to take place with ceremony. It was not all the prisoners who resigned themselves to suffer what was imposed on them. The English, above all, were most rebellious. One day wc were present at a scene which was celebrated with great rejoicing in ail the camp. An Englishsoaman, who, already had one eye

blind- as result of blows, they had given him; refused to obey two officers who ordered him to go to work. They .reviled one anotchr mutually, and finally the Englishman invited them to ;fight, giving them such punches that as a consequence we saw them for days afterwards with their heads banGerman soldiers were the J fsrs^fc[ coff cowardice of their ■ su English soldier was conM bread and water until the ■| nd of * hc war. What saddened us ■Post were the seventy old men and ■Ritrty children of 12 to 14 years of —sro, all En S lish except one. They were . all;-youngsters who had been captured on board the vessels sunk, and ran from £nt to hut asking for sweets and tobacco. ’ '