The Irish standard., 1902-04-12
BRITISH TREATMENT OF PRISONERS.


Many Americans who have the mis-
fortune Of being afflicted with Anglo
mania find it difficult to believe that
England is capable of exercising any
cruelty to the Boer prisoners of war
who were transported to st. Helena
Ceylon and Bermuda. The same
Americans shake their heads incredu-
lousy when they hear of the barbaric
treatment of Boer women and children
in the South African concentration
camps; but they unhesitatingly took
for granted that the Spaniards in
Cuba were guilty of cruelty and gen
erously took steps to alleviate the dis
tress of the victims of Weylerism.
In Anglo-SaXon literature the Span
iards are always cruel and blood
thirsty, while the English are sympa-
thetic and humane to a fault 1t is
now admitted, however. by even the
English themselves, that never in the
history of the world has there been
such i'll treatment Of prisoners of war
and non-cOmbatants rs in South AZ
RIGA.
It the Anglomaniacs of America on
ly read the history of their own coun-
try during the Revolution they will
find that the Continental prisoners
We're terribly treated by the British.
We find in recent issue Of the Du-
luth News Tribune an article taken
from the Connecticut Gazette and
Universal Intelligencer" of Feb. %,
1777, from which we take the follow
ing paragraphs, contained in COM
munication from "Miserecors," who
describes the i'll treatment of Amer-
can prisoners at the hands of the Brit
ish in New York as follows:
Gas soon as they were taken they
were robbed of all their baggage, Of
whatever money they had, though it
were paper and could be of no advan-
tage to the enemy, Of their silver shoe
buckles and knee buckles. Many were
stripped almost naked of their clothes.
Especially those who had good clothes
were stript Mt once, being told that
such clothes We're too good for rebels.
Thus deprived of their clothes and
baggage, they were unable to shift
even their linen and were obliged to
wear the same shirts for three or -four
months together, whereby they neces
sarily became extremely nasty and
lousy; and this itself had been enough
to bring on them many mortal dis
eases.
CATER the prisoners were taken they
were in the first place put on boart
the ships and thrown down into thu
hold, where not breath of fresh all
could be obtained, and they we'll nigl
suffocated for the want of air. Partic
ularly some who We're taken ut For
Washington were first In this manner
thrust down into the holds. of vessels
in such numbers that even in the col,
season of November they could scarce
ly bear any clothes on them, bein:
kept in constant sweat. Yet thes
same persons, after lying in this stua
ton for while, till the pores Of thci
bodies were perfectly open as possible
were of sudden taken out and pu
into some churches in New York, will,
out covering or spark of fire, wher
they suffered rs much with the colt
as they did by sweating stagnation o
the air in the other situation; and til
consequence was they took such cold
as brought on the most fatal diseases
and swept them off almost beyon
conception.
'"Besides these things, they suffered
extremely for want of provisions an
water. The commissary pretended t
allow one-half pound of bread an
four ounces of pork day, but of thi
pittance they We're much cut shor
What was given for three days WI,
not enough for one. and in some il
stances they were for three days Will
out a mouthful of food of any kim
They were pinched to that degree tina
some on board the ships would pic
up and eat the salt that happened
be scattered there; others gathered II
the bran which the light horse wasted
and ate that, mixed with the dirt an