Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-01
italians Wreak Vengeance on
Prisoners at TripoIi.
ANGERED BY TREACHERY
Troops Fired Upon by Arabs, Who
Had Protested Friendship.
SHOOTING FROM REAR OF LINE
Captives Driven to Edge of Desert
and Mercilessly Murdered.
Story of Eyewitness.


LONDON. November 1-Frank Magee.
. photographer for the Daily Mirror. who
left Tripoli last Wednesday and arrived
In London yesterday, eyewitness
Of the summary vengeance taken by the
Italians upon the Arabs who shot at them
from the rear in last Mondays fight
Magee tells a graphic story OF the attack
and the subsequent reprisals
ITO realize the fury which led the
Italians to execute their Arab prison.
ers," said he, 1T Is necessf y TO under
stand the situation and the conditions
Before the battle the Italian lines de-
scribed an of circle extending In
land from the coast with a radius OF
about four miles from Tripoli. This
arc incloses not only the town, but also
little oasis of watered land in which
many Arab houses stand among the
date palms and walled gardens
Magee describes how the morning of
Monday, the I'D. when the fighting began.
he went out to the Italian line on the
edge of the desert to stay with small
party of members of the SID Regiment,
which was firing from behind its earth
works in a southwark direction among
the sand hills, where n still invisible
Turkish force had been located.
Volley From Behind.
!. suddenly from behind u.s." Magee
continues. from over on the town side
of the Arab cemetery, a heavy volley
was poured into Bullets came crash
ing through the cactus leaves. splitting
up the sand around US. and one sol
der dropped with bullet through his
arm. Ii was so sudden and mysterious
that we could not understand at first
what was happening.
soon We found an explanation. Heavy
firing broke out in the town and the
Arab quarters among the plantations in
the outskirts. Then the Italians realized
That the Arabs. whom they had regarded
as friends. had treacherously turned
against them. had produced concealed
arms and were attacking them from the
rear.
Seek New Cover.
"a detachment of the SD Regiment
had to face around and seek new cover
from which to repel this new attack.
For an hour we lay there under the
cross fire of the Turks in the desert and
the Arabs on the town side.
But even this double attack was soon
Fepelled In an hour the troops sent
from the town into the plantations had
suppressed the Arabs, while two war
ships in the bay and the batteries
ashore had pumped shells into the posi-
tons of the Turkish soldiers.
"Seen across the cemetery and the open
ground. there came from the plantations
groups of Whitehead Arab prisoners.
prodded along by Italian soldiers with
fixed bayonets. The danger from that
quarter was at an end Some of the
Arab prisoners concerned in this. sur
prise attack were brought to the house
Some OF them We're very old and some in
the sackcloth tatters of the town beg
gars.
Italians Furious With Anger.
"The Italians who had been quite
cheerful while the fighting going on.
became furious with anger when they saw
the prisoners. They declared that all of
them, young and old alike. had been con-
cerned in the treacherous attacks. and for
that purpose must have concealed rifles
with which they had been supplied by
the Turks before their retirement.
THE idea that these men, while pre-
tending to be friendly. had all along been
preparing to stab them in the back mad
dened the captors. Some of them could
not restrain their desire for vengeance l
saw one group Of about forty Arabs
marched across a graveyard. Some of
them could barely limp along; others were
wounded. but the soldiers prodded them
along.
Il saw an officer strike one man. who
gether. a savage blow with the scabbard
Of his sword in the lower part of the
mans abdomen.
Il saw a soldier strike another man a
savage blow in the face with his fist
II saw an officer spur his horse for
ward with heavy sjambok in his up
raised hand. and strike an old prisoner
who could not drag himself along fast
enough.
Il saw a soldier snatch stick from the
hand of a wounded prisoner who could
only hobble painfully along and throw II
away into the sand. The other soldiers
laughed with glee at that
Dash for Liberty.
The group Of forty prisoners. as they
came toward me. suddenly broke through
the guard of soldiers and made dash
for liberty. Some of them came in my
direction. thinking. perhaps. the soldiers
would not fre for fear of killing me
II crawled through the cactus hedge
10 avoid them. All the men were chased
and recaptured. In the afternoon. about
3 O'Clock. three prisoners were brought
into the courtyard of the house. roped
together by the wrists. The soldier held
the loose end of the rope that bound them.
and led them along with cluck OF his
palate as IL they were animals. Other
soldiers laughed Two of the men were
very old and very poor. The third was a
tall. fne-lookinS young Arab in white
linen robe. He Wildly protested MS IN
nocence and then when his protestations
we're ieered at raised his bound hands
and prayed necessarily.
After an hour the end Of this drama
came. The three were brought out OF
the courtyard, the soldier loosed the rope
that bound them. and officer. pointing
to the desert. gave them prod and
spoke the word 'bourra.' which means
get along.
CHASTITY Comedy.
1T was q CHASTITY comedy. The mel.
wonderngly interpreted II meaning
that they We're being ordered to march
out into a foodless. wateriess desert.
They had not gone ten feet before the
cracking OF dozen rifles showed them
tho point OF the comedy The young Arab
booked around and shrieked. The rifles
rang out and the three lay in hudded
heap on the ground Another volley was
Npgred into them as they lay. One still
Vnoved and a soldier, drawing his bayo-
net from its scabbard, plunged IL into the
mans heart.
No court-martial was held on these
men. One. | discovered, was breathing
some time afterward. l pointed out the
fact TO an officer and he called "A soldier
who put bullet into the dying man
head. The soldiers seemed to lind fendisf
glee in killing their prisoners.
Long Distance Hearing Apparatus.
from Popular Mechanics.