CRIMES OF THE WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17212, 14 July 1919, Page 5

CRIMES OF THE WAR.

♦ j ATROCITIES BY ENEMY. j A TZRRIBLE INDICTMENT. ! CRIMES COMMISSION REPORT. A terrible indictment of the enemy is contained in the report of the Allied Commission on the responsibility of the authors of the war and on the enforcement of penalties. This commission appointed snbnoinmissions, and Mr. W. F. Massey, Prime Minister of New Zealand, was elected chairman of the sub-commission wMch dealt with the collection of evidence necessary to establish the facts relating to culpable conduct -which (a) brought about the world war and accompanied its inception and (b) took place in the course pi hostilities. The commission's report contains a summary of examples of offences committed by the authorities or forces of the Central Empires and their allies against the laws and customs of war and the laws of humanity. It is stated that this tabular analysis does not by any means purport to be exhaustive or complete. The object is simply to give a number of typical examples. The crimes imputable to the Central Empires and their allies run into thousands, and the list could therefore be greatly extended. The following are extracts from this collection of fearful crimes against humanity: — Atrocities in Servia. Especially priests, teachers, mayors, and influential notables were imprisoned. Many thrown into prison never again seen: others led out of the town, on pretext of taking them to Bulgaria to be interned, but killed on the way. Others killed in their homes. Women, children, and the aged not spared. These acts done in a systematic, manner. Corpses • burnt, thrown into rivers, or left to dogs and pigs. This was by the Bulgarians in the autumn of 1915. Massacres en masse; many thousands. This was before the insurrection of 1917, and occurred in Eastern Servia. In many villages few women were spared from rape. Committed by officers and police, as well as by private soldiers. Several cases in which, mothers were victims in presence of their daughters and vice versa. Often beaten before violation, and slashed with knives afterwards. Deportation into Bulgaria en masse, including children) and the aged. Subjected to extreme hardships during transportation ; many died of exhaustion. Massacres, tortures, rape accompanied deportation. Many robbed on the way. Principal victims : —Professors, teachers, priests, judges, lawyers, tradesmen. Internment en masse, including children and the aged. Dreadful conditions in camps; no clothes, no sanitation, very little food, hard labour, bastinadoed or bayoneted for no offence, or on the slightest pretext. Many robbed of their belongings. This was at Sliven. Dioumourtchani, and many other internment camps. Out of 100.000 interned, only 50,000 returned, and they were broken in health. Interned a doctor of Vrania, because the officer had designs on the latter's wife. Frequent torturesbefore murder; tearing out eyes, cutting off nose and ears, also breasts of women. Beaten and hung up. Carried out in prisons and in military quarters. Bastinado— frequent of the tortures. Men hung up by the feet; heavy weights fastened to feet; flesh torn witl; pincers; thrown 'into boiling water. Woman undressed and ■ nailed to the ground. Man hun£ on tree by feet—then set oi fire. Belgium. A group of 450 men were shot in fronl of the church on August 22, 1914, at Taraines, by German troops. Three hundred inhabitants were maesa cred on August 20-21, 1914, at Andennc and Seilles, by Germans. Sis hundred and sis persons were massa cred (the list of names is in our possession), j in August, 1914, at Dinant, by Germans. The following is an extract from a pro I claraation addressed to the municipal ! authorities by a German general, undei ' date August 22, 1914 : —" It was with my | consent that the commanding genera! ; ordered the whole place (Andenne) to be burnt down, and that about 100 person! were shot.'' In reality more than 40C persons disappeared, of whom more thar 200 were shot. I Three hundred inhabitants were tied ir ; fours to bridges to prevent the Belgiar , artillery from destroying them, on August 6, 1914, at Liege. A German infantry captain put three children round him to protect him from Belgian tire, etc., on September 26, 1914. at Klein-Antwerpen. Belgian women were violated in August. 1914, by German troops at Louvain, Cor-beek-Loo and Nimy. Greece. Great number of <- eek women sent t( Bulgaria for prost.. .lon from 1916 tc 1918. More tha- 2000 Greek children, less than 14 years of age sent to Bulgaria. A great number of Greek girls anc women carried off and locked up ir Turkish harems from 1916 to 1918. J, great number of Greek children carriec oft" and distributed among Turkish houses A great number of Armenian women gjrle and children locked up in harems and converted by force to Moham n.edanism. Massacres of Armenians by the Turk* systematically organised with German com piicity, 1914-1918. More than 200,000 victims assassinated burned alive, or drowned in the lake o Van, (the Euphrates, or the Black Sea. Trance. Use of civilians as shields to protect Germans against fire of Allied troops : A a. sugar works the Germans took the man ager and his family, as well as all tin employees, and made them march paralkto them during the three hours that engagement lasted, to protect themselvei against flanking fire, which resulted ii casualties among the exposed persons This was on September 1, 1914. at Nen (Oise). Neglect of 150 to 200 paralysed and sicl old people : Forty of them died in threi weeks, and ail endured terrible sufferings They received! no attention or disinfectant and were exposed to the cold. They wen laid on wooden stretcher-beds in whicl their excrement accumulated, which, par ticularly in the case of those who wen paralysed, produced sores and gangrene This was between February 20 and 24 1917. at Babceuf (Oise). Arrest and cruel treatment of civilians causing the death of several of them : The Abbe Oudin. cine of the parish o Sompuis (Marne), was arrested owing U his having received a letter containing uncomplimentary remarks about the Ger mans. The Abbe Oudin (aged 73. anc asthmatical) was taken off with his ser vant. a woman of 67, and other civilians During the journey and their stay al Vouzier.s (from the 7th to the 14th). vari ous kinds of cruel treatment were in flicted on them. On the 13th a nnmbei of soldiers (mostly officers) spat in tin cure's face, horsewhipped him, threw hin into the air and let him fall on th< ground, then proceeded to kick him witl their boots and spurs. He died on th« 15th at Sedan, as a result of this treat ment. One of the civilians, who had als< received numerous blows which brokt several of his ribs, was left to die in th< Fabert barracks. The aged servant wai thrown down in the mud by soldiers I cruelly beaten and dragged by the hair I In the church four of them threw her or 1 to the altar steps and then among th( benches. Poland. Several hundred inhabitants shot in 191' at Kalisz. Tens of thousands <of civilians hange< from 1914, thousands of civilians hangec from 1314, 1915; especially during re treat of Austrian armies.