New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-18
Washington Embassy Is
sues Booklet Reporting
Tales of German Abuses.
CAPTINES TORTURED.
PLAGUED AND KILLED
Germans Charged with DeIiber-
ate Brutality, Treachery and
Prisoners Neglect.

Washington. April l7.-Brutal treat
men; OF prisoners By deliberate torture
and neglect is charged against Ger
many in q report issued aere today
by the Russian Embassy for distribu
ton in the United States. The twenty
FIVE pages OF the report are filled with
the outlines Of testimony given before
the Imperially Constituted and Extraor-
binary Commission OF Inquiry sitting
n Petrograd. The testimony was given
by Russian soldiers Nho have escaped
from German captivity and By mem
bers Of the first party o. -epatriatel
invalids, who we're returned 20 Russ %
las: August
The report IS accompanied by four
teen photographs Of soldiers who were
tortured because they would not di-
vulge mii.tary secrets and soldiers who
suffered wounds from explosive or
dum-dum bullets. The commission al
ieges that it has investigated and veri-
fed 1900 cases OF the latter type.
There are also reproductions OF Two
letters. said 70 have been found on tie
bodies o. dead Germans. in which the
writer's told OF driving Russian pris-
oners before them in a charge - lessen
their own losses
Instances wnere wounded soldiers
have met their death by being beaten.
stabbed. shot { or neglected are given
IN the report Two soldiers were help
ing each other dress their wounds when
they were approached by mounted
party OF German patrols. The off 'er
as soon as ne saw the wounded men
lying on the ground. rode up 10 them and
with the words. All, you are Russians,
There is Berlin for you fred his re-
volver ~ the man who had assisted
Sayushinskv. killing him on the SPOT
There were no baths In the camps.
the report continues. The prisoner
were obliged 10 remain unwashed and
soon were covered with vermin.
The food in the camps was described
BY tho soldiers as UNBEATABLE and nau-
seating These conditions OF Dad
nourlshment. combined with the cold
and damp. produced epidemic chol sra.
hunger typhus and the spotted form OF
that disease in many OF the camps
The report says that large NUMBER
OF the cripples VINO we're repatriafed
we're not wounded in wargare. but by
the Germans IN the camps. Instances
arc given where prisoners were beaten
because they would not dig trenches or
were too weak 20 do manual labor
ION the night OF the 7th OF May. IN
thccsmp Of Witteberg. seven Russian
prisoners were shot for applying 20 the
commandant for better food
One Of the instances cited where
torture was resorted 20 when the pris-
oner would not diyulge army secrets
is that Of Michael Ananiev telephone
operator. who was captured by a pa
:rol near Warsaw. "A German made
an incision With a sword bayonet IN
the prisoners left ear. separating the
upper part Of il from the skull bone.
After this they put their victim on his
feet and the officer again demanded
particulars OF the Russian troops, but
as Ananiev still maintained silence
they threw him down again and COM
pletely cut off the helix Of the ear.
Ananiev later made his escape as they
were taking him 10 headquarters.