The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-13
WAR PRISONERS
ABUSE LIBERTY
italian People Chafe at Absence of
Restraint which Permits Spying
and Propaganda Work Behind :
Battle Lines.

Rome. Nov 22--(By mail) War
prisoners. whether Austrians, Hunga-
rams or the rarer Germans, are the
subject of many bitter complaints and
of appeal to the government for strict
or treatment, One of the least OF
their drawbacks is that they do very
little work on the farms and roads
which are supposed TO benefit by their
la Dor. while thew have all grown fat
and sleep from good feeding. Italians
who have relations in Austrian prison
camps who are starved and Ill treat
ed note with impotence the liberty
still given here TO prisoners of war,
DESPITE general press campaign
some time ago. However, Austrian
and Hungarian officers are no longer
taken to places OF amusement. The
trouble now is with the rank and ffle
The press of Northern Italy. head
Cd by the Milan Corriere della Sera
te ably seconded BY the population
of those districts nearest TO the zone
Of operations who have refused to
hava any more war prisoners on their
Land and now employ refugees from
the recently invaded provinces In
many farm and countrv districts the
prisoners are actually doing anti-war
propagandA working harder at 1t than
with pick. shovel or plough. Many
of them knew some italian when
they arrived: nearly all have picked
up enough TO talk to the peasants
and talk they do.
Propaganda and Sssrufnse.
Since the Ttai'ans' recent revsrses
thay have talked louder than ever.
They reed the italian papers. which
many Italian peasant cannot 10, then
expound their supposed contents to
the villagers, noting how bad II II
TO make war against Germany and
foretelIing that the Austr'aus Will
very soon invade their village ~ the
war goes on. The Corriere della Sera
gives chapter and verse with these
reports. stating names of villages and
prisoners and their temporary en-
ployers
In most cases the prisoners have
too much liberty and are N direct
contact with the rural population. In
others they are insuffic'entlv guarded,
and work at their own Eweet will near
10 such I'm no~tant railway lines "a
that OF Mtlan-Venice, which lis one OF
the chief means OF communication he
tween the Piave zone of oOerat ons
and the interior OF Italy. There was
a bad railway smash recently on ths
. line from Milan TO Genoa, also an
IN, -n-.a NJ war suppiv artery. It was
IN Austrian prisones were WORKING
there fust before the express from
Milan dashed onto the broken lines
and was wrecked.
The recent explosion in Mount
Cents tunnel which runs under the
Airs between France and Italy. ts also
sa'd To be the work Of war prisoners
recently employed for repairing the
tunnel The enthusiastically f@w-
were allied troops coming to the
Italian front
OppoFT unity tn Soy.
A provincial paper the Brsscta
Sentinel. published IN one OF the most
vital PARTS OF the war gone. rsnorts
that on Nov = war prisoner spent,
unguarded six hours sitting on a
bench at the railway denot OF ChtAri
In that time he was able TO observe
and reflect upon the passage Of marv
trains laden with British and French
troops on their way to the firing line.
The prisoner was on hts way. not to
the firing lire. but to q concentration
camp down South, because he had III
treated his fellow prisoners recently
employed in road mendiny IN the
neighhorhood Az the Sentinel points
out, he will have no dshsculty In ind
ing fellow countrynan In the con-
centration camp who can transn.S~
the sum OF his reflections as he count
ed the troops who passed through
CHART
Count Ruscellai. OF Florence, EN-
ploys, on account Of labor shortage,
twenty Austrian war prisoners on his
farm Mt canneto. near the city OF
prato. They have plenty of liberty
and they took no pains 10 conceal
their delight at the Italian retreat
from the Isonzo. They had the I'm
pertinence to impovise a little ban
quet to celebrate the Geman vic
tory