The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-17
AUSTRIAN MURDER
 MACE IS USED ID
 KILL TIE WOUNDED
DiabOlical Instruments Have Been Collected in Italy's Museum of War
 Horrors

| Rome June 30--(Special Correspond ence.) e.)--The recent advance of the Italians has enabled them to collect evidence con- victing the Austrian army of atrocities which are not in the least behind those practced by the Germans The kultur which produced gas and liquid fire has apparently spread to the Austrian high command, which has been supplying it's soldiers with a particularly ghastly in- strument for the murder of wounded Italians.
 | Photographs of the Austrian murder weapon have been made by the Italian army. and show that considerable inge- nuity has been spent in making these l instruments as effective as possible. In l general the sticker'' consists of heavy stick, much like policeman's mace, with | a sharp prong of steel Inserted at the Tend The end which holds the prong is ' fortified with steel plating or studded with sharp iron prongs. The other end 1 of the mace is shaped for firm grasp and has small rope for slipping 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 have appar- ently been killed after they had been wounded by 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 have pointed out that the, Austrians 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 bay onet. When a soldier is armed with "the -l,, sr,1 can be met only with another bayonet or with a bullet or bomb. The Austrian army is by no means short of cold steel. It has plenty of bayonets and it's men know how to use them. So these weap- ons cannot be sub bstitutes. It is obvious that they are not intended for use against Ian unwounded enemy. But the mace as shown in the official photograph is absolutely perfect for the purpose of killing men unable to defend themselves. When the mace is used as a club the cluster of sharp knobs at the end can put man out with one blow |jUsed as bayonet the mace is available for fighting at closer quarters than he bayonet allows. But the mace is clearly intended for use by a man who has more time than any soldier can have in an at tack or in hand-to hand encounter, and lit can only be used against a wounded man, one who is incapactated for self defense.
 Killing the wounded is an atrocity which offends the deepest instincts of na- tions which do not make a profession of war In the Spanish American war, it lis recorded that Major General Wood called out to the Rough Riders not to shoot at retreating Spaniards, although they were legitimate prey of war. No American has ever killed wounded en- emy except in self-defense, as when wounded open fire upon rescuing parties. Hundreds of instances of the latter have been recorded by the British armies on the western front. Germans who are or pretend to be wounded have shot down officers and men who came into the trenches to rescue them. But conditions any case no necessity exists for the man. ufacture of such an instrument as the murder mace.
 The mace is apparently an Austrian modification of the German skull cracker specimens of which have been picked up on the western front. This consists of a leather handle, a supple steel shaft and a bolt of iron at the end. It's use is clear from the names which Tommies have given to it. Like the mace 1t is use- less against an armed enemy. and can, therefore, only be employed after it's yic- tim has been disarmed or put out of combat by wounds
 
 ant to believe that such inhumanities as the murder of wounded are being prac- ticed in this war. The proof that Ger mans and Austrians are guilty of this atrocity is to be found in all the war museums of the allies, for Italy is not the only country which has suffered. After each battle the military police takes charge of the conquered ground and searches it carefully for evidences of what the enemy has prepared. Much valuable information is collected in this way, par ticularly from the deep dug-outs, where implements have been stored away. Other details are found by digging through the earth thrown up by a mine crater. The bodies of the dead are, of course, care fully searched and the information gath cred is sent in to headquarters. Each army fighting against the central empires has thus made a museum of atrocities. In the Italian museum the murder mace is a prime exhibit
 The Italians have not decided why the Austrans have felt 1t desirable to break the last rule of civilized warfare in kill ing wounded enemies. It is certainly easier to kill than to rescue but the Austrians must have known that in the end the trick would be discovered. The