New Britain herald., 1917-11-06
GERMAN SOLDIERS
 TOLD OF BUTCHERY
They Protested to Gerard Against Massacre of Russian Prisoners

Washington. Nov. 6.-Three letters from soldiers of the German army showing that they considered it neces- sary to protest to Ambassador Ger ard against certain German war prac- tices, among them the unnecessary slaughter of Russian soldiers, were made public by the United States gov- ernment yesterday through the me- dium of the Committee on Public In- formation.
 These letters were written to Ann- bassador Gerard as the represented tive of a Christian State with the expressed hope that he might be able to accomplish something toward put ting an end to butcheries which the writers of the letters said they were forced to witness or to participate in. !. They are to be published in a forth. coming pamphlet on German War Practices" to be issued soon by the Committee on Public Information.
 Here is the protest of a German soldier, an eyewitness of the slaughter of Russian soldiers in the MasurtaR' lakes and swamps:
 Ut was frightful, heart reuding. aa these masses of human beings were
 
 rible thunder of the cannon could be heard the heart-rending cries of the Russian: oh. Prussians! Oh. Prus- sians!'-but there was no mercy. Our captain had ordered: The whole lot must die: so rapid fire "As I have heard, five men and one officer on our side went mad from. | those heart-rending cries. But most | of my comrades and the officers joked as the unarned and helpless Rus | sians shrieked for mercy while they were being srffocated in the swampa and shot down. The order wasi | Close up and at it harder!' f,5 For days afterward those heart-. rending yells followed me and l dare not think of them or l shall go mad. There Is no God, there is no morality and no ethics any more. There arc no human beings any more, but only beasts. Down with militarism.
 ''This was the experience of 9 Prussian soldier. At present wound ed; Berlin. Oct. 22. 1914. @f s
 "If you are a truth-loving man. please receive these lines from com- mon Prussian soldier"
 Here is the testimony of another German soldier on the east front:
 Russian Poland. Dec. 19, 1914. &
 "In the name of Christianity sem
 you these words. My conscience forces me as a Christian German soldier .. inform you of these lines.
 wounded Russians are killed with the bayonet according to orders, and Russians who have surrendered arc often shot down in masses according to orders in spite of their heart-rend- ing prayers.
 1 "In the hope that you, as the rep resentative of a Christian State. will protest against this, I sign myself "A GERMAN SOLDIER AND CHRIS THAN. q would give my name and regt- ment, but these words could get me 5 court -martialed for divulging military secrets" The following letter is from a sol. dier on the western front:
 'To the American Government, Wash ington, U. S. A.:
 "Englishmen who have surrendered
 are shot down in small groups. With the French one is more conslderate. , ask whether men let themselves bt taken prisoner in order to be disarmec , and shot down afterward? Is that chivalry in battle? -.gf . "It is no longer a secret among the people; one hears everywhere thai few prisoners are taken; they are shot down in small groups. They say naively We don't want any unneces- sary mouths to feed. Where there IS no one to enter complaint, there is nd judge Is there then, no power l. the world which can put an end to these murders and rescue the victims Where is Christianity? Where is , right? Might is right. E "A SOLDIER AND A MAN WHO IS
 NO BARBARIAN"