CAPTURED LINER.

Otago Witness, Issue 3195, 9 June 1915, Page 84

CAPTURED LINER.

DISGRACEFUL SCENES ON THE BATAVIER.

ENGLISH LADY’S STORY.

Under date March 22, the Rotterdam correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph wrote:—From the lips of an English lady, one of the only two passengers of that nationality on board the Batavier boat, captured by the Germans and taken to Zeebruggo, I have heard to-day a remarkable story. It revealed hitherto unknown suffering imposed on the unfortunate passengers, the tragedy of husbands torn from shrieking wives and taken prisoner, and women and children - kept without food or drink for 16 hours, even mothers of babies three months’ old. , The majority of the passengers were Belgian women* who for three days were tortured by suspense as to their fate. The Germans refused to give any information as to what would happen, either to the women or their men folk. When asked they only laughed, and in some cases even said, “ Oh, we are going to send you to Germany.” A PAINFUL EXPERIENCE. The lady who told me the tragic story was Miss Platts, of Wimbledon, who was returning home from' Germany, where she had been since the beginning of the war. “ When we were approaching Zeebrugge,” she said, “ three steam pinnaces, with machine guns on board, came off, filled with German marines, who came on board the ship and were put on guard over us. We made a wide half-circle to avoid the minefield around Zeebrugge. “As soon as the ship oamo within sight of land we were all sent below into the saloon and the blinds drawn. Here we were kept all Thursday afternoon and all day on Friday. Though we pleaded with them, the Germans would not tell us what was to happen. No lights were allowed, as the Germans feared aeroplane attack. We had all been separated into groups, according to nationalities. Belgian men were kept absolutely apart. The distress of their women-folk was heartbreaking. All night I heard them crying or moaning in their sleep, and the constant wailing of babies made it worse.

“ Knowing I spoke German, they appealed to me to ask the officers what was to happen. I did so, but could give no comfort. How could I tell the poor women that the Germans had only laughed and talked of prison camps? On Saturday morning the German admiral came on board, and we were told that the train would come to take us away in the afternoon. Not a word would they tell us as to our destination. “One minor tragedy was that of a young Belgian who had escaped into Holland with the idea of going to England to join the Belgian army. Of course he had no papers, and when he again found himself in German hands he broke down and cried. When the train arrived we walked over the plank from the steamboat straight into it. “ Sixteen Belgian men, treated as priso-. ners, were put into a separate compartment. There was one man among them 50 years old. His wife whs there, and as he was taken awav the woman shrieked in a manner terrible to hoar, and then fainted. FOODLESS JOURNEY.

“ All the day we were in the train, with not a scrap to eat or drop to drink. All we had in the early morning was bread and jam. We got nothing more until nearly midnight, when we reached the Dutch frontier. Although the ship was full of provisions in the cargo, the Germans would not allow them to be touched, and gave us nothing themselves. All the food intended for the trip across Channel had been eaten, and the kindly stewards of the Batavier boat gave the poor women their Last crusts. “ When the train got to Bruges the Belgian men were taken out, and there was another heartrending scene. The women, seeing the men left behind in German hands, screamed, and some went into hysterics. It was awful to sec them so after months of trouble, and just when they thought they and the men-folk were on the eve of finding refuge in England.” Miss Platts told me that, being, able to speak German, she did not hesitate to tell the officers what she thought of their callous treatment of the women. “When the women asked them where thev were going they laughed and teased them., Some said s ‘Where are you going? Ruhleben perhaps.’ “I said: ‘ You are not very kind to laugh at these poor women.’ The reply I got was, ‘Oh ! well, it’s war.’ “ All our young German guards were in very light spirits. One officer with whom I spoke came from a town in Germany in which I spent a voar. He said to me: ‘We arc sick of the war. and wish it would end.’ I told him the guards were not of his opinion. He replied, ‘Yes, but they are only boys.’ “Young marines, to whom I suggested it was dull in Zeebrugge with nothing to do, said. ‘Yes, but we arc only waiting to go to England.’ “ When I left the ship one shouted. ‘Goodbye, till we meet in England.’ ”