CRIMES OF THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 May 1919, Page 10

CRIMES OF THE WAR.

COMMISSION'S REPORT. SCHEDULE OP HORRORS. APPALLING SAVAGERY. Paris, April 23. The Crimes Commission has furnished a schedule report giving \s,s Prices of each jot 'iie 31 categories of cninea mentioned ' in its interim report. It is an appalling | document, and incidentally shows the ex- ! cellence of the Allies' spy system, for | with many of the worst crimes the names j of the actual perpetrators, and even the | signed orders, are given, j The names ot the Herman officers who | conducted the worst zeppelin raids and | the naval raids 011 Scarborough and Hari flepool are in the commission's possesj sion. The list of crimes covers 32 foolscap pages, giving particulars of dates, places and authors, and a resume of the evi- , dence. ■ It covers the principal massacres of I Belgians, 1 rench, : Greeks, and Servians, 1 and the worst cases of sinking without I trace. | The commission has more than 50 ■ names of. Turks and Germans responsible for murdering, alive, or drownj iiig 200,000 Armenians /rom J. 014 to 1918. TENS OF THOUSAND* HANGED. Seven of the typical massacres of civilians in France and Belgium are instanced, including Taurines, Dinant, Jjiege, and Nery, where it is proved that civilians were used as a shield to protect German troops. "Tens of thousands of civilians hanged" is the charge brought against the Austrian and German authorities in PoInnd. The crimes committed by the Bulgarians in Servia are most horrible. The following are brief descriptions:— "During the massacres en masse from 1015 to 1918 as many as 10 gallows were standing together at many places. Priests, teachers, and Mayors were especially destroyed, while others were thrown into prison and have not been seen sinee. "Neither women, children, nor aged people were spared, and after the systematic executions the corpses were left to dogs and pigs. TERRIBLE TORTURES. "Frequent tortures were' inflicted, such as tearing out of eyes, cutting off of ears, noses and breasts, and the inflicting of the bastinado. Men were hung up by tlie feet and heavy weights fastened to their bodies. Their flesh was torn with pincers, an dthey were thrown into boiling water. "Women undressed were nailed to the ground, and a man was hung from a tree, which was set on fire. The president of the Society of the Ladies of Vranja (in Servia) was beaten; pregnant women were beaten and outraged, and their families were compelled to witness their executions. "Women in mourning were forced to dance at Kolo (Poland) on the spot where their men had been .massacred. Soldiers suffering t from dreadful diseases were orderd to violate girls. In many of the villages no women were spared violation, and were often beaten and then slashed with knives. SERVIA'S MARTYRDOM. , "Out of 100,000 Servians interned only 50,000 have returned, broken in healtij." The list covers pages, and in each case places and dates are authenticated. The German and Austrian authorities carried off 10 per cent, of the Servian femalepopulatign between 1915 and 1918, and the Bulgarians massacred 3000 at Sourdoulitza. Tales of wanton devastation, ruthless slave-driving, and tyranny during the occupation, with the most awful abasement of the people in France, Belgium, Servia, Greece, Roumania, and Poland, abound throughout this terrible schedule, which appropriately ends with an authenticated list of air raids, submarine exploits, violations of the Red Cross, illtreatment of prisoners, use of expanding bullets, and misuse of flags of truce, themselves sufficient proofs of German savagery. g" •■* ■' »