Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-06
VERDUN CONDITIONS
CALLED DREADFUL
Geman Prisoners Declare They
Are Beyond All Human
Endurance.
WEEPS DURING INTERVIEW
British Correspondent Writes of
Efforts to Get Captives
to Talk.
WEEPs DURING INTERVIEW

LONDON, August ST. had made up
my mind" writes a correspondent at
the British front. "to Interview some
OF the numerous German prisoners
taken by the British and, IL possible.
TO make them speak. but from the very
start 1 met with great difficulties. for
the cars In which they were going to
he sent to the coast. previous to going
to England, had been hidden away I'm
a perfect maze of freight cars In the
yards Of the station OF -. and were
we'll guarded by several cordons OF
sturdy Canadian soldiers.
Thanks to my special permit. I was
gradually allowed to pass through. but
several times 1 nearly lost my way
among veritable mountains OF boxes of
rations and ammunition I noticed
also a great number of strange me-
chanfcal contrivances. which I shall not
try to describe.
AT last, having given UP all hope OF
fndfng my way unaided, 7 approached
a little Canadian officer with a brick
rcd face and asked him to direct me 70
the German prisoners h had been
taken the day before.
The reply was not quite what I
expected. In spite of the passports and
permits / showed him Zone was even
signed by the army commander him
self, he insisted that he alone was the
boss OF this particular station, and
that nobody had any right to permit
any one to pass through. Having de-
l!vercd himself Of this verdict. III
politely. but firmly. asked me to get
out of there.
II was about to turn hack the way
| had come when he raised his arm and
pointing his finger in the opposite
direction he said with a sly smile: You
go out this way
Il did as ] was told. and after walk
ing ahead for about fifteen minutes
moro / suddenly found myself facing
two cars surrounded by smiling. chatting
Tommics In full marching order. and
evidently awaiting tho moment when
they were to be sent to the front.
Walking closer, I saw that they were
all looking at n squad OF forlorn-
looking individuals. numbering, per-
hans, half a hundred, who were lying
on tho ground. and whom | first took
to be wounded men. until I noticed
that they were wearing the field gray
uniforms OF the Germans. Three or
four OF them. who were a little better
dressed than the rest. t~urned'out TO be
officers. These wero standing UP. and
kept aloof from their men.
SHOWN WAY
TO PRISONERS
81 then understood the smile with
which the little Canadian officer had
ordered me to get out this way. He
actually had shown me the way to the
prisoners 1 had come to see. After
elbowing my way through the crowd
&c Tor,,pIoc I urant mr. tn n prnnn nf
three German noncommissioned officers
and asked one of them In his native
language: 4 suppose you feel quite
happy to be out of it?'
The man was about to answer me
when he was hit by a stone full in the
breast. He looked In the direction
from which the missile had come, and
found one OF the officers staring at
him with a fierce frown. He imme-
diately bowed his head and did not
say a word. One of the Tommies told
me tina the prisoners always behave
In this manner whenever there are any
Of their officers near.
IT went around to the other side Of
the cars in the hope of nding prisoners
who were not so closely watched.
Here a different sight met my eyes
three Tommies had made a human
chain to a we'll close Dy ana were us
pensing water from their canteens to
three or four utterly exhausted Ger
mans who. lying on the ground. were
drinking eagerly.
"a gigantic Australian. who looked
very picturesque In his big campaign
hat with the Emu feathers, told me
that these men had been six meters
underground for four days without a
Srop NJ water to drink. and for three
days without any food. The men
looked smilingly into our faces as I
was listening to this tale, and I thought
the moment had come to interview one
of them.
"Are you glad to be %prisonersT I
asked.
"One Of them, a man with rather In
telligent and refined features, replied
without a moments hesitation In q
voice that trembled with feeling: 1t
WAS dreadful. I had been at Verdun
for a month, when they sent me hero.
II was even worse here. We cannot
stand it any longer. 1t is beyond
human endurance.
"He hid his face in his hands and.
breaking down completely, sobbed like
n child, while his comrades, getting on
their feet, placed themselves around
him that the officers should not catch
sight Of him in his moment of weak
ness"