New Britain herald., 1915-09-16
GERMAN PRISONERS
 SUFFER IN RUSSIA
Gold of Winter a Hardship May
 Be Returned

Correspondence of the Associated Presss Stockholm, Sweden, August 31.- The American consulate-general at ming of the war, been delegated by the German government to handle German civil prisoners in Russia, is now making determined effort to re- turn these prisoners to Germany so that they may not suffer the hardships of another winter in the interior of Russia. Although these prisoners have not been the victims of actual cruelty on tho part of the Russian officials, their condition has been in- describably wretched. Hundreds of them have died from cold, starvation and disease.
 A recent order issued by Prince Usupoff, the governor of Moscow, stated explicitly that every German or Austrian of non-slavic origin regard less of age, state of health, or any mitigating circumstances whatso- ever, must leave Moscow before Aug ust IA, either for Germany or for one of the interior governments which have been chosen for the interment of civil prisoners and which already
 
 women and children.
 Order Meant Death.
 This order meant certain death for scores of Moscow residents whose physical condition was such that even a short journey under the best condi- tions would have been dangerous. John Snodgrass the American consul general, who had made special study of these cases appealed to the governor of Moscow for discrimina- tion in the execution of the order of expulsion, but popular feeling has run so high against the German and Aus trian subjects in Russia that it was stated that exceptions could not be made. An American correspondent sitting in the offices of the consul general watched the stream of for eign subjects who were suddenly confronted with expulsion from the country which they had learned to consider their own. Most of them, although German or Austrian sub- jects had lived so long in Russia that they were thoroughly Russian in their sEmpathies and some of the women had been devoting their time in sewing and making clothing for Russian soldiers. For a large percen- tage of them a return to Germany where all their associations had long been broken or a seclusion in the in terior of Russia were alternatives of- fering an equally dismal prospect
 Crowded in Cattle Cars.
 Except in extreme cases, serious 1 illness and infirnity do not interfere l with the deporting of the patient. 1 Crowded into trains commonly used l for cattle, almost without food, l scantily clad and in various condi- ] tions of disease and despair, these 1 persons are subjected to a 1 railway journey which lasts for days, 1 and in great many cases are forced l to march overland for sixty or sev- 1 enty miles from the railroad station 1 to the camp where they are to be in- l termed.
 The sanitary conditions on these | trains are vile and there is every l possibility for the spread of the dis 1 ease. There Is no assistance for the l sick and there is no protection against 1 infection for those who are we'll. On 1 the march from the railroad to the l camp, large, numbers have frozen to 1 death along the way. The lot of 1 difficult to exaggerate.
 MT. Snodgrass is at present trying to convince the governors of the var ious provinces that their cooperation l is necessary, unless the condition of l German civil prisoners in Russia is to i become national scandal.