The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-04-18

var In Germany are told In all their
revolving particulars In a statement Is
sized by the Belgian legation at Wash
ington. d. C. Introducing the subject
matter. the legation statement says:
1.-The information ONE from a Bel
gian soldier, whom we must here call
simply D, who was taken prisoner
ut Namur August %. 1914, was intern
ed August % at Munsterlager, Han
over, and remained there until the he
ginning Of January, 1917, at which
time he was transferred to the camp
OF Soltau."
The statement declares that the YER
acity of D has been established
and then gives his statement In full.
Extracts from II follow:
AT the beginning" says D,
''the brutality Of our overseers was cx-
IRENE. The chief Of the camp was a
general who did not do anything. His
aid-de-camp, Maj. Won Valentine. a
brother Of the private adviser of VIII
liam III. used to insult us every time
he came to see us, and he excited his
suQCFutuaLeS hkuiuSt U.s.
Some Tortured to Death.
"His subordinates naturally were
not tender, to begin with, and the bad
treatment they made US ndure was
shocking. For the least lack OF disci-
pine they made us undergo the pun
lshment Of the post. A certain SER
geant major took a malignant Joy I'm
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
or the prisoners died as a result of
this treatment.
ain April. 1916. new instructions
were sent to the camps. l have seen
them with my W. eyes. They en-
joined upon the commanders of the
camps to utilize the prisoners as much
a. possible and to send them TO the
skommandos,-farms, factories or
mines-as they were needed, without
Distinction, ever those whom the Ger
mans called 'Gebildete Teute,' edu-
Gated people.
In August. 1910. further instructions
were sent all the chiefs of detach'
msnts. or 'kommando' heads, connect
Cd 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 40 Forced to Work.
against those who did not work
enough proceedings should be taken as
follows:
Il. BY not delivering mail to them /;
showing II to them, but not letting
them have II.
-. II this should not succeed, hold
Ing back their parcels from home. yet
letting them see the parcels.
-. 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
GELS. IL forcible treatment and beating
them with rife butts do not succeed
then by shooting.
The consequence of such orders
given to soldiers naturally brutal ant
to noncommissioned officers especially
chosen for the job, was bound to b'
q fresh outburst of savage treatment
eat the beginning Of March. 1917
stNl more urgent instructions from
Berlin reached the camps. Withou
distinction Of age. rank or aptitude
the prisoners who were still I'm tn,
camps and occupied in various serv
ies-clerical. postal. express, taking
care of the yards. barracks and kitch
sns-indesd, all private soldiers. wer'
to be sent to kommandos' and thei
places were to be taken by non-com
missioned officers. . Even tn
sick were to work according to thei
strength. and not to be admitted t
hospitals or infrmaries unless the.
were really quite incapable of working
when cured they were to go back t
work the next day"
Working Sixteen Hours a Day.
The statement then tells Of how
prisoners suffering from serious anC
rainful diseases were made to do the
hardest kind Of labor In the "kom
mandos." The statement continues
sThe prisoners who work IN farms
like hose In camps, mines and fac
tories, are fed on turnips, nettles
barley Cruel and Indian cornmeal al
most e~xcludvely. Practically all pc
Atees have been reQuisitioned. Tn
orders are that the hours of labor shall
BE- determined by the farmers. In sum
msr The prisoners work IA. Is. ant
sven 10 hours a day"
D. tells Of the severe labor tn
pe3eenssa have 10 perform in loadin
ana unloading vessels. generally III
loading Swedish ores and loading coal
men Who are suffering from disease
far rome with tuberculosis. driven I
hsartbreaking tasks long hours ever
DAY. Then the statement tells abou
coodltions In the salt mines. 1t ssys
IAN ~incrsAsing number Of prisoner
are hefnG put to work In the sa'
-a-- nwk~ IA A. uaAA tad0v ocpx