The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-25

clan was the number of prisoners who
 recovered from the disease. Their grat-
 itude was pathetic and embarrassing as
 they gave the doctors so much credit
 for it. for our facilities were so limited
 that we could not give them even, the
 ordinary comforts which fever patients
 ought to have. Diet means much in ty-
 phus and the best l could give my pa
 tients after receiving certain concessions
 in respose to reiterated requests was
 three small cups of milk daily and occa-
 sonally some watery soup for each pa-
 tient. The highest death rate was among the devoted men who volunteered to , nurse their comrades. At the beginning of the epidemic there were only three men of the medical corps in the prison and their places were soon taken by in- experienced prisoners, who volunteered for the terrible task with the same cheer fitness and bravery they would have shown in undertaking any purely military duty.
 "The physical misery and discomfort of the camp would have made it a place of horror without any epidemic. Many of the huts went without coal for as long as week at a time in the midst Of freezing weather as the coal contractors, knowing there was no authority within the camp to see that proper deliveries were made frequently failed to bring any fuel. The lighting was always insuffi- cient and this added to the depression always felt in even the best managed prison camps. The room for recreation was decidedly limited and footballs sent from England to the men were withheld from them, and it was not until March 1 that the men were able to get even the elementary exercise of kicking a ball about. The first we got were three sent to me by Ambassador Gerard. He prom 1 ised to send these when he visited the camp and when they failed to arrive on time I wrote to him asking why. and very shortly afterwards they arrived. am sure that the delay was due to their | being held up by the prison authorities. When I threw these footballs to a group | of men gathered about my hut a mad rush was made for them, and the pris- oners for the first time in over a year 1 had a chance to indulge in a game of any sport Later the footba ails sent from England were released, so the men now get some exercise as well as relief from l the deadly monotony of a crowded camp. There is but little that I can add to the official report already published of the epidemic, which was ended by sun shine and soap. When the weather got warmer the men crept out into the sun- shine taking infected clothing and mat tresses with them and when a shipment
 
 released to our use by the prison author ities the end was in sight
 Great improvements for which the in mates have MT. Gerard to thank, have been made since in the camp, the most important being well constructed fumi- gator erected by the Germans which re- duces the chance of another outbreak to the minimum. The general in command of the camp was removed after Gerard's visit, but the cowardly doctor in charge of the medical arrangements still remains and still wears his Iron Cross.
 "A little care at first with the segre gaton expected in places where prisoners arrive from different nations and fronts might have checked the epidemic in it's incipiency, but nothing was done, with the terrible results to which the great trench in which men are buried four deep bears mute testimony.
 "One expects disciplinary rules in a prison, but none quite as severe as those which obtained while the epidemic ragged. Death seemed the only penalty for any infraction of the rules while the guards maintained order from their safe refugees outside the barbwire limits of the camp. A number Of attemps to escape, some of which evidently proved successful were made, for no live prisoner was ever brought back. Several who attempted to get away were brought back dead, and those who planned to escape knew that the guards would shoot to kill. One of the most fragrant cases was that of an insane French soldier, who had been dis charged from the hospital as convaies- cent. Returning to his own compound he found no food there, so returned to the hospital to ascertain the reason. As he again sought his hut he was shot by a
 guard With several fellow prisoners I rushed out to pick him up, but we were ordered to return to our huts on pain of
 death, and the poor lunatic was allowed to die where he lay. The most whole sale use of the rifle as an instrument of discipline came on the day Italy de- clared war. The warning whistle was sounded and in conformity with the rule the prisoners scuttled to their huts, where they were expected to stand in the mid- dle of the rooms without looking out. One over curious prisoner put his eyes to a slightly opened door only to be met with a rifle bullet and from my bed where I lay i'll I counted 25 shots. Later learned that five men had been
 shot and two of these died"