The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-18
life Of PRISONER
NOT SODREADFUL
Germans Give Their captives as
Good Treatment as Is
Possible.
REGULATIONS 3 ! j; 10, ARE RIGID
Englishman Relates Experiences
While Held in Camp at
=
REGULATIONS r !: ARE RIGID

lSpcclal cable TO The Times Dispatch.]
LONDON. October 17.-Prison life in
Germany is not so dreadful. according
to the accounts of John a. F. Asphalt.
prominent English railroad man, who
happened to be caught by the war
while on tour. and was sent to the
camp at Muensteriager. near Bremen,
where $4,000 captiyes are held. Later
he was released, and he has just arr
rived here. He said to-day:
This camp covers very large area,
and is divided into rectangular spaces
by stone-paved roads. between which
are the buildings which are usually
used. we are told. during the summer
manoeuvres by the German troops
we were placed first of all in No.
Cavalry Barracks, a wooden shed with
corrugated iron roof. The centre
part OF the building contained the space
for the horses. There werp two rooms
at the end. designed for me use of
the men. We were placed in one OF
these rooms with about eighteen other
Englishmen and some French and Bel
gian civilians. For few days we had
iron beds and straw mattresses, but
afterwards the beds were taken from
us and we had to sleep on the floor
Each prisoner had to purchase. or, IL he
had no money, was given n bowl for
his food, tin spoon, zinc basin for
washing and towels. We were fortu-
nate in being placed in these end build
ings, as the larger part of the bar
racks, usually used for horses, was
occupied by civilian prisoners, who had
to sleep in the stalls.
THE food which Saryau te tl,a
! same as that served TO the troops we
were called out at 5, and at were
given a bowl OF black coffee. About
1880 we were given bowl of soup,
consisting mainly of potatoes. though
sometimes there was some fat bacon
In IL.
Sometimes the soup consisted OF
peas or beans. About G L. II. we were
given n bowl of coffee and sometimes
n bowl of cocoon. Bread was served IN
the loaf every second day, and when
wc first reached tue camp. the allow
ance was half n loaf per man per two
days, Which worked, out about ftrty-
-four cubic inches of bread PEI day per
ttnan. Tic fnrrher allowance had been
siStyrslN cu.t Inches per man per day,
SO that the reduction was considerable.
PRISONERS aIARCHED
| TO KITCHEN ~ FOURS
! I'm order to obtain the.: food. the
prisoners in each building were lined
In tours and made to march down
to the Kitchen under an armed guard
They were admitted into the kitchens
in 4twos, made to take their hats of,
and served. with soup from boiler; a
soldier ladled the soup direct into the
bowls. They passed on. and were
formed into ranks of four deep, and
had to wait until all had received their
portion. The return to barracks was
then made and food consumed Some
J . tl,r .st.
prisoners were Kept standing from one
to one and a half hours, but this was
a matter of organization. and became
better rs the camp filled up with
prisoners.
THE organization after this was only
upset when very large new arrivals of
prisoners took place. Sometimes we
did not get any coffee at night but only
a little piece of cheese. or sausage, and
had to go to bed rather hungry The
water supply of the camp was plenti-
! full, but could not drink the water 1T
| made me- unwell We were not per-
| mitted to leave the barracks between
the hours of Q r. NJ. and 5 A. NJ The
sanitary arrangements connected, with
the camp were bad, but officers were
being made to construct better arrange
ments. 1t WAS surprising how bad they
were considering large number OF
| German soldiers were Fuuartered close
~
lilies and mosquitoes. Uncertain occa :
sions prisoners got no coffee or food al
might.
This, however, was due only to i'm
perfect organizations and when it is
realized that there is about $4,000 pris-
oners in the camp. the difficulties of Or
ganization will be clear. OF these u.s.
Geo about 1000 were civilians. Tho Mill
tary authorities We're extremely care
! ful TO separate the soldiers from the
civilians and TO prevent soldiers of Diff
| ferent .nationalities from speaking to
one another. The inhabitants OF each
barracks We're practically forbidden to
| exchange word. Not only were the
nationalities kept separate. but even
! prisoners taken. at various. times ana at
various places. Thus the Eelgians talk.
zen 1t LEGO were kept apart from those
taken ut Namur. The British soldiers
were forbidden to talk to the French
and to the civilians.
HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS
COLLECTED BY GERMANS
ut is difficult to understand why the
Germans had collected such large
number of civilians III one barracks
alone they had all the male inhabi-
i,tants of a Belgian village. boys and
men of advanced age up to seventy
They justified this proceeding by say
Ing the civilian population fired on the
German troops. There were IL number
OF Russian and Japanese civilians in
the camp. while amongst the British
contingent in No. barracks wero
people from Australia, South Africa,
and other colonies.
"Onc day number of people, who
we're said to have come from Louyain
were brought into the camp. Against
these the Germans seemed to have a
considerable III feeling, and stated here
again civilians had fired upon the
troops. This later group Included a
number of people from the goals In
Belgium, and during the night some
trouble arose: with them. and there
was great deal OF rifle-firing within
a few yards of our barracks. The FIR
ing took place again neSt day, and q
plumber of prisoners We're Killed. 1t
was difficult to know how many. but
/ one of the German soldiers placed the
number 1T twenty six. One prisoner
| hanged himself. We were advised by
tho sergeant-major In charge of. us
that whenever we heard firing wo were
to, lie down on the. floor, as this was
! the safest thing to do, and we followed
his Instructions"