IN THE HANDS OF THE HUNS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1916, Page 6

IN THE HANDS OF THE HUNS.

■ terrible experiences of SCOTTISH SOLDIER. Tim privations wliioh British prisoners of war have suffered in Germany were described by Private Robert Andors'vi, Ist Ciordon Highlanders, one of the recently exchanged prisoners from Germnny, who Tins returned to liis'nomo at Glen Village, Falkirk. Private Anderson was "wounded and taken pri=onor during Jie retreat from Mons, and early in January last year lie was inearcerated in a-eamp at Wittenberg. On arrival at Wittenberg tliev were met by an immense crowd, wbo with sticks, 'tones, and whips belabored the prisoners, wbo bad to bolt for tlie camp, boilifr pursued by tlie bowling mob, who kept up (lie attack until tlie gates closed on tlie exhausted prisoners.

The conditions of the camp were described Ivy Private Anderson as "absolutely horrible." The food was filthy and inadequate, and altogether unfit for pigs, but the men had to take it, to prevent themselves starving. The rigorous winter which had set in laid its mark on many of the prisoners, who were interned in wooden huts. They were scandalously ill-fed; in fact, they were starved, their clothes were scanty, many of them being in rags, while from the hygienic viewpoint things were utterly deplorable.

The camp was ravaged by a virulent outbreak of tvphus fever, and many deaths occurred daily. One of the huts was set apart for the reception of the fever patients, and Private Anderson, himself suffering from the disease, was carried there on *a table and dumped down beside two Russians. Simultaneously with the appearance of the epidemic the Germans abandoned the camp, or that particular portion of it. and the patients, who were lying on the hare floors, were left in this dreadful isolation, alone and unaided. No provision was made for the treatment of the men. The Germans erected a kind of shoot outside the cam]), and by means of this the food was launched to the patients, Their comrades who were strong enough endeavored to help the weaker ones, hut the exertion proved too much for them, and they had to desist. HOSPITAL SCENE,*. The scenes in this so-called hospital 01 isolation ward were indescribable. Patients were lying here, there, and everywhere. If a patient was unable to get at the food he had to fast, as the others had become so weak thev were unable to tend him. Two R.A.M.C. men "who were in the camp worked zealously to alleviate .the sufferings of their stricken comrades, but in course jf time they, worn out by their arduous work, fell victims to the tvphus, which was spreading with alarmin" rapidity. Every day there were admission's, and the "hospital" had become so congested that the patients believed they would have been better dead, They had exactly the same clothes with which they had come from the battlefield, and altogether thev were in a deplorable condition.

"The horrors of that eamp f shall never forget," said Private Anderson. "They were unspeakable. Tn January. February and March the fevei was at its worst stage. Four British doctors at this time volunteered to eome into the eamp and begin their humane and merciful work among the poor, emaciated patients. They worked heroically, but eventually succumbed to (he wlague some time about the month of February. How any of us survived 1 do not know. No one will ever realise what we have suffered, but when the other British doctors return they will be able to tell. And during all this time we were not allowed to write. Our people did not know whether we were alive or dead, and T. as a matter of fact, was officially presumed dead.''

SENTRIES AND DOOS. Describing the sentries' round through the huts, Private Anderson said: "At all times of the day and night two sentries, one armed with a rifle and the other with a revolver, earne into the lints with a wolf-honml, and if we did not stand to attention and salute them —even though they were N.P.O.'s—they set the dog on ns. One night I was lying down speaking to a elinm. and did not hear the sentries enter. . The ncMt thing' I felt was a. wolf dog clutching at my throat, and after a desperate struggle 1 managed to free myself. My ehum, who eonld speak Herman, asked for an explanation, and Mie sentries thereupon turned the hound on him. It tore the sleeve and of his jacket and hit him badly on the arm. This incident was reported to a captnin of the R.A.M.C., who in turn reported it lo the American Ambassador, and as a result of this the captain was himself assaulted by a Herman office]*, who struck him on the hack with his sword."

Other episodes referred to by Private Anderson, were the flogging of Russians, and the nrutal treatment meted nut to the only man in his section who wore a kilt, and w'm was "kicked up and down like a football."