The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-23
Prisoners of War in a Pitiable
Condition.
Thousands, Liberated, Entering
France Daily.
MANY DIE ON THE ROAD
British Soldiers Inflicted With
Every Punishment.
Were Beaten, Kicked and
Worked Without Food.

London, Nov. 23.-Pitiable condi-
tons among British prisoners of war,
who. have been liberated by the Ger
mans since the signing of the armi-
stice, are described by Reuters cor
respondent at French headquarters.
Thousands of these men, mostly Brit
ish, are entering France daily. The
correspondent writes:
IT have never seen human beings in
such a state of raggedness, hunger
and misery. When the camp at For
bach, 38 miles east of Metz as well as
those elsewhere, was broken up. the
prisoners. most of whom were cap
tured during the March offensive,
ere told to clear out and seek help
from their allies. They started to
walk the so or 60 miles to the allied
no money. They were in shameful
rags. the soles dropping off their
boots. Some wore clogs and no socks.
Many Perisllcd.
'They left the prison Campo In
droves of hundreds, in charge of Ger
man officers and soldiers who had
deserted. The weather was very cold
nd many died by the roadside within
few miles from friends. When the
survivors entered the French lines,
French soldiers who were hardened
war heroes were Mortified to see men
in such a plight. 1t is not doubted
that this suffering was Intentionally
imposed upon the British. Prisoners
of other nationalities are agreed that
the British were treated worse than
the 'other prisoners at all German
camps"
Younger's committee dealing with the
treatment of British prisoners in the
coal and salt mines of Germany, gives
narrowing details of brutal treatment
by the Germans. This report says:
Berlin Approves Savagcry.
"From testimony scarcely a month
old, it is evident that there is no sign
of Improvement whatever in the treat
ment of prisoners in Germany. This
disgrace is open and fragrant. and the
only possible inference is that Berlin
deliberately approves of it. There is
no doubt that work in the mines is in
flicted as punishment. Here is an ex-
tract from letter dated May 20, last,
from a British private seldier;
1--WE have had little to eat since we
left Hameln. Two of our number have
gone to the hospital with broken arms
and the remainder are suffering from
cuts on their heads and bruises as the
result of fioggings they received at
the last place. I fell in faint unable
to work any longer last Saturday and
the man in charge, a civilian, kicked
me back into my senses and kept me
down in the mine sixteen hours after
all my gang had gone up. If you
could only see the boys here. They
all look like dead men. They are
worked to DEATH"
Daily Violence.
The record of daily promiscuous
violence might be much further illus
trated. To scores of men who have
given evidence concerning the mining
camps. kicks. blows and insults be-
came part of the normal routine,
Here is an example from the testimony
of a man who had been at one of the
Hameln salt mines:
I'm January, 1918, refused to COM
plete my task as it was q physical inn
possibility. I was taken out of the
mine dressed only in shirt and draw
ers-it is too hot in the mine to wear
anything else-and put for the night
in a hut which was not weatherproof
In the morning it was half full OF
snow. The next day I was taken to
the mine and again beaten until had
finished my task. l received nothing
to- eat from the time l went down
into the mine on the first morning un-
til o'clock the next afternoon"