GERMAN COLONIAL OUTRAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 288, 2 December 1905, Page 13

GERMAN COLONIAL OUTRAGES.

WHOLESALE SHOOTING OF NATIVES IN GERMAN EAST AFRICA. The following details have been received iby the "Koloniale Zeltschrlft" of the trial tiy conrt-maitiaJ and execution of najtivee at Lindi, in the south of German East I Africa. On the return of the governor ot the dietrlct a number of the native prisoners w«re tried by court-martial and condemned to death. Aβ a report had been circulated among the population iaat the rifles of the German troops could not kill, it was decided that 21 of the prisoners should be shot, iustead of being hanged. The men >verc immediately executed. The prisoners were escorted to an open space in the forest and stationed in groups joinc distance apart. They were then blindfolded, and each group was shot down by successive rifle volleys. They met their death very calmly, with the exception of one young man, who screamed with terror and fought and struggled to the end. He was bound to a tree and shot down. After the first volleys it wae found that several of the fallen men were still breathing. These were killed by fresh rifle shots at close quarters. The dead bodies were allowed to lie unburled for several days. Another court-martial will be held shorty, when a batch of over a hundred prisoners will receive sentence.