The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-05-09
TELLS OF T0RTURES melted GUT
TO WAR PRISONERS IN GERMANY
Belgian Describes How Guards, Chosen Especially for Their Bru-
tally, Beat Helpless Captves Into Insensblty-Many Are
Worked to Death Under Horrible Conditions Food
Intentionally Is Made Revolving.

The exact conditions of prisoners or
war in Germany are told In all their
revolving particulars In a statement is
sued by the Belgian legation at Wash
ington, d. G. Introducing the subject
matter, the legation statement says:
1.-The information comes from a Bel
gian soldier, whom we must here call
simply D who was taken prisoner
at Namur August %, 1914. was intern
ed August % at Munsterlager, Han
over, and remained there until the be-
ginning of January, 1917, at which
time he was transferred to the camp
of Soltau."
The statement declares that the YER
scity Of D. has been established
and then gives his statement in full.
Extracts from 1t follow:
AT the beginning" says D,
"the brutality of our overseers was ex-
IRENE. The chief of the camp was a
general who did not do anything. His
aid-de-camp, Maj. ven Valentine, a
brother of the private adviser Of Will
liam ii, used to insult us every time
he came to see us, and he excited his
subordinates against US.
Some Tortured to Death.
His suboreinates naturally were
not tender, to begin with, and the bad
treatment they made us endure was
shocking. For the least lack of disci-
pine they made US undergo the pun
ishment of the post. A certain SER
geant major took a malignant JOY in
making the sufferer get up on the box
placed against the post, tying his vic
tim and then removing the box. The
mar would remain hanging. Several
of the prisoners died as a result OF
this treatment.
"In April, 1915, new instructions
were sent to the camps. | have seen
them with my own eyes. They en-
Joined upon the commanders of the
camps to utilize the prisoners as much
as possible and to send them to the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, factories or
mines-as they were needed, without
distinction, ever those whom the Ger
mans called 'Gebildete Teute,' edu-
Gated people.
In August, 1915, further instructions
were sent all the chiefs of detach-
ments, or 'kommando' heads, connect
ed with the Munsterlager prison
camps. These instructions declared
that the prisoners did not do enough
work. and that by some means or other
the amount must be increased.
Even the III Forced to Work.
Against those who did not work
enough proceedings should be taken as
follows:
~. BY not delivering mail to them !;
showing II to them. but not letting
them have It.
-. II this should not succeed, hold
ing back their parcels from home. yet
letting them see the parcels.
'3. BY employing force. using the
butts of rifles. though without wound
ing the prisoners and making them in
capable of working.
-. II Withholding letters and par
cells, If forcible treatment and beating
them with rifle butts do not succeed,
then by shooting.
otA0( "a o0NA OAANA
given to soldiers naturally brutal and
to noncommissioned officers especially
chosen for the job, was bound to be
q fresh outburst Of savage treatment
sAt the beginning of March. 1917
still more urgent instructions from
Berlin reached the camps. Without
distinction of age, rank or aptitude
the prisoners who were still In Tho
camps and occupied In various serv
ices-clerical, postal, express, taking
eare of the yards, barracks and kitch
ens-indeed, all private soldiers, were
to be sent to 'kommandOs' and theil
places were to be taken by non-com
missioned officers. Even tn
sick were to work according to theil
strength, and not to be admitted Il
hospitals or inirmaries unless the.
were really quite incapable of working
When cured they were to go back Il
work the next day."
Working Sixteen Hours a Day.
The statement then tells Of how
prisoners suffering from serious ant
painful diseases were made to do th'
hardest kind OF labor In the "kom
mandos." The statement continues
"The prisoners who work on farms
like those in camps, mines and fac
tories, are fed on turnips, nettles
barley cruel and Indian cornmeal al
most exclusively. Practically all pc
tatoes have been requisitioned. TIT
orders are that the hours of labor shall
be determined by the farmers. In sum
msr the prisoners work IA. Is. ant
even 16 hours a day"
D tells OF the sever labor tn
prisoners have to perform in loadinI
and unloading vessels, generally IN
loading Swedish ores and loading coal
men who are suffering from disease
far gone with tuberculosis, driven {
hsartbreaking tasks long hours ever
day. Then the statement tells abou
seqn1itiens In the salt mines. It says