New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13
Seventeen Thousand Civilians Held at Concen-
tration Points Found by The Tribune Core
spondent in Comfortable Circumstances.
CHARGES OF ILL TREATMENT UNTRUE
Food Supply Ample and Clean, Sanitary Conditions TX
ceent Health Good and Many Privileges Enjoyed
Military Prisoners Contented with their Lot

these alien enemies TOOK tneii eN0
else. They had been at it half an hour
nerhaps. and were to do still more be-
fore going TO the next room to get
tin cup, a plate, a knife and fork and
70 fall into the line, which was led by
noisy servers of sweetened tea and
bread and butter-huge, thick slices OF
bread and something more than sug-
gestion of butter-while those who
could afford It bought tins OF Jam;
This was their supper. The prlnclpal
meal of the day, when meat and vege-
tables were served, had been taken at
midday.
There is another vast room, sort OF
theatre, with a stage at one end. All
the seats are out, and the floor space
on one side is given over 20 sleeping
quarters for the prisoners, and on the
other side are several eating tables.
The floor was Uttered with platforms
the size Of a small bed. Each was laid
on the floor, upheld at one end by
block of wood which lifted 1t four
inches from the cold concrete floor. On
top Of each was sack OF burlap hlled
with straw, and with that each prls-
oner had two blankets. These beds were
laid close together, usually In the form
of a square, with their bases pointing
inward.
Tho prisoners had been divided into
sections, about fifty men In section.
Each section had captain, chosen ny
his fellows, who looked after their
comfort and also helped to keep order.
Alongside the hunks were rather pltiful
little bundles Of personal belongings.
The place was cool and dark, but the
prisoners had plenty to eat, and their
blankets were warm.
Quarters for Well-to-Do.
Branching OFF from the main arena
there is large room, whlcn IN Times
of peace and horse shows is fashion
abba restaurant. It's now turned over
TO better class aliens, bank clerks and
merchants who have money. Some
dozens are quartered there and they
are made very comfortable. They call
the place the House Of Commons"
while in still another room, formerly
the grill, there Is the House Of Lords"
where the richest of the aliens are put
up. 49,, ,
The prisoners cause little trouble.
They are permitted all the liberty
possible. They do their own work, ex-
cept those who can afford servants.
The sanitary arrangements are COM
plete and ample opportunity is given
for bathing, although some OF the
baths are cold rooms. But the prison
ers seem to realize that they are In
prison and must accept discomforts.
The commandant permits concerts
and theatricas by the prisoners. lie
will not, however, permit national
songs. He explained that he had prison
ers of different nationalities and races
and il had been found that national
anthems were likely to excite them
and even to start fights, for the lower
class of prisoners seemed to ENJOY
"booing" the national songs OF others
The great camp at Frimley, with It's
$500 prisoners, is entirely Inherent
from Olympia. IL is all in the open, on
a great plain, and there are no quar-.
tiers except canvas. Three thousand
soldiers are there, in rows OF conlcal
tents, and organized in thoroughly mil
itary fashion. The uniforms OF some
are soiled and stained from desperate
work in the trenches in France. Others
are convalescent from wounds. Still
others who lost their clothes In the
fighting are CARRIED in civilian dress
furnished by their captors.
Here and there are sailors, picked
UP in the North Sea when their ships
went down. There are men from the
guard regiments. Prussia's noblest SOL
diers, and a Deaths Head husssr's
uniform can be seen once in while.
But there are a considerable number
whose uniforms show no stain of the
trench. They are men captured by the
British army on the line of march,
men who were not engaged in battle
at all. These came in a group. In fif-
teen days from the time they left their
| concentration camp in Germany they
landed at Frimley, in England, and will
| be kept as prisoners until the end Of
| the war.
Civilians and Soldiers Apart.
The camp, which is we'll situated, but
| cold, is divided into two parts. One is
| for civilians and the other for mill
| tary prisoners. II was found impossi-
BILE to keep the two classes together.
! The civilians could not resist twitting
the soldiers about being captured. while
| the soldiers accused the civilians of
cowardice and Sinking their duty.
/ This once led TO a pitched battle,
which the bayopets of the British
I guards brought to an end, and thence
| forth the camps were divided.
Each camp Is surrounded by barbed
wire entanglements, fences set fifteen
feet apart and Joined together by criss-
crosses of barbed wire. Outside that
there is another fence, which rises ten
or twelve feet in the air, and there is
a belief in the camp that the topmost
wire carries a deadly charge of cleo
tricity, something which is probably
open to doubt, but the prisoners be-
leve ii.
The soldiers are apparently content.
They make few complaints, and are inf
nitely less trouble TO their captors
than the civilian prisoners. They are
accustomed TO camp life and do not
mind. They do all their own cooking,
with food materials furnished by the
government.
There are no officers at Frimley ex-
cept two surgeons of the German army.
| The non-commissioned officers are in
charge of their men and occupy a row
of tents which under other circum-
stances would be called Officers row"
/ They call this "Unter den Linden" In
! one corner there is a hospital enclos-
ure. There are, however, few patients.
In the event of a serious illness the
victim is transferred TO a hospital at
| Aldershot.
Several hundred soldiers are taken