The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1915-06-17
Atrocities Charged to Cars SOL
diers by Germany.
AAidavlts to Be Used In Peace Nego'
tlatlons to Prevent Extension OF
Museovlts Territory In Europe
-horrors Detailed.
sv OSWALD r. scAuErTE.

habitants and German prisoners OF
war;"
The memorial is accompanied by doc
umentary evidence in the shape of 81
Afiidavits setting forth the testimony
on which the charges are based. They
are far too horrible for publication.
All are to be used against Rus
STA whenever peace negotiations are
begun to halt any possibility of an ex-
tension Of the Russian government in
Europe. The memorial already has
called forth indignant denials from
London.
In part the atrocity record. is as fol-
lows:
According to official Investigations,
thousands of men, women and chill
1ren were dragged away, other thou
sand murdered, about 10000 buildings
we're destroyed or burned during the
hrst and second Russian invasions of
East Prussia. During the second in
vasion alone $4,000 dwellings were
plundered and desolated.
"The Inhabitants, including women
and children, were mishandled under
The most flimsy pretexts or for no rea-
son at all, although they did all they
could to satisfy the Russian soldiers
regarding quarters and supplies. This
mistreatment was sometimes carried
out with extreme cruelty; in one case
he male inhabitants Of an entire vii
lage, including the district judge,
we're f1ogged and at the same time
threatened with death. Fugitives were
fred upon without any motive. But
above ALL many peaceful citizens were
murdered without any reason what
ever, some enduring terrible suffering
IN the presence of their relatives. In
nocent young men were shot merely
because they were able to perform
military service.
"A head forester, who was in
charge Of transportation Of German
:onvicts, was taken prisoner by the
Russians and brought before General
Rennenkampff-and apparently in
keeping with his infamous orders to
kill all German foresters-was imme-
1iately shot. Even the aged women
and children did not escape the MUIR
ferrous frenzy of the Russian soldier.
1.-THE murder of a little child be-
:ween two and three years Of age was
particularly cruel. Investigations show
how terrible was the end of whole
family which fell victims of the Rus
sian soldiers lust for murder; the f.
her was nailed to a table, the child
20 a door and the mothers breasts
we're cut off and her body slit open. In
another instance the tongues of the
husband and wife were nailed to the
table and they finally died.
The cases of attack upon young
girls and women are innumerable.
Information regarding the cruel
treatment of German prisoners of war
oy the Russian troops will be found in
additional appendices. In numerous
cases German soldiers who we're taken
prisoners were robbed, spit upon or
otherwise ill treated without any rea-
son. A Russian officer threatened
cause they would not betray their COM
rades, and had one of them actually
shot. Russian troops placed German
prisoners in narrow excavations before
their gun positions, apparently with
the intention that they should be
killed by shots from German guns
"Cossacks have slashed off the heads
Of German prisoners as they rode by,
and others were badly injured; some
were MANNED by having their limbs
cut of. One German prisoner was
bound to a horse gin in a most cruel
manner and allowed to starve to death.
Three hussars were found in barn
hanging with their heads down and
noses and ears cut off, indicating that
they must have died in excruciating
agony. aa
Russian soldiers have also not hest
tated to murder and barbarously MAIN
wounded German soldiers. They have
removed bandages from the wounded
that they might bleed to death; others
eyes have been stabbed out; tongues,
ears, fingers and feet have been cut
off and skulls crushed in.
In some cases these brutal deeds
have been performed with fiendish
cruelty Illustrative of this, lightly
wounded soldier was found secured to
the floor of veranda by bayonet
stuck through the mouth, the flesh Of
the lower arm was stripped off from
elbow to wrist, the fingers were slit Up
to the wrist. Another soldier who
had received skull injury was 80
bound to calf in q stable that every
time the animal moved its mouth the
exposed brain Of the soldier was
rubbed.
THE most atrocious thing of all was
the order of the highest Russian mill
tary authority, found on high Rus
sian officer, which directed that all
male inhabitants over ten years of age
should be driven before the attacking
troops; this monstrous order, which
has blackened the name Of the Russian
commander in chief forever, was ap'
parently issued with the intention that