Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-02-11
GERMAN HATRED
VENTED ON italy
Returned British Soldiers Tell Of the
Prison Camp Savagery Prac-
ticed by the Enemy.

London, Feb. 11.-Reuter's Limited
has received copies Of carefully veri-
fed sworn statements from British
soldiers who have returned from Ger
man prison camps and hospitals re-
garding systematic brutality prac-
ticed by the Germans upon Italian
prisoners.
These reports emanate not from one
particular center only, but come from
more than a dozen different parts OF
Germany. They have been confirmed
by independent testimony. The re-
ports all are of recent origin, as the
soldiers who gave the testimony left
Germany only recently, majority OF
them having been released from prison
camps about a month ago.
Regarding the camp at Langensalza,
Saxony, testimony has been received
from more than a dozen Independent
sources. In November about two
thousand Italian prisoners were
brought in and placed in separate
part of the camp behind barbed wire.
| According to the reports, they were
unnecessarily knocked about by under
! officers and guards, who struck them
with rife butts and scabbards.
| The Italians appeared famished, and
! used to rush for their soup. The Ger
mans, however, stabbed them with
swords and bayonets, killing or
wounding many of them. Seven or
eight Italians were dying from starv-
alton in the camp every day. One
Italian testified that he had been Is
days on the journey to the camp and
had had only three meals during ali
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
a day through starvation or dysentery.
From the Dulmen, Westphalia, camp
There are reports from many indie
pendent witnesses concerning the way
the Italian prisoners are treated. 1t
is stated that the prisoners were
march all the way from Italy with
no other food than bread. They also
were knocked about and starved and
otherwise treated inhumanly. English
prisoners gave them their German
rations.
One witness said that three or four
weeks before he left Dulmen 200 or
800 Italian prisoners arrived there
All of them were virtually starved.
Il saw a German sentry draw his
bayonet against these men and beat
them" this witness said.
In Coccnl rnpnrfad that the
Italians are treated worse than the
British, being pushed about or stuck
by German corporals. At Mannheim
the same brutality is regularly prac
ticed. One witness said the Italians
| rushed madly for the food and somt
. Of them were bayoneted. The< Ger
, mans, this report said, were givin.
! them only half rations.
! At Munster it was testified the be
havior of the Germans to the Italian.
) had become much worse since the re
cent large capture of Italians. TIKI
prisoners are suffering much from tn,
, cold and were wrapping themselves il
blankets whenever they could. TIL,
: brutal conduct and bullying on tn
. part of the Germans set in only re
Gently. One witness said he saw tn
: Italians knocked down frequently
e This treatment was not due to ba'
/ conduct on the part of the prisoners
a These men have one ration 'of SOU
r and bread daily.
. Similar evidence comes from Zerbst
1 Anhalt, where Italian prisoners afte
e five days journey without food, wer
S driven back by the Germans wit
e drawn swords as they were going t
= get their soup allowance. Anothe
@ witness testified that at the Hemei
r camp the Italians were nearly starve
: and fought among themselves for
: piece of bread thrown to them b
e British prisoners.
At Freidrichsfelde, province G
Brandenburg, the treatment of tn
Italians was equally barbarous. Her
z sentries shot Italians for trying I
J. get food from the British prisoner
Y Equally revolving stories come fror
n Hammelburgh, Stendal, Soltau, Lin
n burg and Hamburg