The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-05-19
.HAGENBECk IS
THE BOSS CHEF
Has Contract From Germany to Feed
the Prisoners and Gives Them
Plenty Of Strange
Connections.
COFFEE MADE OF AcoRNs
Boiled Rice, Beans or Buckwheat
With Stale Meat, Mixed in it
and Bread Made of
Sawdust.
[By Henry Wood, United Press Staff
CORRESPONDENT

[By Henry Wood, United Press Staff
Correspondent
PARIS, May 10.-(By mail to New
York. )-French prisoners exchanged
by Germany have just brought the
news that Carl Hagenbeck, the worlds
greatest collector, breeder and whole
sale dealer in wild animals, has been
enjoying since the beginning of the
war the contract from the German
government for feeding the prisoners
in the concentration camps.
1t was the experience acquired by
him in handling the wholesale quanti-
ties of food for his ferocious beasts,
they state, that qualified him in the
opinion of the German authorities of
his new position.
French prisoners just returned from
the concentration camp at Parchim in
Mecklembourg near the Baltic sea, adj
nit that to a certain extent Hagen
beck has justified the governments
choice. They were his boarders from
early in October till the middle of
February. While not entirely salts
fled with the bill of fare. he served
they admit .that If his wild animals
fare as well at his hands as they did,
there is hardly occasion for calling In
the S. P. A.-at least not on the food
score.
What impressed the French prison.
ers more than anything else was Hag-
enbecks apparent ability to select
foods, or substitute for foods, pos
sessing medicinal qualities presum-
ably calculated to keep him in perfect
health. It was their impression that
Hagenbeck has probably perfected to
oinroa thic IF fnndiuo will,
his animals.
Desin, Marchand and Emile F1eurot
two citizens of Roubaix who were car
ried off to Parchim on October 10 as
hostages have just recounted in full
their experiences to the United Press.
cat six in the morning. said Mar
ehand, Mr.. Hagenbeck gave us what
the guards called coffee It certainly
wasn't. though; it was anything but
| that 1t may have been roasted acorns
or it may have been malt. but it was
always good and hot and it possessed
diuetric qualities to an absolutely
amazing degree.
For lunch we were given our
choice of menu which at least made
up in variety what itimay- have lacked
in delectable, qualities. ars-a
There was first boiled rice such as
is fed to chickens in northern coun-
tries and which had the appearance
of stale paste. Then there was boiled
oatmeal: boiled buckwheat: boiled
kidney beans, and huge boiled peas
which were never sufficiently cooked.
We were then entitled to $50 grams
of meat hashed up and which. theoretf-
cally, at least, We supposed to be dis
tributed through which ever one Of
the boiled cereals we happened to
choose.
1--WE can guarantee absolutely, how
ever, that the full $50 grams was
never present and as a matter of fact
we even dared from time to time to
complain on that score. In each case.
our complaint was faithfully recorded
and then during the course Of the day
functionary came with the bills for
the days purchase to show us that
the proper amount of meat had ac-
tually been bought and must therefore
of necessity have found its way into
our rations.
"This at least was the sole result
of our complaints with but one excep-
ton. On that occasion to convince us
that we were really getting our right
allowance of meat, huge quantity Of
tripe and other less detachable por-
tons of butchered animals was
brought into camp. 1t exhaled an
odor almost unsupportable, but that
we might have no further doubt at
least as to the quantity it was care
fully mixed into our cereal dish right
before our eyes. We never complain
ed again.
For supper We had half liter of
hciIed harley and we also had bread