The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-11-10
@~GERMAN WAR PRACTICES"
Pamphlet to he Issued by Commit
tee Oh Public Information Will
Give Letters From Prltssians L to
Ambassador Gerard Detailing HOr-
ors OF Murder in War.

washington, NOV. o.-Ine TACT tndl
German soldiers themselves appealed
to Ambassador Gerard, rs the repre-
protest against atrocities and butch
cries in which their commanders
forced them to participate, will lie
disclosed in q forthcoming issue Of
2 pamphlet by the committee of pub
lie information entitled German
| War Practices"
! One German soldier, conscience
stricken with the massacre of Rus
sian prisoners, implored the Ameri-
can ambassador 10 protest and signed
his letter "A German Soldier and
Christian.
Another, who through the ambassa-
dor. addressed his appeal to the
American government against the
Lutchery of prisoners and signed h:s
! letter "A soldier and man who is no
barbarian" This was the protest Of
q German soldier. an eye witness of
the slaughter of Russian soldiers in
The Mazurian lakes and swamps:
1T was frightful. heartrending, as
the masses OF human beings were
driven to destruction. Above the ter
:jbic thunder of the cannon could hc
teard the hartrending cries of The
Russians:
80 Prussians' But there was 80
answer Our captain had ordered:
The whole lot must die. SO rapid
are AS l have heard, five men and
one officer on our side went mad from
those heartrending cries. But Gost
Of my comrades and the officers ioked
as the unarmed and helpless Rus
slams shrieked for mercy while they
We're being suffocated in the swamps
and shot down. The order was:
| Close up and at il harder
For days afterward those heart
rending yells followed me and / can
iOt think of them or shall go mad.
There is no God. There is no morality
and no ethics any moro. There are no
human beings any more. But on,y
beasts Down with militarism.
There was the experience of :.
Prussian soldier. AT present wound
ed. Berlin, October 22, 1914.
III you are a truth loving man.
please receive these lines from a com
mon Prussian soldier"
This was the testimony OF another
German soldier on the Eastern front.
Russian Poland, December 10,
1914
I'm the name of Christianity ]
send you these words.
AIy conscience forces ME as :,
Christian German soldier TO inform
you of these lines.
wounded Russians are killed with
the bayonet according TO orders.
And Russians wEo have surrend-
cred are often shot down in masses
according to orders, in spite Of their
!
I'm the hope fhat you, as the rep
resentative of Christian state viii
protest against this. sign myself,
"A German Soldier and Christian
Il would give my name and regI-
nent but these words could get me
cOrtmartialed for divulging military
secrets"
This letter from soldier on
the Western front:
ITO the American government
Washington, u. S. A. -
English who have surrendered aro
Shot down I'm small groups. With the
french one is more considerate. ask
whether men let themselves be taken
prisoner in order to be disarmed and
shot down afterwards Is that cbiva,-
ry IN battle? 1t is no longer a secret
among the people; one hears every
where that few prisoners are taken:
they are shot down in small groups.
rhey say naively: We don't want any
unnecessary mouths to feed Where |
there is no one to enter complaint
'Here is no Judge Is there then no |
power in the world which can put an |
ond 10 these murders and rescue the
victims? Where is Christianity?
where is right? Might is right.
"A Soldier and Man Who is No Bar
barian."