New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1916-11-24
TRADING WRECKS OF MEN FROM WAR
PRISONS OF GERMANY AND RUSSIA
Correspondent Witnesses Repatriation Of Teutons and Departure
of Russians-ConsumptWes Selected by Germans From
Various Camps to Avoid Injecting Other
Released CaptveS.
BY CYRIL BROWN,
CORRESPONDENT Of New York Times.


on many fronts. but never so poignant
ly the pure essence OF tragedy as
when the dead awaken-thc moment
when hopclessly wnr-damaged prison
ers are m~etamOrphOsed by the illuSory
hope Of Il new existence from duihb
brutes, dcadrned by long captivity ana
physical misfortune, into men again;
when they touch home soil, If they are
Germans or AuStrianS, or leave the en-
cmy's shores forever if they are Rus
sians.
Generally once, frequently three
times Il week, this dramatic episode
is played on the strand of the Baltic
ut the pleasant uinmer resort of Sass
nitz, on the emerald island of Ruegen'
five hours sail from the Swedish port
of Trcl!rborg, when the good ship of
mercy. the Swedish Red Cross hospital
ship Acolus. old sradog Captain Brand
commanding, brings its pitiful freight
of exchanged prisoners from RUSSIA
and loads Il similar return cargo. oW-
Ing to the general Russian offensive,
which SO taxed the Russian strategic
railways that no rolling stock could be
spared for the shipment of prisoners
to Sweden. this humane exchange had
been suspended for several months,
but | WAS able to witness its eSulnp-
tion.
TO get the complete picture YOU must
begin with II tom of this little, old
fashioned, staid seaside The
summer girl has gone home to Berlin
and the provinces. The stony strand
is deserted of happy children ana
anxious grown-upS. Qeletcd by cen
sor.) The vendors of amber souvenirs
ii speciality of SaSSnitz-of picture
postals. memorial shells and edlbles
are boarding up their booths. Save
for Il few belatcd holidaying stragglers,
the modest seaside hotels are dead
yet your trained nose detects an I'M
mistukablc mir of expectancy about
town. For this is eXchangc-priSoner
day, an event in the life of this fortu-
nate far-off community, whore other
wise the waves of war cause hardly Il
faint ripple. Native notwithstanding
girls and others of Il more matronly
topography dressed in white, are hur-
rying %strandwNrd bearing punches of
early fall flowers and of oak leaves,
with which to decorate the returning
heroes.
An ALI Tuberculosis Shipment.
The Times correspondent meanwhile
visits the local music hall, where the
Russian prisoners to be exchanged are
bedded, having had Il thorough en-
forced rest preparatory to standing the
short but rough Baltic crossing to SWe-
den. | find more Russians in the Nik-
toria hotel and other hotels-about $50
of ilem-all victims of tuberculosis.
This arouSes curiosity, but proves no
coincidence. They have been carefully
picked from the prison calnps of Aus
trin and Germany for an nll-tubcrcu-
iosiS shipmcnt-senSible segregation
rather than to have II sprinkling of
w!lite-plague sufferers injecting a
mixed shipment of rripples. These
poor wretchcs lie hacking and cough
Ing, many obviously in advanced stages
of the disease, in cots on the DOR and
stage of the music hall, their faces
are impressive. hopeless. Captivity
has turned gray the unkempt hair and
boards of many but there are also
broken youths, some mere boys. The
bulk of them have been shipped from
Austrian camps, as the Russians have
collected i,y the ccnsor) more AustrO-
Hungarian than German prisoners and
consequently exchange more Austro-
IlungarianS than Germans.
The AuStrianS are sending home
their prisoners in good shape as to
equipment. A new pair of black leath-
or boots stands at the foot of each cot,
md beside them lies Il new convict suit
of dark brown material. with n round
cap to match. The equipment fur
nished to returning Russian prisoners
was formerly not so good. | learned
there Is obviously Il laudable desire to
Improve. however. The Russians are
already having a fOretaSte of liberty
n touch OF neutrality, mt least-in the
shape of n pretty little Red Cross
nurse, Miss Marie Oestlin, who has
been in America in fact, had nurse
hood conferred on her by the Illinois
Training school Of Chicago. Miss Oest-
sHi, WV a. iht w say III pAdirc VI
American humanitarianiSm, notably of
the splendid work one by American
Red Cross surgeons and nurses during
the war. has been continuously on duty
In SassnitZ since August, 1915. minis
ter!ng to Russian exchange prisoners,
md wears part of her material reward
in the form Of Austrian and German
Red Cross medals on her starched |
Swedish uniform.
In a private room In the Victoria
hotel l meet and try to talk with a
handful of Russian officers. the only
nonconsumptives in the shipment, but
make little Roadway. as one Is a Cos
sack captain, who does not speak Rus
sian. and all are imperviOus to Broad
why German. bad French. and alleged
Spanish.
Town and Harbor Bedecked.
Voices outside proclaim that the
hospital ship Aeolus has been sighted.
Armed German bandsmen. army and
navy officers, soldiers. sailors. towns
men, women. children, dogs and neu-
WAITRESS 49 YEARS Is DEAD