Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-11-16
PRISONERS BADLY
TREATED, CHARGE
French Government Issues a
Document Detailing Alleged
Abuses BY German
Capt0rs.

Paris. Nov. 13.-The case of the
French government against Germany
in regard to the alleged m~istreatment OF
French prisoners Of war, is set u in
issued. The book sums up reports
of the Spanish embassy in Berlin, of
delegates from the International Red
Cross, who visited German prison
camps, of doctors and nurses who We're
lnterned in these camps, and of testi-
mony given under oath by crippled col
dlers who have returned tc France.
The French government contends
that the following accusations AVE
been proved: The theft from French
prisoners, killing of wounded prisoners,
execution without formality of civilians
arrested on the preteXt of sniping,
transportation of prisoners in foul cat
tie cars, with healthy, sick and wounded
crowded together indiscriminately
without food or medicine, insults and
violence to prisoners by German SOL
dlers upo their arrival in Germany,
attacks pon French prisoners by
women at Erfurt, with knives, sicklcs
and scyths, tolerated by the escort.
splitting upon and whipping of prison.
ers by civilians and kicking Of prison.
ers by young German recruits, as they
MED through Torgau, great rayages in
nearly all prison camps by t~uberculo-
sis, developed by neglect of most Gle
mental hygienic precautions, spread of
typhus among British and rcnch pris-
oners by mixing them with infected
Russians, general prevalence of vileu-
matism in all prison camps, as the re-
suit OF dafnpneSS, enforced labor by
prisoners of war on military work. such
as trench digging, manufacture of
munitions, Insufficient food, shelter and
clothing.
Submit Photographs.
photographs OF German lamps are
offered to show the prisoners in mid
winter without tents, dugouts or shell
ter. 1t is charged that during the first
winter in Germany large numbers of
prisoners We're Obliged to dig thcm-
selves into the ground for shelter OF
build mud huts, n the Spanish am
bassador is quoted in support of this
accusations: 1t is admitted that ON
improvements on these conditions have
been made in certain camps.
In regard to the question of nour-
tshment, French surgeons and nurses
who have returned to France after pc
RODS of captivity in Germany. report
that the insufficiency OF food. coupled
with other privations, has resulted il
the spread of tuberculosis and other
diseases, such as e~rysipelas, scarletina.
and gastritis.
Crippled soldiers, returning to Franco
from the amp of L~angenSalsea Cas-.
wy v Wv VI ~ IL w llltlil'uI 81, u
port that Russian prisoners carrying
typhus were scattered through the
camps. starting an epidemlr.
They accuse The German doctors Of
brutality to nurses, as well us neglect
of typhus patients. Men who died of
the disease during the night were saiG
to have been ing among the other
prisoners until morning.
AT Wittemburg, according to this
sworn testimony of returned soldiers.
the German authorities abandoned the
typhus stricken camp to it's own re-
sources, which were nil.
All communication was cut off from
the exterior. A narrow aug railroad
was used to shove into the camp the
prisoners rations and collins. Two
thousand French soldiers are stated tc
have diSl of typhus at the Castle.
The section OF the book which deals.
with the enforced labor Of the prisoners
of war charges that 1900 French pris-
oners were forced to work in the Krupp
works at Essen. Severa thousands, it
is also asserted were sent to CORTLAND
province in Russia where they were
employed in building strategic rail-
roads.
The book concludes with the declara-
ton by the French government that it
has not nor will it resort to measures
of reprisals. The only modification in
the treatment Of German prisoners as
the result Of these charges are. the gov
says, the reduction of rations
n pay to the equivalent of the Ger
man srations and pay n the withhold
in reply to the same measure applied
In Coprporv IT,