Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-05

were soon taken Dy inexperienced
terrible task with the same cheerful
ness and bravery they would have
shown in undertaking any purely
military duty.
The physical misery and discom-
fort of the camp would have made it
place of horror without any cpl
demic. Many of the huts were with
out coal for as long as week at
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 insufficient
and this added to the depression al
ways felt in even the best managed
prison camps. The room for recrea-
ton was decidedly limited, and foot
balls sent from England to the men
were withheld from them, and it was
not until March that the men were
able to get even the elementary ex-
ercise of kicking a ball about. The
first we got were three sent to me by
Ambassador Gerard. He promised to
send these when he visited the camp,
and when they failed to arrive on
time | wrote to him asking why and
very shortly afterwards they arrived.
l am sure that the delay was due to
their being held by the prison au-
thorities. When | threw these foot
balls to a group Of men gathered
about my hut mad rush was made
for them, and the prisoners for the
first time in over year had a chance
to indulge in game of any sort.
Later the footballs sent from England
were released, so the men now get
some exercise as well as relief from
the deadly monotony of a crowded
camp.
There is but little that I can add
to the official report already publish
ed of the epidemic, which was ended
by sunshine and soap. When the
weather got warmer the men crept
out into the sunshine, taking infected
| clothing and mattresses with them,
and when a shipment of soap sen,
from England was finally released to
our use by the prison authorities the
end was in sight
"One expects disciplinary rules in a
prison, but none quite as severe as
those which obtained while the cpl
demic ragged. Death seemed the only
penalty for any infraction Of the rules
while the guards maintained order
from their safe refugees outside the
barb-wire limits of the camp. A
| number OF attempts to escape, some
OF which evidently proved successful
were made, for no live prisoner was
ever brought back. Several, who at
| tempted 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 flag
rant cases was that Of an insane
French soldier, who had been dis
charged from the hospital as conva-
lescent. Returning to his own COM
pound, he found no food there, so re-
turned to the hospital to ascertain the
reason. AS he again sought his hui
he was shot by a guard. With sew
eral fellow prisoners | rushed out to
pick him up, but We were ordered to
our nuts on pain of DEATH and the
poor lunatic was allowed to die where
he lay. The most wholesale use of
the rife as an instrument of discip-
line came on the day Italy declared
war. The warning whistle was sound
ed and in conformity with the rule
the prisoners scuttled to their huts
where they were expected to stand In
the middle OF the rooms without look
ing out. One over-curious prisoner
put his eyes to a slightly open door
only to be met with a rife bullet, and
from my bed where | lay i'll count
cd % shots. Later | learned that five
men had been shot and two of these
died"