HOW BELGIANS TREAT THEIR PRISONERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11216, 23 October 1914, Page 4

HOW BELGIANS TREAT THEIR PRISONERS.

Of the three or four hundred military prisoners in the second barrack square of Bruges, "The Times'scor-

respondent says that; like the civilians, they are very well treated by. their captors. At present they are Bill wearing sabots, but tb.ey will be provided with fresh linen and with boots by tho State. They get the same rations as the' Belgian soldiers. They had all today written post-cards to their_ homes. They may buy cliocolates and cigars or cigarettes. These are just a few signs that occurred to me as I walked about among them of the kindly feeling shown them by N the Belgians. That is going to be one of ihe best things that will come out of the war. Off tlio _ field of batle as well as on it the Belgians are setting a fine example to the world. Already at. Bruges captors and captives are tho best of friends. BEWILDERED GERMANS.

Tho prisoners como from all parts of Germany, but mainly from Berlin and Hanover. They belong to a dozen different regiments, and represent all olasses of the population. Most of them arc sturdy and well sot up fellows of about twenty-four. One cannot say that they look "hard." They arrived broken by hunger and fatigue; they are now, for the most part, in the beiifc of spirits. They are delighted to talk the tongue of the Fatherland, and they express themselves with perfect frankness and simplicity. They liavo all tho same story to tell. They cannot imagine why they should have been fighting; they do not want to light anybody. They understuod that they were going to invade France, but now, it seems, they have run up against the Belgians. The whole thing is very puzzling to these honest souls—as,_ indeed, it is to wiser heads than theirs.