"BUTCHERED ON THE WAY."

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 137, 9 June 1917, Page 15

"BUTCHERED ON THE WAY."

FATE OF PRISONERS TREATED-AS DROVES OF CATTLE. Under the heading "They are murdering our prisoners." the "Echo de Paris" publishes a letter from a native of Alsace who was for some time ln a camp of German prisoners ln France. After saying that the speech delivered by the Prussian Minister of War, General yon Stein, alleging that German prisoners 'of war were ill-treated, was only a pretext for the 111 treatment of British and French prisoners of war, the Journal's Informant quotes a letter from a German officer. Lieutenant Jacobl. son of the Registrar at Mulhouse. to his father. In which the lieutenant wrote: — "I have been entrusted with a task of which every good German should be proud. My work consists ln going to and fro between France and Germany in charge of droves of human cattle. Kicht days ago we left France with 400 British and some hundreds of French. On arriving at Frankfurt we discovered that we had lost on the Journey 3SO British and a number of 'red breeches.' " To his Inquiry of Jacobis father-as to what could have become of the missing pri souers, tbe Alsatian received the reply "They were butchered on the way." It may be pointed out, says a London daily in pub'lshing the above report, that the evidence of "butchery" Is not conclusive.