The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-11
SAYS ITALIANS
ARE BEING STARVED
Reports from Several Sources to Eff
feet That Prisoners Are Beaten
and Knocked About.

anu A1UChco f1bOuS.
LONDON, Feb. 11.-Reuters Limit
ed has received copies Of carefully verl-
fed sworn statements from British sol
diers who have returned from German
prison camps and hospitals regarding
systematic brutality praetlced by the
Germans upon Italian prisoners. These
reports emanate not from one particular
center but come from over a dozen dit
ferent parts of Germany. They have
been confirmed by independent tesri-
mony. The reports are all of recent
origin as the soldiers who gave the
testimony left Germany only recently
a majority of them having been re-
leased from prison camps about month
ago.
Regarding the camp at Langensalza,
Saxony, evidence has been received
from more than a dozen Independent;
sources. In November about 1900 Ital
ian prisoners were brought in and
placed in a separate part of the camp
behind barbed wires. According to the
reports they were unnecessarily knocked
about by under officers and guards VIM
struck them with rifle butts and Scab
bardS.
The Italians seemed famished and
used to rush for their soup. The Ger
mans, however, stabbed them with
swords and bayonets, killing or wound
ing many of them. Seven or eight
Italians were dying from starvation in
the camp every day. One Italian tes-
titled that he had been Is days on the
journey to the camp and had had only
three meals during all that time.
There is a strong feeling among the
English prisoners that something should
-be done for the Italians who are dying
at the rate of six or seven day
through starvation or dysentery.
From the Dulmen. Westphalia, camp
it is stated that the prisoners were
marched all the way from Italy with
no other food than bread. They also
were knocked about and starved and
otherwise treated with inhumanitv
English prisoners gave them their Ger.
man rations
One witness said that three or foul
weeks before he left Dulmen two 81
three hundred Italian prisoners ar
rived there. All of them were virtual
ly starved. Il saw a German sentry
draw his bayonet against these mel
and beat them, - said this witness.
In Cassel, it is reported, the Italian,
are treated worse than the British, be
ing pushed about or struck by German
eorporals. At Mannheim the same bru
tally is regularly practiced One wit
ness said the Italians travelled - day
on three issues of soup. The Italian
rushed madlv for the food and some o
them were bayoneted. The Germans
this cold 81,
half rations.
At Munster, it was testified, the %
havior of the Germans to the Italian
had become much worse since the II
= cent large capture of Italians TIL
Z prisoners suffered very much from tn
I cold and were wrapping themselves i
: blankets, whenever they could. TIN
, bad conduct and bullying on the par
of the Germans set in only recently
One witness said he saw the Italian
: knocked down frequently and also hi
0 with the butt end of rifles. This trear
ment was not due particularly to ha
g conduct on the part of the prisoner
e but simply because they were Italian
v These men have one ration of soup an
o bread daily.
9 Similar evidence comes from Zerba
= Anhalt, where Italian prisoners aftt
: five days journey without food wel
L driven back by the Germans wit
l. drawn swords as they were going
get their soup allowance Another vi
l. ness testified that at Hemeln camp tt
It Italians were nearly starved and fougi
y among themselves for q piece Of brea
II thrown 10 them by British prisoners
'. At Friedrichsfelde, province of Bra
;, denburg, the treatment of the Italian
. was equally barbarous. Here 9ntri
C shot Italians for trying to get foo
d. from the British prisoners
D. Equally revolving stories come fro
Hammelburgh, Stendal, Soltau, Lu
burg and Hamburg.