The Benson signal., 1916-11-11
FEARED GERMANS
WOULD Be HURT
French Colonel Orders Prisoners
From Work He Considers
Dangerous.
SENDS IN French INSTEAD
incident Makes Deep Impression on
American Industrial Commissioners
prisoners Well Fed and
CourteousIy Treated.


war were digging clay from a pit
about eight feet deep just outside Bor-
deaux as the American industrial COM
mission of the American Manufacture
ers Export association rode by in au-
tOmobiles as guests OF the chamber OF
commerce Of Bordeaux. Lieut.. Col.
Georges Clavel of the French army,
who was leading the long line OF auto
mobiles, ordered his chauffeur to stop,
and leaped from the limousine.
Call the officer in charge of this
work." Lieutenant Colonel Clavel or
dered of the guard.
In moment the French officer stood
at attention and saluted.
''Take those Boches out of that pit
It's dangerous, the sides might cave
in and those prisoners might be hurt
or killed." Colonel Clavel peremptorily
ordered.
The French officer again saluted and
sent his orderly to call the German
officer in charge of the prisoners.
The PruSsian, an Over-lieutenant IN
gray green and stiff leather puttees, ap-
pearnd smoking a cigarette.
Kindly call your men out OF that
pit" the French officer said in
French.
The German officer went to the edge
of the clay pit, issued curt command
in German, and the four prisoners
threw dawn their spades and climbed
out of the hS.e The German officer
walked away, followed by his men.
"But, my colonel" said the French
officer to Colonel Clavel, 1--WE need that
clay in hurry for work we are do
ing down the road piece"
'You can put French workmen or
French soldiers in the pit to dig the
clay, but don't put any prisoners there;
it's too dangerous" said the Colonel,
as he re-entered his machine.
Although the American commits
sioners were motored through the
country round about Bordeaux for
three days, were shown munitions fac
tories, the great automatic cargo dis
chargers along the Bordeaux quays,
where munitions for the French are
received in huge quantities, and viewed
everything else of interest in that Sec
ton, the action of the French colonel
in showing more solicitude for the SAT-
ETY. Of his prisoners than for his
own men produced the greatest impress
sion on them. The incident was re-
called over and over again.
"Of course, we haven't seen the way
Germany treats French prisoners, but
we do know they can't treat their pris-
oners any better than the French treat
the Germans" said. J. G. Butler, Jr.,
of Youngstown, O., whose ambition 1t
is to see some of the barbed wire his
firm ships to France actually emplaced
before the allies trench lines.
"Yes," responded J. e. Sague, for
merly public service commissioner
in New York, ''those Germans look fat
and we'll taken care of and contented.
They even seem to have plenty of to-
bacco too"
'These prisoners get practically no
parcels from their homes in Germany,
you must remember" said Daniel
Guestler, president of the Bordeaux
chamber of commerce, "and yet you
see how we'll they look and thrive on
what the French military authorities
feed them. Nearly all English and
French prisoners in Germany are prac-
tically fed entirely by packages sent
through Switzerland from England
and France"
The sight of the Germans, their gar
ments stamped "PG" in great white
and black letters (prisonnier de
guerre), impressed the American
commission chiefly; next to that, the
great wine cellars of Bordeaux prob
ably occupied their chief attention.
Tour of Wine Cellars.
The commission was taken to the
cellars of the firm of J. Calvet, which
exports much wine to the United
States, and there the members
tramped through the damp, Chill Gel
lars for miles, past seas of wines
racked in bottles and piled in casks.
"I should like to see them make
champagne" said A. B. Farquhar, the
American architect, who came as a
member of the commission to plan
types Of houses or bungalows that may
be built in the war zone to replace
the ruined houses in cities bOmbarded.
"NVait until you get in the Cham
pagne district, in the neighbOrhOOd of
the great battle of last year, and you
will see them making the sparkling
wines in great quantities; here we Spe-
cialize in our Bordeaux wines," re-
piled NJ. Calyet.