STORIES OF TORTURE

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19815, 20 February 1936, Page 8

STORIES OF TORTURE

BLINDED AND BRANDED. ALLEGATIONS BY POLES. THE ITALY-ABYSSINIA WAR. Ijrrlted Press Assn'—Elec. Tel. Copyright. (Received Feb. 20, 3 p.m.) ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 19. The Poles, Belau and Medyuski, who remained in a cavern with revolvers in their hands on the last night, of the Italian assault, surrendered immediately the Italians captured Amba Aradam. They treated 1900 cases in a cavern hospital, including Mulugeta’s eldest son Asrato, an Oxford undergraduate, who had a wound in the leg. They declared that Mulugetn, in whose service they were, and white officers, including a mysterious chief of staff. Captain Alexander, attempted to prevent desertions by branding recaptured deserters on the foreheads, cheeks, mouths and chins with an iron in the form of a circle surrounding a Coptic cross. Some were blinded. The Poles were sent to Massawa, en route to Rome, where the Polish Ambassador has already conferred with Signor Mussolini, protesting against their deportation as a breach of the Red Cross regulations. Belau received £4O monthly and Medyuski £l2 10s. When they relinquished their positions as correspondents of the Warsaw Courier because they resented the impediments placed in the way of journalists, both were three months in arrears in salaries. Belau surrendered because the blacks treated him as a servant instead of a doctor. The Addis Ababa correspondent of the Times 6ays a pilot discovered a supposed attempt to tamper with the Emperor's private aeroplane. A Vlotory Exploited. Reports from Makale state that the j Italians are exploiting the Amba Aradam victory, deploying army corps I east and west. The First Army Corps has occupied the stopes overlooking the Danakil Valley, preparatory to advancing towards Sok-ota. Reports from Rome assert that the Third Corps has cut off the retreat of Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoum. BRITISH INTERESTS. AN OLD REPORT RECALLED. CREATION 4 OF SUDAN CORRIDOR. (Received Feb. 20, 3 p.m|) ROME, Feb. 19. sfh> Giornale d’ltalia gives prominence to the report of a committee under the chairmanship of Sir John Maffey, which was presented to the British Foreign Office on June 18, 1935. The report stated that Italy would ■shortly endeavour to control Abyssinia. where though there were no vital British interests compelling Britain to oppose Italian conquest. an independ- | ent Abyssinia would be preferable from the viewpoint of Imperial defence to an Italian Ethiopia, which would compel Britain to safeguard her interests in-connection w ith the Nile tributaries by creating a corridor.

4.30 O’CLOCK EDITION.