New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-21
Carriers Left to Die on. Trail
After Flogging and Starva-
ton
Natives Murdered on Sus-
picion of Having Aided
British Soldiers
By Captain Rowe
Fighting With the British Forces in
Africa


layers, young boys, old men and
women; in fact. they catch those who
cannot run away. They chain them to-
cether and just work them until they
die Of starvation and exhaustion. In
following upon Wahle's trail from Ma
langali TO Bupembe VIC kept finding
dead and dying carriers. Nor after an
action do they trouble any more about
their wounded Askari. but just leave
them 10 die"
The above is an extract from an off,
cisl report received from Brigadler
General Northey, the commander Of
British column in East Africa inc
knowledge that even the soldiers from
India who were taken prisoners by the
Germans at the beginning Of the war
are being done 10 death in this singu-
larly brutal manner must stiffen still
further the determination Of every
Rriton TO put an end once for all TO an
intolersble state of affairs.
Every Colony Suffers
This unimpeachable evidence from
General Northey is not singular. The
evidence of a similar character from
every colony that once had the mis-
fortune to be in German hands Is over
vhelming. IL also bears out TO the
letter the threats which Germany ut
tered before the war 10 unbelleving
ears She has promised again ana
again in her official "Kreigzbrauch i'm
Landkreige," no less than in the works
OF her most authoritative writers. to
shrink from no cruelty calculated TO in
spire terror 10 her advantage This
being 50. proofs that she has kept her
word may seem necessary. It is new
ortheless advisable. now that the i'm
minent prospect Of defeat Is inducing
her TO veil as far as possible her for
mer deeds and utterances, to keep the
memory of the past before us. That
The present deeds of Germany are IN
exact keeping with those she has COM
nitted in the past intensifies the charge
against her.
A British Blue Book gives details OF
an indisputable character relating 70
great number OF trials in German
Southwest Africa before the war. These
clearly indicate that savage treatment
Of the natives By Germans was not the
exception, but the rule, and it is evil
dent that the principle generally &C
cepted was that a native could be shot
at sight for any alleged offence. The
following are merely instances from
very many similar cases:
A List of Cases
Walter BONNER. y. c. o., murdered
two Herreros and wounded two others.
They were running away from service;
he lust called them 70 him and shot
them.
Frank Jusez, police officer, murdered
a native accused of theft by kicking
and stamping him to death after fog
ging him.
A Bushman was logged to death on
the off chance that he meant TO steal.
This will give a general idea of the
offences committed daily in German
Southwest Africa. More important is
the case of a German officer named
Venuleth, of the same colony, because
words used By him in his defence Sug-
gest the habitual and intentional atti-
tpde OF the German toward the native.
Venuleth was tried by the British (by
q court Of the Union OF South Africa
Cor shooting two Bushmen after a trial
that was mere farce One cynical eX-
cuse nc gave for his conduct was that
"they were Bushmen. and the Bushmen
arc = great nuisance and always steal
ing cattle" Incidentally, he made this
frank admission; IL would in certain
circumstances convict man against
whom q charge had not been proved
He was eventually acquitted on the
ground that he had some reason to be-
lieve that the murdered natives were
spies.
A similar state Of things existed in
the German Cameroons. Here the Ger
man native troops were almost invsris-
bly, allowed every kind of license in
L.. o,,.1,
They could murder, rob, burn, and
carry off women pretty much as they
pleased. In a shortsighted way the
policy may have paid. Natives accept
cd military service readily, both for the
advantages which they gained and the
disadvantage which they escaped. Yet
il would be hard TO believe in such a
policy being adopted by civilized race
II II were not in strict accordance with
principles openly ayowed long before
hand.
Many Villages Burnt
As illustrative OF the German atti.
tide in the Cameroons toward neutral
natives during the war, passage from
captured document is peculiarly H.
Eliminating. The Duala natives were
believed 10 be making themselves use
full 70 the British. chiefly by acting as
guides. Every Duala village within
reach Of the German troops was there
fore ordered 20 be burnt and every Sc
verify practised On October Z. 1914
German Official. Won Englebrechten
formerly private secretary TO the Gov
ernor OF the colony. wrote TO Haupt-
mann Gaiser, a German commander
giving instructions TO the effect already
stated. This document contains the
following passages:
prisoners will only be made wher
they are caught red-handed and can be
legally tried and condemned to death.
The obvious implication that il would
be wise 70 dispose Of the innocent be
forehand is startling even from the eN-
private secretary of a German Colonial
Governor.
He does not for a moment realize
that while the governing Of native
race may require firm hand, il equally
requires a just and sympathetic mind
!. is the truest wisdom to keep in sight
the interests Of the governed, and this
he has never learned.
There is an island in the Pacific
called Marskei. IL belonged formerly
70. Germany. The following address
from the people of Marakei to the Brit
ish commissioner speaks for itself:
"The mind Of the men of Marskei
Forasmuch as they understand The
benefit Of the protection and freedom
after former misrule. afforded by Brit
ism laws they affirm that nj
government is as good as the British
And they affirm that as they are pre-
vented from assisting the empire al
war in any other way. theirs indeed arc
the cocoanuts. and they will contribute
nuts increasingly for the war and cease
rot till the war is over. They do no.
want to boast, hut they like the British
government. they are determined that