HORRORS OF WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 299, 16 December 1911, Page 4

HORRORS OF WAR.

MS. STORY LONDON". A further sworn statement in refe*. etK-e to the indiscriminate Tripoli by Italians of innocent ArabsW been furnished by the war contsaondmt ot the -\V-estmanster Gazett*." air \i Oullagh, who writee:- Mfr As a protest against the murders o* mno-nt Arabs, women, children J5 men, >st week I returned my official ml pers as war correspondent to General Caneva. Anout 400 women and cifldrm have been shot, and aUo 4000 men. «J whom not 100 wen- guilty. Crippl^j beggars have been deliberatdy ghoiL REFUSED EVEN A DROP OF 'Wick people whose houW ___, burned were left on the ground aaTrZ teed even a drop of water. I per^ witnessed scenes of horror, and Ww£ praphed them. There has notbeen ti^ .slightest pretence of justice. The ArJ! quarters were overrun A>v armed with revolvers, s&tWr Arab and woman they met. Ttf (iffiu ' were worse than the men, and the armv was demoralised. On the rehirTof £rV papers I was s-unrmoned to headquarter but refused to consider anv oanDnun. eataon except through the no further attempt was made to-.comsmti. cate with me. I am now leaving volon tariJy. Hcrr Gottbers:, the weU-knoira German military critic and war corres. pondent of the BerUn "Lokal Aniie C er> took the same step. Every British correspondent save one. leaves to-day (St* urdayh The facts of tie massacres'^ j beyond dispute. The consuls have «l. ready informed tneir Governments, a," scenes are worse than any Kv»gian m*. Rom «r Armenian massacre; Two ma. I Italian Jews were massacred by nugtjl. ARABS MOST COURTEOUS'A ■ I OPPONENTS. .. - i I "The Arabs did mutilate corpseg v v!»t ! not till after the Italians began their massacres. The Arabs were at first most courteous opponents, bringing in Italian wounded under the flag of truce, I visited the Italian front of the battle on October 26, and found the soldiers paralysed with fear. Very many of &o soldiers are now heartily sick of the war. The dreadful persistency cf the enemr day and night affects the soldiers' imag. ; inution powerfully. Up to a faw days jago, when heavy reinforcements arrived, the Italivin line was in great clanger of 1 being rushed at any moment, in which icase there would have been a mad, wild ! rush for the boats, and every European in Tripoli would hive run a dangers of , beiiij massacred, f-o anxious are the consuls .still that they are desiring the Italian Government to provide transpjrts «hereon Europeans may take refuge.

OEKERAL CA>JEVA'S ATTITUDE. 'tieneral Caneva persists In regarding •the Arabs as non-combatants. He say* he is fighting Turkey, and the Arabj therefore, are not rtgiilar soldiers in uniform, and must he shot if caught with arms in their hands, whether under the white flag or not. "On October 2'i a small, brave band of Arabs, who broke the Italian lines at Bunieley, was surrounded in a house and fought for 1-' hours, till their atmnunition was exhausted". They 'were all butchered, despite the fact that the whit« flag was displayed. Mortally wounded men in the battle-front would creep up to the Italian lines for the satisfaction of killing one more Italian t>efore they' should die. The Holy War hasten successfully proclaimed. Bedouins-kbm Egypt and Arabs from the fcoudan-are all* joining the Tripotitans. Only, ah j advance guard of 1500 Arabs is so .far 1 attacking the Italians, despite the ridiculous statements of the Italian papers that the pnemv'a losses are thousands. LiTTLJE ARAB* VANGUARD'S VA3LOR. ! -The little Arab vanguard with antiquated rifies, but.fights eo desperately that battleships, aeroplanes,. seven field batteries, nine mountain batteries. 16 machine guns, and an inflnits supply of the best rifles and ammunition are. emploved against them. Splendid land and sea searchlights are sweepittg the seashore and the deceit., "1W | trenches, -wfherein to hide the wire entanglements, axe made, and there aw I loop-holed walls behind which erow&OTOr I 2000 Italians, of whom 1200 are perprtually in the trenches. Despite .aU.theie advantage.-, the Italians are practically , besieged. The Italian* have retreated ion tlhe e st. so that the' Arab sharp- ] shooters in the date palms now reach'tis . town "with bullets. ,

| THE ARAB SHAEiBSHOOTEBS. - I "The citadel wherein General Ow**** ! lives was hit by a bullet to-day, and,ti» German and American Consulates h»V been repeatedly hit. A soldier wa« kiW near the American Consulate by a h^t from an Arab firing-line. Both the G«*man and American Consuls Bu.Vo.Wia' | doned their Consulates and have taken •j refuge in the town, and everybody U '- the outskirts has done the same. JTH.E iltrimEßED LITTER THE OAQS , "Great shells from the ships ire cM»* jetanlly smashing the date-palms mm '; olives anijd which the enemy ia ttriddM. Loud explosions every day indicate *™ blowing up of houses outside the, , s?aflSj wherein oviry nigki, the enemy"' t» cover. Soldiers refuse to bury the &p' ' dered Ai-aTw who litter the oasis.;Tto» Ss'a terrible stench. The Arabs also P* fuse, save at the bayonet's point, ana contagion is s proa-ding -fast . ••'lTie Italian battle losses are 1508. Three hundred dead and 500 wounded were left on a hospital ship a few dajs ' ago. Attempts are made to con'-*" , these figures. They lie generally about 1 the position here. They have admitted officially hswing executed 40 Arabs U one day; w>Serea.s T saw 50 men and ch* j dren executed in one batch aionvwd execurtiona on a far larger scale axe going on aii around."