IN THE EAST.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 November 1916, Page 5

IN THE EAST.

RUSSIAN PRISONERS IN AUSTRIA. I'I'JKBIBLK CRUELTIES A.\'l> HORRORS.; STARVATION AND TORTURE. Received Nov. 17, 5.5 p.m. Petrograd, Nov. JO. Released prisoners relate startling stories of the horrors of tho Austrian war prison regime. A lieutenant, whose aeroplane fell m the Austrian lines, was compelled to march to the Wishenbcrg camp, Syheiv the food and treatment were so terrible that the lieutenant lias returned to Petrograd semi-starved and in an advanced stage of tuberculosis. This officer states that the unfortunate soldiers in the eamp are starving, th? bread being composed of a mixture of maize, potatoes, acorns, and horsechestnuts, mixed with chopped straw and bran. Many have died of hunger and exhaustion. Prisoners are treated most brutally, hanging being quite an ordinary punishment. One man's feet and Lands were tied, and lie was then strung up to a pole for two hours, when he became unconscious. Other prisoners were made to lie in a coffin, the bottom of which had a sharp edge, the lid being wired down and only an opening left for the head A Russian who refused to spy on his comrades was condemned to a coffin, but no opening was left for ventilation, and he was found dead in the morning. The camp is surrounded by barbed wire, backed by searchlights, j olice dogs, and many guards. There were many attempts to escape, but the men wers mostly Recaptured and transferred to a prison in Vienna.