The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-04-28
PRISONERS
MALTREATED
Lord Kitchener Charges the
German Soldiers with
Acts of Cruelty
VIE WITH SAVAGERY
OF THE DERVISHES

Duty at. End of War to Exact Rep
aration Against Those Proved to Be |
Guilty Agents.
LONDON, April 28.-Both houses of
Parliament yesterday occupied them
selves almost entirely with discussion
of the treatment of British prisoners
of war in Germany
The speech of Earl Kitchener, war
secretary, in the house of lords, in
which he declared that Germany in her
treatment of prisoners had stopped to
acts Of wanton cruelty, made pro-
found impression, as did the speech
of Premier Asquith in the house of
commons, when he declared that Eng
land, at the close of the war, would
surely exact reparation.
In both houses expression was given
to the gratitude felt for the efforts of
the United States to investigate and
ameliorate the living conditions of the
prisoners
:" Germany has for many years posed
before the civilized world as a great
military nation, said Earl Kitchener,
In the house of lords. g She has album
dainty proved her military skill and
courage. But surely it was also for
her to set up standard Of military
honor which would gain the respect,
if not the friendship, of nations. In
stead, she has stopped to acts which
will surely stain indelibly her military
history, and which would vie with the
barbarous savagery of the dervishes of
the Soudan.
~ have been forced, with relue-
lance, to accept as indisputably true
the maltreatment by the German army
of British prisoners. The Hague con
vention has been fagarantly disre-
garded by German officers. Our pris-
oners have been stripped and NAL
treated in various ways, and in some
cases the evidence goes to prove that
they have been shot in cold blood Our
officers, even when wounded, have been
wantonly insulted and frequtnely
| struck.
Proof of Inhumanity.
Earl Kitchener said that, as a sol
der, he hitherto always had held of
ficers of the German army in respect
but constant testimony that has
come in, not only from our own es-
capped prisoners, but from French, Rus
| sian, Belgian and American sources,
has brought it home to all who have
sifted the evidence that the inhuman-
ity displayed by the German authori-
ties, toward British prisoners espec-
tally, is beyond doubt. .
/ The secretary quoted articles from
| the conventions adopted at The Hague
| relating to the treatment of prisoners
of war and asserted that they had
been disregarded flagrantly by Ger
man officers. He added:
81 think it only fair and right to
say that the German hospitals should
| be excepted in any charges of DELHI
crate inhumanity. There have been
indications of a lamentable lack of
medical skill and, in individual eases
4 of neglect and of Indifference to suf
| fering on the part of hospital order
\ lies. On the other hand, there are
4 statements from prisoners who have
Il been released as incapacitated thai
their experience in the hospitals did
not form any ground for special com
l plant
s.Treatment of prisoners in the oe
tention camps in Germany varies con
siderably according to locality. Ou1
men in most cases suffered from the
1 want Of food, and have received de
ferential treatment as compared will
| their French and Russian comrades
and many acts of violence have beer
i complained Of Latterlv, however
there does appear to be a slight i'm
provement in some respects, due per
haps to visits of inspection made
through the American ambassador.
Recently some of our officers hav,
/
in retaliation for the supposed treat
ment of Germans in this country. TIL
Hague convention does not admit O
such confinement of prisoners of wal
except as an indispensable measure o
safety
Asquith Wants Reparation.
Speaking in commons Premier AS
quith said:
cit is a horrible story from ever
point of view-one of the blackes
spots on even German methods of wa
i My object in rising is to say, with al
emphasis and all deliberation, that w
T shall not forget, and we ought not t
r forget. this horrible record of calcr
lated cruelty
eve shall at the end of this wa,
hold it to be our duty to exact sue
! reparation against those who ar
proved to be the guilty agents in TIL
: matter as it may be possible for US t
:, infict. I do not think we would b
II doing our duty, either to those brav,
II unfortunate men; or to the honor {
III our country. or to the plain dictates {
H humanity. if we should be confer
II with anything less than that
L