Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 250, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 November 1917 — Cold-Blooded Massacre Of Defenseless Sailors. [ARTICLE]

Cold-Blooded Massacre Of Defenseless Sailors.

London, Nov. 5. —An appalling story of cold-blooded massacres by Germans of crews of British North sea convoys "an a recent battle is told by the Norwegian newspapers. The Tidenstegn said the German cruisers were observed at 6 o’clock in the morning and were thought to be British vessels, bufat 7 o’clock when there was more light, they suddenly began shooting and the. convoy was terrified to see the British destroyer at the stern of the convoy begin to sink, although it fought to the end. The German cruisers after signaling the vessels to stop advanced on each side of the convoy which they swept with their guns at a range of less than 200 yards. The German destroyers came up and helped to spread destruction on the defenseless , ships, shells falling thick and fast. The Germans were, not content to sink the ships, but shelled the lifeboats and every living thing coming their way was mercilessly slaughtered. The survivors owed their lives to the high seas which was running, making the boats a difficult mark. In the midst of the massacre another British destroyer came up and immediately attacked, but was soon sunk in the unequal struggle. The German flotilla then cruised backward and forward among the sinking steamers, pouring a fresh and terrible rain of shells at a range of one hundred yards. One shell went through the Swedish ship Wirendar, exploding in a life boat on the other side and killing all its occupants, fourteen men and three women. The other boat rowed back to rescue the captain and two others from the wreck. The Wirendar was a mass of flames. The captain was saved by clinging to the wreckage. As the two other people were sinking, after jumping from the burning vessel, they were fired upon and killed.