Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-05-20
PRISONERS FORCED
TO WORK IN MINES
Cases Of German Cruelty TO
War Captives Shown by
Reports
EbnSion Times.Public Ledger Service
Special Gable Dispatch


h Amsterdam, May 2O.--Several fresh
4 cxses gof German brutality toward
nrisoners have come to my notice.
y. Work in German mines is widely
knoWn as one of the Cruelest forms OF
T fGfture practiced upon the unfortunate
Z victims of German ferOCity. salt and
coaI mines are among the worst places
4 4Wherein prisoners are forced to labor.
One case reported to me is of man
reduced to a complete wreck, due to
working in a mine called kaliwerk
Prinz Adelbert. After two months his
health was broken down, and being
y sick he applied to see doctor and re-
fused to descend into the mine until
he WAS examined.
"a German Feldwebel replied that if
(. he did not go down he would be
ftrox,n down. The Feldwebel made him
& &sf4nd on the edge of the cage, placing
:,a German soldier with fixed bayOnet
Z Behind him. saying the bayOnet would
& " run through him if he persisted
3 ID refusing.
when pricked by the bayonet he
{ f1escended and did eight hours work
* and was subsequently punished for
Il fourteen days in a cell on a diet of
Il bread, water and soup and doing his
daily eight hours shift.
Friends Fail to Recognize Man
"a % Eventually he broke down com
E uletely and was seen visiting a Ger
y man civilian doctor He was sent to
II Soltau where the change in his APP
Dearance was such that his old friends
there failed to recognize this human
wreck as the fine healthy man he
ureriousIy was known to be when well
until the man made himself known.
III Another case is that of a Coldstream
?. Guard forced to work in a zinc smelt-
ing factory. who, when broken down
f.ro or three men who knew him be
( fore declared they were unable 10
recognize him as the same man he
was being completely yellow, his
hack bent and he was very thin. A
witness who reports this case had no
heeita ton In swearing that this man S
deafh In a hospital two weeks later
4. uvaS due TO brutal treatment TO which
+ 10 had been subjected.
<l Another case relates of the notOri'
ans Tenth army corps, under Genera
+ Won Haenisch of which so many com
pl5ints have been made. Noncommis
&iened officers were sent from various
y usps to Bohmte, nineteen miles from
|. ()sna brueck, where they were required
f io work and subjected to severe pun
sllment for refusing to work, having
% stand seven or eight hours a day a.
attention..
Dutch Brings Succor
Their parcels were withheld by tn,
<cn3u1andsnt. Feldwebel Lieutenan
14on Muller. The noncommissioneC
o{'>c<re got in touch with a representa-
E<<& hut the eommandant told tSen
q Dutch representative decided IL
<5r favor he would punish them fol
81 hpars, standing at attention.
~ Dutch Representative came, aaC
IU1iux at attention was abolished
instead. the officers had to parad'
n 1&x long and show various arti
@f their equipment from 8 a. m
~ u. n. One day while II was rain
TH <rS{ were made TO parade outsid,
{4& rain with their bedding. and i
H1& Iaff there until IL knowingly wa!
t1 <1<a{ed. They were reduced to sucl
Fate 81 Starvation that eventuall,
tia ceusented TO work outside tn,
1I1{p 40 dig the ground for cultivation
&<K nothing was planted
I<I5& doing this work they received
'2fff|< They were later put TO Gu
u<1( 1(Hef Haily, the task being az fee
.&X IS feet which subsequently wa
iurHe4sed 10 3k by 1876 feet. The,
<set refused to work, and consequent
]4 <tfIfies forced them out on tn
I<4 tn and they were n ade to stan,
4feufIon from TO ; p. m. and whel
&ornI1andant came out himsel
"a s<11A frpm l TO n. m. in al
/Eore They were forced TO do thi
the bitter weather OF February
1tt}cn month the commandan
ard ordered the noncommlE
I..ers 20 complies their tasl