Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-23
SAY WAR PRISONERS
ABUSE THEIR LIBERTY
Italian People Chafe at Absence of
Restraint Which Permits Spying
and Propaganda Work.
(Correspondence of The Sunday Stnr
and New York WOrld.D

ROME, December War prisoners,
whether Austrians, Hungarians or the
rarer Germans. are the subjects OF
many bitter complaints and of appeals
TO the government for stricter treat
ment. One of the least of their draw
backs is that they do very little work
on the farms and roads which are sup
posed to benefit by their labor, while
they have all grown fat and sleek from
good feeding Italians who have rela-
tiyes in Austrian prison camps and
know how starved and ili-treated they
are note with Impotence the liberty
still given here to prisoners of war.
despite a general press campaign some
time ago.
the Milan Corriere della Sera, is sec
onded by the population of those dis
tricts nearest to the zone of operations
who have refused to have any more
war prisoners on their land and now
employ refugees from the recently in
vaded provinces. In many farm and
country districts the prisoners are ac-
tua1ly doing anti-war propaganda,
working harder at that than with pick.
shovel or pillow. Many OF them knew
some Italian when they arrived; nearly
all have picked up enough to talk to
the peasants, and talk they do.
Propaganda sabotage.
Since the Italians recent reverses
they have talked louder than ever. They
read the Ttalisn papers. which many
Italian peasants cannot do, then en-
nound their puoaosed contents to the
Villagers, noting how bad it is to make
war against Germany and foretelling
that the Austrians Will very soon IN
wade their village if the war goes on.
The Corriere della Sera gives chapter
hos
names of villages and prisoners and
their temporary employers.
In most cases the prisoners have too
much liberty and are in direct con-
tact with the rural population. In
others they are insufiiciently guarded,
and work at their own sweet will near
such important railway lines as
that of Milan Venice. which is one of
the chief means of communication be-
tween the Piave zone of operations and
the interior of Italy. There was bad
railway smash recently on the line
fror, Milan to Genoa. also an important
var supply artery. 1t was found that
the line had to be broken up. Austrian
prisoners were working there just be-
fore the express from Milan dashed
onto the broken lines and was wreck
ed.
provincial paper. the Brescia Sem
tinel published in one of the most vital
! ma rts of the war zone, reports that on
November Il a war prisoner spent. sun
guarded, six hours sitting on a bench
at The railway depot of Chiari.- In that
time he. was able to observe and re-
feet. upon the passage of many trains
laden with British and French troops.
on their way to the firing line. The
prisoner was on his way. not to the
firing line but to concentration
camn down south. because he had ILL
treated his fellow prisoner recently
employed in road mending in the
ne;e bborhood. AS the Sentinel points
| ont he will have no difficulty in find
ina "a fellow countryman in the con-
icentration camp who can transmit the
sum of his reflections as he counted
| the troops who passed through Chiari.
count Ruscellai of Florence, employs.
on account of labor shortage, twenty
Austrian war prisoners on his farm at
ranneto, near the city of Prato. They
have plenty of liberty and they took no
pains to conceal their delight at the
italian retreat from the Isonzo They
| had the impertinence to improvise a
little banquet to celebrate the German
t"yictory."