The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-07-11
CHARGE AuSTROS
WITH KILLING OF .
WOUNDED men
Advancing Army Finds
Deadly Instrument of
CHASTITY Nature

Rome, July 1.-THE recent ad
vance Of the Italians has enabled
them to collect evidence convicting
the Austrian army of atrocities which
are not behind those practiced by the
Germans. The kultur which produced
gas and liquid fire has apparently
spread to the Austrian high COM
mand, which has been supplying its
soldiers with a particularly chastity
instrument for the murder Of wound
ed Italians.
Photographs of the Austrian muir
der weapon have been made by Ital-
ian officers, and show that consider
able ingenuity has been spent in max
ing these instruments as effective as
possible. In general the "stickera
consists Of q heavy stick, much like
a policeman's mace, with sharp
prong of steel inserted at the end.
The end which holds the prong is for
titled with steel plating or studded
with sharp iron prongs. The other
end of the mace is shaped for firm
grasp, and has a. small rope for slip
ping over the wrist.
! italian soldiers have been found
dead with wounds which could not
have been produced by bullets or by
the bayonet; they have been found
horribly lacerated and torn, and
many italians apparently have been
killed after they had been wounded
| by a rifle bullet. Until the mace was
actually discovered the Italian army
was unable to prove how the beastly
work was done. Now the proof is
given to- the world.
Authorities on modern warfare
~%-s,
cannot claim any legitimate purpose
for these maces. In any hand-to-
hand encounter the mace would be
too bulky and too short for safety
against the ordinary bayonet. When
I a soldier is armed with 1.-The white
ARM" as the bayoneta is called, he
can be met only with another bayon-'
| ct, or with a. bullet or bomb. The
Austrian army has plenty of bayon-
cts and its men know how to use
them. So these weapons cannot be
| substitutes. It is obvious that they
are not intended for use against an
unwoundeda enemy.
| But the mace as shown in the off,
kcial photograph is absolutely perfect
| for killing men unable to defend
] Themselves. When the mace Is used
Tas a club the cluster Of sharp knots
at the end can put man out with
one blow. :, Used as a bayonet, the
mace is available for fighting at
closer quarers than the bayonet al
! lows. But the mace Is clearly intend
1 ed for use by a man who has more
time than any soldier can have in an
attack or in hand to hand encoun-
/ ter, and 1t can only be used against
a Wounded man, one who is incapaci-
tated for If-defence
H. 40 {c ~ Ap1S Mi =,
i MODIFICATION of the German skull
4 cracker specimens of which have
4 been picked up on the western front.
This consists, of a leather handle, a
supple steel shaft and a bolt OF ifon
at the end. It's use is clear from
4 the name which ."Tommies" have giv-
en- to it. Like the mace, 1t is useless
against an armed enemy, and scan
therefore only be seployed after It's
victim has been disarned or put out
i OF; combat by wounds.
l. Americans have generally been re-
luctant to believe that such inlfu-
4 manities as the murder of wounded
are being practiced in this war. The
4 proof that Germans and Austrfans
4 are guilty of this atrocity is to be
found in all the war museums of the
II Allies, for Italy is not the only coun-
Il try which. has suffered. After each
battle the military police take charge
of the conquered ground and searches
it carefully for evidence of what the
enemy has prepared. Much valuable
a information is collected in this way
particularly from the deep dugeuts
where implements. have been stored
4 away. Other details are found by
digging through the earth thrown UP
by a mine crater. The bodies of the
dead are, OF course, carsfu1ly search
} ed, and the information gathered is
fsent in to headquarters. Each arm,
fighting against the Central Empires
has thus made a museum Of atroct-
{ ties. In the Italian museum the mur.
der mace Is q prime exhibit.