Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-10
F0RfURES bRREbA
|. BY A PRISONER
IeERMANs HANGED HIM BY ARMS
e. FROM WHIPPING POST
Russian Reveals More Forms of Treat.
msnt Pfaotiesd on Those Cap
tured by kaiser's Troops.

States government. The latest chapter
OF the crimes pracGieed in The PRISON
camps Was revealed by 4 RUSSIAN aAu
had peen a prisoner.
Finally escaping from the prison
camp, he Travelled Twelve days until Us
came 10 an electrically charged NIfe
fencing about The st0chade " hich bar
rel The prisoners from The rest OF lle
world. A terrific Storm occurred that
night and drove the guards 10 shelter.
With long knife he had procured,
he dug his way under The fence aud
escaped
So short Was The lood allowance, lit
declared that The prisoners VINO were
forced TO work. we've reduced TO sick
ness and many became too weak
10 walk
The prisoners allowance OF bread
Was one LOAF vi Two and one'hali
pounds q day for four men. Turnlp
soup Was the only other thing thel
GOT to eat Occasionally theie was
meat in IL from some injured horse
that had been killed. A labor bat
tanon OF prisoners had originally con.
sisted OF .,ob0 men, but the processes
OF starvation, accidents, exposure, IN
merciiul beatlngs, and death have fr
duoed ii to about 800 The same pro
cess OF disintegration was going ON
III all the battaliUns.
Those men who cheated The grave,
yard were either distributed among
other battaliUns, sent TO hospitals be
hind The front, OF We're assigned TO ~
valid commands. They were total ph!-
sical wrecks. and barely hung on "
life Some Of them had broken arms
OF legs ana tinserless hands in
word men Win tteiy injury aud dc
rormily the human frame can endure
and SIN hold life.
The sick, the injured, and those Vi
terry worn Out ana unfit are never
sent back 10 Germany To Iheif ungiua!
camps, but are kept behind the front
there to die. The officials are afraid
OF the effect on their own people vi
the horrible sight these men present
They are like men who stalk out vi
their graves. animated skeletons,
bones covered with skin. cheeks with
uuI flesh deeply sunken eyts.
The Informant was sergeant and
resisted To the end all German al
Temps 10 compel him To work. lie
said he was given the choice To work
or 10 be starved 10 death. He accept
Ell The latter. For six days he was
stood at attention in an open field
from q. m till noon. Alter eating
his soup al noon he and thirty other
noncommissioned officers were lock
ed up in Wet cellar until morning.
This went OF for SIX days
They We're then lold that three OF
the thirty OF them would be picked
ula by LOT and would be shot unless
They consented 10 work They were
led out.
The Informant and ten others per
sisted IN their refusal and begged The
officer 10 have them shot. They Were
led to one side, their arms were twist
ed behind their backs, wrists Were
tied with 4 rope and they were then
led each 10 post and backed against
IT,, wooden blocks were brought on
which they were made 10 stand while
their hands were tied to the post IA
high as possible.
The blocks were then kicked Out
from under them and they were left
suspended by their wrists with theil
feet off the GROUND, the upper part OF
their body taking u dropping position,
They remained thus suspended two
hours. The next day the process was
repeated. Hanging Of the victims con
tinued and vas followed by beatinas
with rifle butts then followed four
more hours OF hanging, when con
sciousness left Them.
Altogether he hung twelve hours Oh
thar posi-. German soldiers standing IN
The vicinity cursed their commandment
Tor The wanton cruelty.
He was finally liberated and was
sent to work along with others. He
was given a shovel and threw ii away.
This went on for five days after which
he was sent to another barrack and
was left alone. The cook there en-
listed his services and he worked In
the Kitchen He stated that there were
ten other noncommssioued Officers
who similarly resisted all German ct.
fofts TO compel them to work.
Then a party OF thirty, five OF whom
were sergeants, came to his battalion,
Twenty Of them consented to work,
Others refused They were made to
stand immoyabIe from 8 a. m. 10 noon
when soup was given them and then
the standing continued 10 10 D. m.
This continued eight days. The com.
mandant told them they would stand
until they were dead unless they con
scented to work The mems legs be-.
came so swoolen that they could
neither stand nor move and they were
removed somewhere.
Death often visited the prisoners
barracks during the night and brought
yelinf 10 some unfortunate.
-
What we call representative gov
eminent Is a perpetual tempist. for
the minority Of The assembly never
f.tle n claim that 1, Il. ,h. ...n 4..t,., :,