The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1943-02-18
MASS MURDER FOR THE CONQUERED

lence of the Nazis in conquered capitols of the world that the,
now hold, let them read tale of a City" just issued bv thu
office of war information. Then let them ponder on what W.
could expect, if by any chance, the Nazs should come to the
United States. This tale is the tale of Warsaw, which held ou
for 81 days against the guns and Stuka dive bombers. That was
in 1889, a long ago time in this war, and many things have
happened since then. We may have forgotten Warsaw, but its
people can never forget its conquerors.
Here are some facts revealed in Tale of a City:
: Health: Warsaw today is dying out. Deprived of the neces-
sary fats and vitamins, the population falls easy prey to dis
ease. Exhaustion, hunger and cold have forced many people tc
stay permanently in bed In the first half of 1941, 5000 per-
sons were born in Warsaw, but q, 800 died. In 1941, 5000 died
of tuberculosis, compared with less than 5000 in 1888. In the
first eight months of 1941, typhus took a toll of $500 persons,
compared to % in 1888. Children are malformed and ghost.
like, suffering from anemia and softening of the bones"
Cost of living, wages: Cost of living up more than 1000 per-
cent. Wages have fallen below minimums set by pre-war con-
tracts. "Warsaws working class is poverty stricken"
Food: Bread is about the only thing the Poles can count
upon eating. This winter there may be no bread in Warsaw.
Forty percent sawdust, the bread is dark and indigestible'"
Food cards, rarely received, theoretically enttle Poles to
subsistence amounts of a few items. adults may not receive
milk, an adult being anybody older than six months"
Private enterprise: Germans seized all war industries in
Warsaw, putting the larger ones to work without delay, and
taking a little time to fit the smaller ones into their war ma
chine" German trustees (Treuhander) have been installed in
businesses stolen from Poles; they exercise complete control,
boss the former boss and his workers, and receive fancy salaries
Light and heat: Eighty percent have been without sufficient
light and heat since the occupation. Gas pressure has been so
low it takes several hours to warm a quart of water. Without
warning, sections of the city are completely deprived of cleo
tricity, often for two or three months at a time" Coal is avail
able only on the Black Market, where a half ton costs about
$3.50. Nazis have seized all homes and offices with steam heat
For frewood, Poles have torn down fences and stripped trees
of bark.
Private property: 'The invaders passed a series of legal de-
crees authorizing themselves to steal all Polish property. For
weeks on end the covered trucks of the Gestapo rumbled out
of Warsaw, headed for Germany laden with furniture, rugs,
jewels, furs, paintings, household equipment, all manner and
description of Polish personal property, all seized without pay
ment."
Cultural life: All universities and high schools have been
closed. Scientific laboratories have been dismantled and shipped
to Germany. The Polish press has been suspended. No history,
geography or Polish literature may be taught in elementary
schools. No new textbooks are issued and most old ones have
been confiscated. Systematically destroying the intellectual
classes, the Germans forbid teachers, writers, artists, musicians
and actors to practice their professions"
Gestapo: Warsaw is really ruled by the Gestapo, a law unto
itself" Once it became settled in a former ministry on Szucha
street, with some one thousand officers and five thousand
troops, no mans life could be called his own"
Black Markets: There is little doubt that the Germans, at a
fat profit, have a hand in operating the Black Markets. Few can
afford the prices: an egg costs 60 cents, a pound of pork around
81, a pound of butter between SO and $11.
Housing: Thousands of Poles have been expelled from their
homes on three days notice, and been moved to other parts of
the city. Today Germans completely occupy the best residential
sections" Polish Jews were given three hours to pack and get
into the Ghetto.
Religious prosecutions: Large numbers of prominent priests !
are in concentration camps, or have been tortured and put to
death. Both Lutheran colleges Deen seized N converted
military hospitals. Polish Protestant publications ae for
as are religious rites in Polish in Protestant churches. :
Ghetto: Reports from Europe indicate that German authori- /
ties ARE now carrying into effect Hiters oft-repeaed intention
to exterminate the Jewish people in Europe" Before the policy Z
Of determination took effect, more than a half million Jews
packed into 100 city blocks of the Ghetto. The Ghetto
the highest death rate of any modern city in the world. s
had one hospital, without linen. In the Ghetto, thirty to forty
persons occupied one room in warehouses and offices. 4
Executions: There is no way of telling at this time exactly g
oy rnapy Poles have been murdered bV the NaZiS in Warsaw "
The execution spot is now Palmiry, near Warsaw, where mass 4
hootngs occur either at dawn or during the night, by the {
light of auto headlamps. Twenty persons at a time are lined up (
behind deep trenches and shot. I
Tale of a City" says "Warsaws fate is the ultimate fate of 5
Paris, Oslo and Rotterdam, of Belgrade and Brussels, of every s
illage. city and nation that falls to the Nazis. Poland has been I
he testing ground for the Nazi plans of world domination. J
VERY nation occupied by the Nazis has been subject to an 6
nexorable pattern; no matter how mild the occupation seemed !
t the start, conditions slowly and surely have approached those J
REVEALING in Warsaw" Let us remember that; it will help us 6
keep in mind what we are fighting for. ]