The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-16
'ChacO Carnage
Crimes Mount
InPuppet War
100, 900 Slain as Two
Oil MonopOlies Fight
for Rich Fields
Rv Samuel Weinman

From the Chaco bsttlefelds
comes the following account by =
Bolivian soldiers:
During a military commission
several soldiers who were making
their way through the jungle heard
heartbTesking cries. They began to
search and soon came upon a ter
rible scene. they found a Bolivian
soldier Of the Indian race with his
eye sockets opened by knife thrusts
and suffering untold pain.
Intercepted by these soldiers he
was able to humble in 0uicha
language that he had fallen pris-
oner in the hands Of a Psragusyan
patrol, who after pinioning him
down, and among laughs and in
suits, had thrust their bayonets ten
TO twenty times into his eyes. After
this first torture they smashed the
testicles with the butts Of their
guns and left him. His face had
also been cut and slashed.
When he had finished telling
them Of his misfortune he begged
them to svenge him. He was able
to tell them that he came from
Tarata, Province Of Cochabsmbs.
The soldiers tried to take him 10
the nearest post, but he died q few
moments later.
Prisoners Shot Down
Rations of whiskey are handed
out to the soldiers Immediately be-
fore going over the top. This partly
explains their animal-like ferocitv.
After every engagement soldiers
are found nailed to the ground
with bayonets, others with both
eyes pierced by bayonets.
Prisoners OF war are compelled
to form the front line Of attack,
shielding their captors. Hands tied
behind their backs the imprisoned
men are forced 10 march in the
face Of machinery fire Thus
they are killed by their own
cOuntrymen.
Behind the lines prisoners suffer
from forced labor to the point Of
exhaustion. For working on roads
and farms they receive a compen-
sation Of "a handful Of crackers
and beans"
Counter Charges
All Of the above outrages are
charged against Paraguay by the
Bolivian Foreign ONCE in
pamphlet. Violations Of Interna-
tional Law" But this is a case of
the pot calling the kettle black.
Paraguay has retaliated by hurting
a series Of similar charges at
Bolivia.
The complaints OF the bellizer@
ents are not directed against plain
slaughter. Military mass murder
has the full sanction Of holy" in
ternational law as formulated at
the Hague and Geneva. However. it
seems that wholesale butcherv as
practiced by the imperialists is
supposed to conform with a we'll
defined technique, politely labelled
civilized" and humane" warfare.
Notwithstanding the sacred.
treaties, Red Cross bases. ambu-
lances and hospitals have been
bombarded surgeons and stretcher-
bearers have been msssacred.
Wounded soldiers have been killed.
and the dead have been horribly
mutilated.
Behind the Carnage-OTL.
This lust for oil and tin profits.
has produced an incredibly barba :.
rous conflict. Unbelievable stroci :.
ties have been committed on both.
sides of the battle lines. Russian.
White Guard officers and Prussisn-
militarists who can boast of having.
devised the most ingenious and sa-
distic tortures and executions dur
ing the last World War. are d..
recting the campaigns.
During the last two years the
blood of over 100000 workers and.
farmers has soaked the Chaco bat
tlef1elds in the struggle between,
Rockefeller's Standard Oil Com :
pany and Deterding's ROYAL Dutch
Shell. American and British impe-
rialism have recruited armies
through their colonial puppet ruiz
ers to decide the issue: which rrouu
of imperialist brigands shall have
the privilege of exploiting Bolivar
resources and Iahnr