IN SILESIA.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 August 1919, Page 5

IN SILESIA.

GER-MANS ADOPT TERRORIST ' METHODS. SHOCKING STORIES OF BARBARITY. LONDON, Aug_ 25. The Morning Bos't’s Craeow con-es-pendent reports that several bands of insurgents are kti’l)l» holding _ out in Upper Silesia, but wholesale execu--tions coupled with ‘the use of -artillery, have broken the backbone -of the revolt. Most of the ifisurvgents preferred death to surrender. The Germans, thus foiled, arrested old men, women, and boys. They" collected them in droves, and made them march for hours hohdiug their hands above their heads. Batches of prisoners were continually beaten with the butts of rifles, wire cabling, and belting. The floors of the cells were so covered with blood from prisoners’ wounds that boots stuck to the floor. A priest, after confessing a 15-year-old boy, was compelled to hold his hands while he"ivas shot. i The Germans found a peasant with ya

slight bullet wound in an arm. This

'was regarded as evidence that he had ‘been fighting, S 0 they tied a hand{grcnade to his throat and romoved . the pin. There are con‘tinu'ous instances of ljarbarous cruelty. Old ‘men were heaten brutally, and others were tied to _ horses. A ' The Germans shot 150 prisoners at K.at’rzlwitz. The favouriate German pl-an was to string the victim up by his hands before exeeution. ~ Gernnms stood on -the river bank (p.o;t-shotting fleeing refugees wading I breast high. I‘ The‘ irefugees appealed sol‘ Allied lassistance. They explaiéned that the }nlinel's struck ‘because the 'Gol'lll.all'S made the conditions intolerable.

A Widow fell at the corresp<ondent’s knees and told him the Germans had shot her husband despite the fact that he had crossed the Tl'onticl- on Polish territory. _,.

Young men pleaded to the Allies to give the Poles arms to defend themselves. '

The correspondent‘ listened -to stories by a '_group of ‘VIOO I'cfugees,. mostly men, with hardly a*dl‘y eye_‘ He was con‘vin‘ced that no a'ss/cmblage of people could be stirred" to spch un‘res'trained.. emotioxl if they‘ had n-ot lived through :1 -terrible “01;'dc:11. b

The col'l'espolldeut’s conclusions are that since .4 stiite -of seige was declared in Upper Silesia in January the Germans adopted a deliberate policy of provocation and oppression towards the Polish workers with the object of inciting an outbreak, thus discrediting the Poles ‘as a people and giving an excuse for further repressive measures and «to tempt Poland to undertake unauthorised intervention.

The corresponde'n‘t is also convinced that all the mostflinflueiitial Poles have been either arrested or forced to flee in order to assist the Gernian policy. The Allies’ failul'e to give immediate effect ' to the Treaty clause rela=ting to Upper Silesia helped the Gernians’ plans. Polish circles iii London are of opin. ion tlia-t the Germans imprisoned or deported practically the whole of the Educated Polesin order to rob the working classes of their guidzmce and influence during the plebiscite, believing that the latter could easily be persuaded to vote as Germany dictated. When the workers remained loyal to l’ol:ind the Germans dealt with them .~ji,inil:irl§'. Many Poles who were unable to flee hid in disused working mim‘-S, where lll,(‘_V were fed by their t':‘imi‘;ies until caught.

The Duil_V Telegraph ’s Paris corres]uw,*(lent 'slta’tc-s {that the kzonference fears the Allied Mission ’s moral influence will prove insuflicient. Therefore. immediate occupation of Silesia. by Allied troops must be expected. There has been an unofiicial but clear German invitation to take this course. THE ONLY REMEDY. LONDON, Aug. 26. The Morning Post’s correspondent urges that an enquiry be held, similar to the Belgian enquiry. regarding German excesses. He is of opinion that until the mines are removed from German control the output: will be negligible. The workers will return immed.i;ately the Afillies ‘occupy ?:Upper Silesia. '