New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-13
Offences Against
COmbatantS
(a) The Killing of Wounded
and of Prisoners

The cases 10 which references are
given all present features generally
Similar. and in sever-l OF them men
Who had been left wounded II the
trenches when a trench was carried by
the enemy were found, when their
comrades subsequently rctook the
trench. TO have been slaughtered. al
though evidently helpless, or else they
would have escaped with the rest OF
the retrcating force. For instance,
witness says: About September ~ our
regiment took part IN an engagement
with the Germans. After we rad re-
tired into our trenches, rev minutes
after we got back Il 10 them' the G 5s
mans retired into their tren'hes ne
distance between the trenches or the
opposing forces wa a1~ut tour nun
dred wards. ! should say about hfty
mr. sixtv Of our men had been left lylng
on the field from our trenches. After
we got back TO them, distinctly sa"
German soldiers come out or their
trenches. go over the spots where our
men were lying, and ' yonet them
Some of our men were lying nearly
half way between the trenches: An,
other says: The Germans advanced
over the trenches, where mad oeeh
on guard for three days. When the
Germans reached our wounded sa"
their officer using his sword to cut
them down" Another witness says:
Outside Ypres we were IN trenches
and were attacked, and had TO retire
until reinforced by other companies OF
the ROYAL Fusileers. Then we took the
trenches, and found the wounded, be-
tween twenty and thirty, lying IN the
trenches with bayonet wounds, ana
some shot. Most of them, say three
quarters, had their threats cut
In one case, given very clrcumstan--
TALLY, a witness tells how party OF
wounded British soldiers were left in a
chalk pit, all very badly hurt, and quite
unable TO make distance. One of
them, an officer, held up his handker-
chief as a white flag, and this "at..
tracted the attention OF a party or
about eight Germans. The Germans
came to the edge of tn pit. 1t was
getting dusk. but the light was still
good and everything clearly discernl-
Bile. One of them, who appeared to be
carving no arms, and who, at any rate,
had no rifle, came few feet down the
slope into the chalk lit, within eight or
ten yards of some of the wounded
men" lie looked at the men, laughed,
and said something in German 10 the
Germans who were waiting on the edge
of the pit. Immedia ely one of them
fired at the officer, then three or four
Of these ten soldiers were shot, then
another officer, and the witness, and
the rest Of them. after an interval
Of some time, sat up and found that
| was the only man of the ten VIII, was
living when the Germans came into the
pit remaining alive. and that all the
rest were dead"
Another witness describes a painful
case in which five soldiers, two Bel
gians and three French, were tied TO
trees by German soldiers, apparently
drunk, who stuck knives in their faces,
pricked them with their bayonets, and
ultimately shot them.
We have no evidence TO show vheth-
err and in what cases orders proceeded
from the officer in command TO give
no quarter, but there are some in
stances in which periJns obvious y de-
string TO surrender were nevertheless
killed