Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-01-05
POLICY OR PASSION
DETERMINES ACTS
Turks Either Starvc, Torture or
Fete Their Pris-
onerS.
REPORT .DISCLOSES HONORS
Marched for Days Across Desert
Without Food or
Drink.

LONDO:; January 4.-The treatment
OF prisoners - Turkey. according to a
government waite paper,'<h has faith
fully reflected The pcculiaritics OF th.
Turkish character.
Thus 1t has happened that at Tic
same moment there have been prisoners
treated with almost theatrical polite
ness and consideration. prisoners left to
starve, prisoners left to die through
sinple neglect and incompetence, anu
prisoners driven and tormented saw
asely.
Two principles may be detected as
influencing the behavior OF the Turk
one being an affair Of deliberate policy
'he other instructive and customary.
Mi%ed In with n good deal OF easy
going Kindness there is always to De
tounc the conviction that it can matter
little what becomes OF the ordnar!
mass so long az compliments are paid
10 the great.
IL has been a real surprise to the
IurHiah mind even in high places. TO
learn that the rights of the enlisted sol
dicr seriously regarded by Western
opinion; and the rank and file have
had small reason. in their hclplcssncss
10 regard the Turk a that chivairous
and honorable foe OF whom W.. have
sometimes heard.
The story of the fate OF the men cap
iured at kut, as told in The govern
ment paper, is one OF unmi;iSatcd hor-
ror.
1t is OK these men tina, the rcpor,
principally speaks. and it relates how
Brittah naval officers have at different
times undergone most barbarous
punishment Gin the name OF re
priHals'D By being confined for MANY
week: underground without sight of
""E: y. solitude and severe privation.
lac toia! number OF officers and men
believed to have been taken prisoner.
by the Turks from the beginning OF
nc war IS 1888 or these, 1920 have
rlnnrtId nzn In,
I,Zs2 remain untraced. and it mus, lie
believed that they. too. have almost
an prrished unnamed: how or where
cannot DC told in any single case All
belonged to the Jlut force which sur
rendered.
WHAT HAPPENED on
MARCH THROUGH DESERT
The truth OF what happened on the
npc-inile march OF PRISONERS IRON,
saInarA. north Of Baguad, ACROSS TN.
S?F!an DESERT 10 Asia amor curing onc
OK the herccsi of SUMMERS viii iteve.
pe hhoWn IN all its horrors. TOR those
VINO could tell the worst are long dead
bot, says The white paper, IL Is
certain mat TINS desert journey imposes
upon those Tespoustble a crime OF th,.
hind which We cali historic so long and
& srribie Nas the torture IL meant for
thousands OF helpless men. there was
20 one in the higher Turkish comment
VINO could DC ignorant that TO send The.
men out on such journey and in sucn
conditions was TO condemn half OF them
W Cci TAIN Cedtn, unless
pTccaution were taken
~ was the purcst accident that the
Briiish doctors in sl.agdad received IN.
hrst continuation Ftlsir fears, through
lines, ueing sent north after the Iirst
\ Ia se2ees @! men HAD started In con
sequence oil an urgent message from
one OF Them to the Turkish cornInandcr
in-chief British medical STAFF was IL
lowed TO go TO Suniara. where they then
collected the hundreds OF sick who han
ialien out OF the march during it's first
stages. They were picked up from The.
roadside where they lay in the n,iscrios
or dysentcry. just rs they CHANGED to
drop disEcS arded and deserted. Many
We're beyond help.
The track was still followed hy the
same group OF officers. and the sights
ihsy saw at villages end halting places
al along the road hardly bear t.llinv
There were parties OF men living nx.
nausted under any shelter they could
mo. In all stages OF dysentery and
S s.Strrvati1n: some dying. some dead:
fali-ciothcd, without boots. having sold
milk.
Only here and there had an attend
them; generally there was no one but
The Arab villagers. who mercilessly
ioobed them. or the under officer of the
local police post. who stared indiffer-
entity and protested that he had no au-
thority TO give help. The dead lay un
buried, pimndercd, and stripped OF thei:
FORCED TO EXIST UpoN
FEW SCRAPS or FOOD
Many weeks later at Il desert viii
laSe. about .hree days' journey from
Nleppo. there was found Il group or
StN british soldiers and about dozen
Indians, who for three months had lain
on the bare ground OF amud-walled .h
closure, sucsisting solely Oh / few
scraps thrown 70 them by Arabs o.
passing caravans. The Englishmcn had
hcen fourteen. eight had died. and Of
The survivors only one was still able
10 crawl two or three hundred yards
10 place where there was water.
w men the survivors of this terrible
march OF prisoners arrived in July, 1916
III the Taurus Mountains they were
put 10 work constructing the BagdaI
railway tunnel They were kept there
until September. when the construc-
lion company found it hopeless to try
10 get work out OF the suffering men ;
IN the last months of 1916 the sur
wang prisoners wero dispersed in diff |
tcrent quarters. as they were absorbed |
into the chaotic system of the Turkish !
Empire
Some went 10 Anon interment camp.
which had hideOus record for the
hoggfng of prisoners--punishme that
WAS habitual there. for the most trjflinY
oifenSes while the place was under tho |
control OF certain Turkish naval Of |,
ncer who ruled with "a cow-hide whin
Ills behavior became notorious, ana the
turkish government under pressure !
removed him early In 1917