The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-05-22

food of various kinds went without a
purchaser. The prisoners bought Gig
arettes and tobacco, oranges ana
bananas, and other things, but the
solid foods stayed on the sales coun-
ter. The man in charge told me that
there was virtually no demand for the
substantials.
The captives at Dorchester have a
recreation field three or four acres IN
extent, and there they play all sorts
of games. They do ordinary WORK
around the camp and, in ADDITION "
the exercise from game and work, tney
are taken out in big squads for tramps
through the country outlying the
camp, of course being constantly IN
der guard.
Those of the prisoners with whom
I talked individually proved to be most
interesting men. One Of them up 10
the time of the outbreak OF the war
had been a professor Of languages IN
a German institution of learning. he
knew the classics thoroughly and now
while in prison he was striving nard
to add English to his lingual accom-
plishments.
With one exception there was no
prisoner in camp under the age OF
eighteen years. The exception was a
boy Of sixteen, who had been picked
up from the water after a naval en-
gagement. 1t was the intention OF the
authorities to send him, in day or
two, to another camp where other
young naval apprentices are confined.
Are Closely Guarded.
All about the camp at Dorchester,
| including of course the recreation
ground, there runs a double line OF
barbed wire entanglements. Back OF
these for large part of the Enclosure
there is high wall. On platform
| back of this wall the guards walk
with fixed bayonet and loaded rifle.
Escape seems well-nigh impossible Yet
it is true that recently two prisoners,
both officers, escaped from another
prison, presumably just as well guard
1
recaptured until they had wandered
about the country for nearly a week
In the camp at Dorchester there are
several members of the Prussian
guard. They are huge men and OF
| wonderful physique. The rest of the
prisoners are just about like the av'
erage of other nationalities in size
and build. All of them look like pyg
mics, however, by the side Of the Prus
sian guard giants. There are no Ger
man officers confined at this camp
The enlisted men captives, however
are not entirely from what some people
call the lower walks Of life. They rep
resent the merchant, the farmer and
the professional classes.
These captives hear from home un
der certain restrictions. The Ameri
can embassy has taken over the af
fairs of Germany, and 1t is America
today as represented in England
which has in its care in a way these
German prisoners of war. OF course
it must not be understood that Amer
lea says that this must be done OF
that must be done, but 1t makes repre-
sensations on behalf of the German
government, when so requested, ant
1t looks after matters pertaining tc
the communication which is kept VI
between the prisoners and their kins
folk, and also to the transmission under
regulation of money from father ant
mother or sister and brother in the
Fatherland to the member Of the fam
lily fold who is prisoner in an alier
| land.
The prisoners at Dorchester showed
an interest, and rather a keen one
when it was known that an American
was to visit them and wished to tall
to them about their welfare. The rea
son for this in large part was as
found somewhat to my establishment
that as near as could be determined
not one of the many captives at Dor
chester ever had visited the United
States. An American was a curiosity
| thought it was possible that l could
find among them all some man whit
would like to send a message to
friend whom he had known in the
United States, but not one of then
ever had crossed the water to visi
the land where so many of their coun
trymen have found home.