The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-23
STRICT DlSCIPL- Inc ENF0RGED
IN AUSTRIAN PRISON CAMP III
Which Ri SSIANS ARE field.
Commander of Camp Shows Associated Press Correspond
ent About Klein uenchen Camp and Tells ct Rou
tine of Prisoners Lives.

other prison camps. -..r
The recurrency of diseases is said
to be connected with the failure of
many of the prisoners to do the best
for themselves hygtenical1y- Though
recent arrivals of prisoners showed
no case of cholera, five cases devel-
oped about two weeks age. One of
the men has died; four re on the
road to recovery. Typhus and typhoid
also appear occasionally, and tuber-
culosis is ever-present, because many
of the prisoners were afflicted with
the, disease in a dormant state be-
fore they wered RATED into the Rus
sion army. On January u, Camp
Klein Muenchen had "a patients of
this class.
Very often Russians are brought in
whose wounds, received in actions
prior to the one in which they were
captured, need attention. One the
day on which The Associated Press
correspondent visited the camp close
to a hundred of such cases had either
been disposed of by opeFat atoms
were under observation. Usually, the
trouble is due to a bullet of small
fragment of SHELL in the patients
body, which some Russian surgeon
apparently thought best to leave I'M
disturbed.
Of 10000 men who have been in the
camp, $50 have died. Most Of the
latter came to the camp sick or in
fected. They are buried in a, pine
grove. Graves are marked with
black, wooden cross, bearing num-
bers The cross is later replaced by q
maidstone cast of concrete. This
headstone is given the number for
Tnerly carried by the cross. In the
morturary chapel erected on the GEM
etery d book is kept in which by
means of this number the name of
the dead prisoner may be found.
The cemetery at this camp, shows,
incidentally, to what extent enmity
may cease once a man has been taken
prisoner. For ornamental purposes
there has just been completed a small
structure 800 feet away from the
chapel. Between thei two buildings
runs an arcade supported on its open
side on arches and closed in on the
other side by wall. On this wall
will be placed tablets bearing the
names of the Russians who have
died in the camp. The bronze tab
lets commemorative thus the fate of
these unfortunates are now being
cast. The dedicatory inscription on
each tablet will be: ''Here died for
his fatherIand and lies buried"-then
will come the names.
The food of the Russian prisoners
consists of a soup and bread in the
morning, soup and a meat dish at
noon, and another soup and bread at
night. Three times week a, sort of
pudding is added to the noon, meal.
Each man is allowed 1z1z ounces of
bread a day.
No tea or coffee are issued, but the
prisoners may buy these at a price
of two heilers, or about one-third
American cent a quart. Tobacco is
obtainab1e in the same way. Since
no money from Russia, or elsewhere
has yet reached any of the Russian
prisoners at K1ein-Muenchen, the
men pay for these things with the
pay given them by the Austrian gov
eminent, "a he1lers a day, if the man
is employed at work requiring
skill, and from 40 he11ers to a crown,
if he works at a trade. On Jan. IL,
the first shipment of clothing for the
prisoners reached the camp from
Russia; seven boxes of mostly warm
underwear and socks
The prisoners work eight hours a
day, rise at six in the morning and
go to bed at nine in the evening.
Spare hours are many, therefore, and
since but few of the men can read,
the problem of passing time more
agreeab1y>~ than thinking of the fam
lily at home has been q great one. The
sinte11igents" have a library at their
disposal.
Efforts made by the Austrian Off
GERS to get the ''inte1ligents'' to read
to their fellow prisoners. or entertain
them with talks on this or that, have
failed Instead the Austrian officers
have now esta bIished a German school
in each group. Conversation with them
established that the Russian peasant
is eager to learn, and nothing seems
to delight him SO much than to hear
German fairy tales. Many of the
bearded pupils nnemorize these little
stories One of them was asked to
repeat one He did it with all the
embarrassment of the school boy.
Enlargement of the camp, and the
constant Improvement Of its wide
streets and many gardens keep many
Of the prisoners employed. Several
hundred men work in the shoe factory
and repair shop. A large overshoe,
made of stEaw-rope held in shape by
ordinary wire, is made in one of the
shops. The shoe is said to have prov
en- its value in the trentches, In adj
dition to protecting, the shoe of the
soldier it keeps the snow away from
the leather and in SO doing prevents
many cases of frozen feet,
There is a carpenter shop. Tho crude
furniture needed by the prisoners is
made in this, A wood turning and
cutting shop produces such articles as
in1afd wooden cigar and cigarette
cases. jewe1ry boxes, hand-mirror
backs and frames, and toys, Much of
this Is well done. It is sold in the
open market. One third of the money
realized goes to fund with which
the prisoners buy the expensive woods
needed for this sort of work, new tools
and other accessories. Another third
the prisoners may spend as they think
fit, while the remainder goes to the
Austro- Hungarian War Providence
fund, and is then devoted to any of
the various charitable purposes this
organization has.
Much labor is needed to manage the
camp: Several hundred Russians at
tend to the wounded and sick in the
hospitals and eonvaleseent barracks.
Among them are druggists and such
sdntelhgents'' as were willing to be-
come nurses. The erder1ies, too, are
Russians.
Efforts on the part of the Austrian
officers to ind something to do FIR the