Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 215, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1918 — 500,000 CAPTIVES ARE FREED [ARTICLE]

500,000 CAPTIVES ARE FREED

Berne.—More than 500,000 prisoners, victims of the war, were exchanged and returned to their home lands up to the middle of last month by the intervention and good offices of Switzerland, says the Bund, the mouthpiece of the Swiss government, in a plea for a more generous and reciprocal treatment by the belligerents. After the war had begun Switzerland organized an international bureau of information for prisoners of war, with its seat at Geneva. This bureau forwarded information to the relatives of prisoners of war and shipped food and delicacies to the prisoners themselves. As early as October, 1914, Switzerland suggested to the belligerents the exchange of prisoners severely wounded. The pope became interested in this matter aud supported the efforts of Switzerland. In February, 1915, an agreement was'reached regarding the conditions of exchange. Switzerland placed the hospital trains of its own army at the disposal of the belligerents for the transportation of the wounded. The agreement was first entered into by France and Germany. Later Austria and Italy accepted the same terms. Early in 1916 the Swiss federal council, aided by the pope, succeeded in bringing about an agreement permitting the internment of severely wounded and sick prisoners of war, civil as well as military, within Switzerland. The Swiss undertook to manage this vast work of charity. Agreement Is Reached. Later the Swiss federal council, aided by the International Red Cross at Geneva, succeeded In inducing the belligerents to again respect the international agreement regarding hospital and sanitary field workers. International law demands the immediate discharge of members of sanitary detachments when taken prisoner. This law was disregarded by belligerents, but Switzerland’s entreaties and admonitions put a stop to the practice and led to the liberation of these prisoners. Finally the agreement to exchange Hw» permanently disabled was reached In March of last year. Efforts of the Swiss federal council led to the acceptance of this agreement by France, Germany and Belgium. It meant the repatriation of all prisoners of war permanently disabled to an extent

which would preclude their ever Joining the army again. Also tuberculosis prisoners, those clinically cured as well as those still needing were to be repatriated. Following this the scope of the repatriation program was vastly extended when France, Germany and Belgium agreed to exchange all prisoners of war forty-eight years of age and older who had been interned more than - eighteen months. This applied to privates and noncommissioned officers only. Commissioned officers were to be interned in Switzerland. And lastly another agreement was brought about, by the efforts of the Swiss government. It still further extended the scope of the exchange conditions. All civil prisoners were to be freed. ' - Many Return to Homes. The freeing and exchanging of these prisoners has been in progress for some time. Long trains filled with these former soldiers are passing through Switzerland every day in both directions, taking these unfortunate victims back to their old homes. Up to the middle of last month more than 500,000 prisoners of war had passed through Switzerland on 'their way to liberty. Some of these soldiers were in a most pitiable state. The people of Switzerland played the part of the good Samaritan by feeding, clothing and consoling these poor sufferers. In addition Switzerland has been the connecting link In mall communication between belligerent countries. Up to the first of June Switzerland without charge transported 19,796,000 letters and cards to prisoners of war, 457,000 parcels weighing no more than two pounds, 414,679,000 letters and cards tn transit, 19,526,000 small parcels in transit, 6,364,000 parcels containing bread sent to Germany and Austria, 78316,000 parcels weighing up to ten pounds and 9,489,000 money orders transmitting an aggregate amount of $35,000,000. Since the beginning of 1916 Switzerland has been harboring continuously from 20,000 to 30,000 interned prisoners of war needing medical treatment and hospital care. Lately their number has never been less than 30,000. All these interned prisoners were visited by their relatives, adding 40,000 people on the average to the number of consumers, or about 1 per cent of the domestic population. -