The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-11-23
Alarming Mortality Among Young and Old
Who Live in Want and Die
in Utmost Misery.
Chamberlain and His Clique in London are
Held Responsible for their
Very Vile Usage.

I garden prison. are cacti. Their tho1IlS
left the ill-shod feet bleeding and sore.
Nhe summer was one long agony, and
many of the young and aged did not
see the end of it,
How does England feed her ''pris-
oners Of war" in her garden prison?"
Just as well as she houses them, and
just as she declares we give them Il
garden prison she proudly declares
1--WE give them the army ration; just
the same food that our soldiers get"
This is fact, but the prisoners get
none Of the delicacies and occasional
variety which vigorous men must have
to make the army ration palatable and
healthful. They get pound of beef,
a pound of meal and some coffee and
sugar. They have been getting it
without change since March. 1t has
sickened them, and they frequently
throw it away instead Of preparing it
in the rusty pans, for the cleaning of
which they have only sea water.
And so to England's joy they slowly
waste their vitality. That was the in
tention of the jailers, for these Beers
are "a d. expensive lot" Dysentery
Ihas already appeared in the camp, and
certainly much more of it will occur
during the winter.
AS it is about the food so it is about
the water Fresh water is a costly
luxury in Bermuda, reserved only for
British stomachs. The prisoners are
| provided with distilled sea water
brought to them in long pipes. Dur
ing the summer it was always at a
cooking temperature, and the repulsive
ening. For bathing the Beers have
only the sea water-as they have for
the rude pots and pans furnished
them. So we see these martyrs of a
good cause housed, fed and clad. What
| does England do to save them from
moral depression? Civilized nations
make their prisoners of war work.
Otherwise a long captivity might drive
them insane or permanently injure
their mental faculties. Again, England
acts upon the principle of slow destruc-
| ton under the cover Of seeming hll-
manity. She offers them a penny an
hour to shovel and wheel coal to the
condenser boilers. They decline to
work for the British governments
penny. They argue, eff the British
government can work us eight or nine
hours at nine pence a day and the
'navies' receive a dollar and quarter
a day, the British government wooi,i
save dollar and seven cents per day
on our labor and therefore every Bocl
would aid the British to carry on the
war against his country
1t may have been a joyful hour
when the British governor of Bermuda
could report to London: ''These stupid
fellows even refuse to work for pay
| But England does something to cheer
these Beers up. She gives them books
English books, glorifying the 'pig.
sticking" Of Elandslaagte and villify.
ing the dirty Boer." All other books
are prohibited. The New York consul
Of Il European power recently senl
them two cases Of religious books
printed in their own language. By re
turn mail he received touching letter
from a Boer, thanking him for his
kindness, but no Boer ever saw these
books. They are still in the hands OF
the censor. The letter was written by
an "Uplandcr," a Boer who had, will
some others, been transferred to Tuck
er Island and to comparatively com
Portable quarters after signing an &C
acknowledgement of British sovereignt!
in South Africa. There are few O.
these "Uplanders," and it is not saf'
| for them to remain among the com
[ AIDES who prefer death to what the.
believe to be treachery to their cause
J; Every letter to the Boer prisoners il
'ermuda is answered by the upland
ers," and the answer is dictated by tn
british censor and forwarded by him
) To fuckers Island also are take1
; the few visitors to the Boer camps