Semi-weekly herald., 1915-04-29
barracks at Issoudun shower baths
were being inaugurated.
Healthy Lot of Germans.

were being inaugurated.
Healthy Lot of Germans.
Here we found thousand German
soldiers, the healthiest lot of men l
have seen in a generation. They had
good rooms, good food, good cots,
good air, good water, good hospital
and the German soldiers were feeling
fine. They we're called out to the drill
ground and under command Of a Ger
man sergeant they performed some
simple maneuvers and they certainly
have way of marching which makes
an impression on the bystander. We
talked to several of them and they
were happy.
In one department German soldiers
were receiving their boxes from their
home folks. A German soldier opened
the boxes; a German soldier took
them out, then they were placed back
in the box and the soldier marched
away to the big brick building. Ev-
cry man to whose address box had
been sent had been previously lined
up ready to get cake, jam, soap, hard
boiled eggs, combs, brushes, handker-
chiefs and the little notes that were
in the boxes were handed to the SOL
der without being opened. 1t was a
delightful thing to see.
Need Work to Do.
,ot. A. Is lottar-
to the German soldiers from their
home folks, and their letters were not
| tampered with, and no letters are
withheld from them. | would call this
a model prison, or rather house of
entertainment. The German soldier,
evidently lack nothing but something
| to do.
When war disturbs a country it
is necessary to invoice its citizens in
order to discover who can be trusted
When this war began France notified
every alien to get out or to get into
prison. Therefore there are citizen
camps as well as prisons for soldiers.
There is a large concentration camp
near Issoudun. There are 900 people
in it of all ages and of both sexes.
The buildings occupied by these citi-
zen prisoners were erected for an in
sane asylum and are clean and new,
never having been used for any pur-
pose. There are plenty of them.
The men are in separate buildings
and there are no buildings where fam
lilies can all be together, excepting
on the Fairgrounds. Almost every ma
tionality which is now alien to the
war in which France is engaged is in
the camp. l saw German shoemak-
er who had resided and worked in
Paris fifty-five years, yet had never
been naturalized. Hence he must be
held in this citizen alien camp. There
have been nine births in the settle
ment. saw one baby about two
weeks old and no mother could have
been prouder of her little one.
There were Austrians (including
Hungarians), Turks, Germans, Bohe-
mians, Austrian Poles, and many 9TH
er nationalities, even including sew
eral Englishwomen with German hus-
bands. This settlement has its schools
and school teachers, it's barber shop
and everything which a community
needs excepting priest or preacher.
So many different nations are rep
resented that they do not undertake
to have religious services. In the de-
partments where only women are ad-
mitted as occupants, everything is
clean, and the women have fitted up
some of their apartments with orig
inal taste. Sometimes they have mu-
sic. In one of the schools clay mod
cling is taught and two samples are
on exhibition that are creditable.
All the families have every facility
for doing their own laundry work.
The sanitation is perfect.
No Chance to Starve.
The French government furnishes
plenty of good food for all these citi-
zen prisoners and in addition if any
inmate desires to do so, and has the
money, he or she can buy additional
meats, more butter and many kinds
of luxuries at net cost in the camp
The inmates Of this camp have meats
and vegetables, soup, bread, coffee
and tea. The quality of the food is
beyond criticism. They are not kept
as prisoners. They have the run of
the ample grounds. All seem to be
contented and happy. The majority
Of them had been in the camp since
the first week of the war. They play
all sorts of games when the weather
is fine; they have their card clubs,
their dominos, chess men. They are
permitted IN yat tho pa,uo of tho out