The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-10
FRENCH PRISONERS
. ARE WELL TREATED
But German Captors Beat Eng
lish and Russians, Says Hos
pital Attendant.
FRENCH PAPER IN CAMP


PARIS, Dec 2O.--Tbe following recital
OF the experience OF French hospital
attendant taken prisoner by the Ger
mans but exchanged Is printed by Le
SdIu OF ST. Malo:
"on August 80 we were thirty hospi-
tai attendants, three majors and sew
enty wounded In the little building deg
tined 10 first aid for the wounded in
the village OF La Cour-aux-Rois when the
Germans rushed into the place. In an
instant the building was taken and we
were prisoners They made us stand
In line In the courtyard OF the house
wnfre the wounded French and Ger
mans were lying and a German sub
/ lieutenant. revolver In hand. put him
! self before us
We thought our last hour had como
Fortunately German captain appeared
| Who knew our language. lie interro.
gated the majors, had US searched AZ
well as our ambulance. and after satisfy
| ing himself that we were not armed nm
IKE German hospital attendants. who
always are. assured us that our Uvez
were safe but that we were prisoners
IN consequence all of us but the ma
/ jors, who were left with the wounded
were marched Off BY the Germans
who made us cross their lines all the
while under fire. and led us to Ma
/ lerny. village OF 800 residents in the
AFdennes where we stayed "a month
Tobacco for the wounded.
"on September 80 we left Mazerny for
germany. We were well treated on the
! way, In the railway stations the women
OF the German Red Cross gave hot drinks
Cigarettes and cigars 70 our wounded
Inc German General commanding Mt
sedan had sent to the officer IN charge
OF our train an order that we should
n' forwarded to Switzerland in conform
lty with the Geneva convention But
We were sent straight into Germany.
Informed BY one OF our comrades. who
spoke German OF the Sedan order on
arriving at Wittemberg we insisted /,
should be obeyed. We were told TO wait
Ihl!l next day, as II was then O'Clock
~ the morning, but when daylight came
laid.
We found tho camp az Wlttemberp
JUST made and We We're tho first guests
soon We numbered 10000 Of whom there
were l.200 French, 1000 Russians and
some 700 English; also some civilians.
especially Belgians. and Frenchmen from
the French towns In possession of the on
envy. Among the latter was "A man or
7G years who had been prisoner In
1870
An interpreter questioned us and with
all seriousness said we must give up all
dangerous weapons. such as cigar.. !
cigarettes. matches. tobacco and knives
We were allowed to keep pocketbooks. !
rings and watches. In the camp were
three Russian majors, three French
priests and a Russian pope. We French |
men were all treated with absolute Inn |
Partially. and considering the idea gen |
orally held by the French of German |
brutality we were not too badly OF.
Other Prisoners beaten,
But / cannot say the same az to the |
Russians and the English. for the German !
sentinels NJ times dashed them with cow /
hides and without any apparent reason /
The discipline was very strict 4 French /
sergeant IL obliged 10 salute a German |
corporal ] saw "A young German officer /
strike with great force a civilian pris- !
oner who had taken Off his cap but had
not bowed low enough or long enough 20 /
please the German. Smoking was for
hidden a violation OF the order subjected /
the offender to being tied 10 a post in /
the middle Of the camp and left there for |
three hours. even when the Temperature /
was only II above zero.
Hospital attendants could write home 1
as often as they pleased but the other !
prisoners could send letters only twice |
month all letters are mailed open. Tho /
food was eNccrable. The morning coffee .
was made of acorns. and we had no SUI
gar or bread. Al noon a mixture Of
bcets, dried pears, barley and aulsecd /
and two or three times month cabbage !
soup or sauerkraut. which by compa rson
We found delicious. In the evening we
rad n thick mess which we called paste
because It, looked like the stun put on
posters 10 make them stick We never
had meat and each day but half pound
OF bread. almost uneatable and partly
composed Of rye and pea -four. The food
was served out by one OF the prisoners
and ladled into our tin washbasins.
"a few weeks ago canteen was set up
to which only the French were admitted.
the Russians and English being driven
away from II by cowhdes or the fiat side
of the bayonet. The Germans have
trained police dogs for the Russians and
English. and whenever a certain number
of these men get together the dogs are let
loose on them and sometimes bite them
to make them separate more quickly.
There Is little room for exercise In
the camp. The prisoners are held In the
centre. which is enclosed with barhcd
wire. around which German sentncls
pace day and night armed with the
Lebel guns The Germans who guarded
ne were arrogant but stupid one Of
them Insisted that Krupp had invented
IL gun that could throw shell from ca
lals TO London and when we told him the
French shells had wings he said, 1t is
quite possible
Published Paper I'm French.
However, the Germans in other ways
are quite practical. They edited az Wit
temberg. under the direction OF the Cen