DENIED THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN.

Grey River Argus, 5 March 1918, Page 4

DENIED THE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN.

The experiences of Mr. BrownScott were typical of those of fill the prisoners, and the following passages j ire taken from his report: — \ At Kilimatindi : I "An English-speaking German mm- j ed Thomson met us and read us a set of rules, which stated that our time for exercising would be from 4 to 6 p.m., outside the walls of the fortress in a given space of about 100 yards square. ' -About' a fortnight after our arrival one Frank, J. Cooper, a British mantger of an English rubber estate, was -onfined several days in cells without •my trial for complaining about the food. "A letter of complaint was then written on behalf of all prisor-ors anrl idd' >o ssed to the Governor, asking that "Miidit-Jons might be improved. verfinl reply was given us thnt we as prisonprs. had no right to make complaints. •'Any future complaint lodged by a number or body of men was, under German military law, regarded as a revolt, and wouldv be treated as such. "The outcome of this was further restriction imposed, hours of libertj' shortened, and our native servants — whom up to this time we had been allowed to retain — were all dismissed, from which time the prisoners were compelled to do all the work of the jiimp, washing, etc. "On the 13th October about 15 new prisoners arrived .including Universities Mission to Central Africa Missionaries. They complained bitterly of the treatment they had been submitted to. Many of them had been first arrested and placed in cells on trumpery charges of espionage and during their long walk from the Tangia district had been purposely exhibited, surrounded by native soldiers as guards in the towns en route to impress crowds of natives who swarmed about them. "By November, 1914 the food at the camp had become much worse, and consisted of meat and beans, bread made from mtama (millet) ,and very weak coffee without milk or sugar. "On December 1 four naval prisoners were brought into camp, affording some excitement among the old prisoners. . Some one shouted 'Are we downhearted?' and Herr Dorendorf ran upstairs and arrested the late Rev Father Fixsen (U.M.C.A.). "A native guard swore to seeing Father Fixsen shout, and Ke~ was im- ! mediately placed in a small vermin-in-fested native cell, whereupon the man who had shouted went to the officer in charge and admitted his guilt but no change was made. "Fixsen was in cells about a week and the second day asked for water, which was refused. Finally he was compelled to drink the water ' lie had washed in. CRUELTY TO MAJOR HOWARD. "In the last days of February, 1915, a prisoner, Major Howard, D.S.O. escaped. A large number of native aakaris were sent out to scout the adjacent country, with instructions to bring him back dead- or alive, and a reward was spoken of, or promised to native village headmen who succeeded in capturing him. [The Germans did not fulfil their promise of the reward to the natives, the viUagers receiving but a rupee each, after remaining days at the Boma to give evidence.] "On March 2 Major Howard was recaptured by natives and was brought back by native askaris to 'camp on the following day ,with a broken fro", kidney pierced and a black -eye, and was at once placed in a vermin-infested cell (5x3 feet. Howard was a few days later, tried before a native judge, but the sentence was apparently never made know. For about five mouths he was continually in the cell, being only allowed out for exercise on one day of the week for about half an hour. "His sufferings were intense during the confinement. At a ltaer date he was allowed the freedom of the camp from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. but when I last saw Kirn ,more than a year later he was still returning to cells nightly. "The prisoner Luigi (an Italian) was given a further seven days cells for waving Ills hand to Howard during his term ■of confinement. "Major Howard's attempted escape brought about many further restrictions of the prisoners' liberty. Bedtime and lights out was ordered for " o'clock. Exercise was allowed on]-* on the verandah, 18 yards in length which made any proper form of exercise impossible. 'Prisoner Luigi was gjven a# sd«/itior>al four days' cells for complaining that no water had been brought to his cell. "All prisoners, civil included, were instructed to salute and stand to attention at the approach of the German guard. ' "The prisoners had ample opportunity of witnessing the very harsh treatment meted out to the natives by the Germans. For the slightest breach of discipline the native askaris were rrfven 25 lashes with the feiboio, a thick long whip usually niide from hinnnpotamus hide. ' ' \ . : "The German native serv&nts not '

unusually received two puuis?imonta of 25 lashes each within 14 days. The boys were laid out in the central yard of the prison camp, each limb being held down by an askari, a fifth holding down the head , while a sergeant applied the lashed with full force. "Blood was invariably drawn by. the severity of the punishment, and in the case of asEaris pack-drill of four and five hours, with haversacks sandlonded followed. These scones occurred daily in camp, and were an extremely revolting sigfit to the prisoners.