KULTUR AND TORTURE

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, 26 October 1916, Page 6

KULTUR AND TORTURE

: The following is from a memorandum by the Foreign Office: Following upon the refusal of Belgian workmen to work on the requisition of the German authorities the latter attempt to starve them. They forbade the communal authorities to give them relief either in kind or in money. Some time afterwards, with a view of depriving them of all resources, they proceeded to arrest^ and imprison all the State functionaries and agents as well as private persons assisting them in the distribution of o-elief. The workmen were threatened with having their houses burnt. . . The workmen were requisitioned at their,houses by soldiers v/ith fixed bayonets; in the absence of the workmen, members of their families were taken as hostages. "Women* and children were frequently arrested; one litble girl 14 years^old^was detained. . Uhlans patrolled the streets to intimidate the population, actually charging peaceful inhabitants with their -lances. . . . Finally, not being able to overcome the resistance of the workmen, the Germans r.esolved to deport them to Germany. . . The works in which prisoners were forced to employ themselves. ■~,,-. consisted in clearing forests and digging trenches. . Though the grounds to be cleared or dug consisted of quick sand-s, the ~Ger- . mans refused to allow the elementary . precautions such as Tne use of prop's necessary in such circumstances. It was obyious that they wished to make the work as difficult, dangerous, and unhealthy as possible. . The f-onn-nels-forbade all rest; if a workman stood up to rest for an instant, he was struck with a stock or with the butt of a rifle, and even prodded with a bayonet. In general, the nourishment given them was insufficient, bad, and unhealthy. The least mistake, the slightest breach of rules, -was ■ severely punished. The punishments were of various kinds, but always cruel. One workman . . .

was placed for several hours, with bare feet and his face exposed to the sun, on the roof of a shed. .Another punishment consisted in making the victim rim for several -.hour© with a sack of .bricks on his shoulder, or with a brick in each hand, and two bricks attached., at each side of his coat. A rest.of five or six minutes and a glass of watfer were allowed to the unforttmate man every two hours. . . Sometimes the victim was bound for several hours 'to a, stake or a tree with his face exposed to thj3 sun.