The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-08-30
PRISONER OF GERMANS
TELLS THRILLING TALE.
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been anywhere. We had 20 hours
daylight, and four hours twilight: il
never got altogether dark. 1t was
summer when | was there and very
hot. The island was seven miles
long and five miles wide. The Ger
mans said it was in the southern At
lantic, between Africa proper and
South America.
Ford Wheel Sunfiowers.
Communication existed between
Germany and the island, because
there were German warships in the
harbor and the place was guarded by
disabled German soldiers. The island
was cultivated and was the best land
I ever saw. Every foot of ground
was planted in sunfiowerS. The heads
sof some OF them were as big as a
Ford wheel, and the grain as large
as a mans thumb. The seed was
ground into -four from which 'black
bread" was made This was sent to
Germany I should say there were
about 1000 men of all nations on
the island. The German officers were
unwounded, we'll taken care of, and
spoke excellent English. They would
walk around among US, spit in our
faces, and curse at us in good Eng
lish. The German soldiers all SEEM
ed very much afraid of them. They
liked to sit in the shade together, call
out to one of the prisoners to run,
and they would shoot at him when he
ran; then they would laugh when he
tumbled over wounded, or dead. The
ordinary soldiers were not as bad,
but they used to hit us over the head
with rakes when officers came around.
ave were fed on half pound of
sunflower seed bread day and four
ounces of crude fish oil, which was is
sued to US about 10 o'clock in the
morning. l weighed 202 pounds
when l went to the island and 100
when I got away. Men were dying
all~the time. Thirty-one of our crew
died to my knowledge before l left.
After We had been on the island for
four weeks DR.. Hurley, the only ply
sician we had, called me over on the
sand one night where he lay and said
that he was going to die. He said he
was not sick but just starved. He
talked to me few minutes about
messages to give his mother and sis
ters in Mexico, No, his home, and
then dragged himself off under lit
tie bush. The next morning he was
dead, The Germans threw his body
into the sea next day without even a
covering. They made way with all
the dead prisoners in this way. Z.
''They made no effort to care for
the sick. Of course, we had suffered
greatly while in the salt water, and
some of our men looked as though
they had been cut with knives all
over. They took off all our clothes
and gave us a pair of jeans, so that
we were naked from the waist up;
we didn't have hats, and were bare
footed. 1t was very hot.
They put all the men to work in
the field except me. They found the
delivery papers for the horses on me,
and put me in charge of the mules in
the barn. They had 800 fine young
Missouri mules. They were in good
shape except for few cases of collie,
and after two weeks they told me to
go into the fields. I said that I
would rather shoe mules than go into
the fields: I showed them that |
could shoe mules. so they kept me
in the barn. l sometimes put on 80
shoes in day.
Being in the mule barn l escaped
some Of the tortures, that the other
prisoners had to endure. But my day
came at last. l told the guard one
morning that the hay l was furnished
gave collie to the mules. He acted as
though he didn't understand and went
off and told the man in charge of the
stock. Then he came back and mo-
toned me to go with him. | was
taken into a building before sharp
eyed young officer. He asked me what
was the trouble with the mules.
told him the hay was no good, and
was going to kill the mules. and
from the look of things they needed
mules. He said, You don't like it,
l said I won't feed that hay to an OK
or a goat Then he said We have
got things here that will make you
like some things He seemed to be
in a towering rage, and raped for
guard to come in. The guard took
L.