The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-14

lis paw or an officer WlIn four wound stripes on his sleeve. But there was absolutely nothing which would have compelled interest in kvFilliam Crompton, of Smith street, Liverpool, except that he was of mili- ltary age and wore civilian attire.
 Yet this steamship fireman had tHeen as much of the horrors of war las most men, and the day I was for htunate enough to meet him through Ia British officer was the morning of This arrival from a Scotch port Pre- Ey1ous to that time he had existed as Ia prisoner in Germany for several Emonths. Crompton is "A years old, about five feet; six and wears smoked kgiasses. The reason for the latter tcomes from one of the punishments inflicted on him in Prussia It is just kas well to let you have his simple yarn as it was taken down by a stem hographer:
 eve were about 150O miles off Rio Janeiro when we sighted the raider kN6oewe- She was flying British en- ssign. It was Feb. IA, but it was not laantil the following day that she stop ped us by firing eight shots at the Brecknockshire aboard which l was h1ireman.
 "Our captain brought the Breck- fnockshire to a stop, saying that he Thought 1t was a British vessel which fsuspected us- But when the Moewe knsared us she sent up the German knayal flag. There were about 90 of bus aboard, and the old man said, They've got us-'
 Can't you give us time to get our clnthes?' asked our" skipper when the tgrappling irons were throWns at our s4laip from the Moewe.
 Not two seconds said the AEoewe's captain I've two more ships Sto sink before n1idnight!'
 stIt then was noon The Boche sail Soz1 came aboard, and they opened up f1he seacocks tied bomb on the boil i<5s4 and put two or three more in the engine room Meanwhile we was esourryin' for the boats, taking no t1ne for getting anything we valued. An we never saw the old ship go lander, as by the time the bombs were exploded we were shut below decks aboard the Moewe.
 Sinking ships is not what I likes,
 
 its war *
 At thatstirne the Moewe captain was undecided what he would do with us-take us into neutral or a Ger man port as prisoners we were asked to sign papers not to take arms against Germany nor go to sea agair during the war We all signed the papers.
 While we were aboard her the Moewe got about 10 ships. We dit not see any of them, but, of course word leaked out as to what ships they was.
 Then the Moewe steamed for Kiel Norwegian colors on her bow, we wa! told by a German sailor. We prob ably went through the Skaggerak When we reached the Kie1 there wa. about 40 warships in sight, submar ines and seaplanes, also a number O. British interned ships They had beer in German ports when war was de lclared.
 Before got off the Moewe I no doed a place I took for a submarine yard, where there seemed to be To of boats. The first thing the Ger mans did with us on our arrival fl their waters was to send us out fl boats, while moving pictures wer taken of us as if we were out at sea
 This was all I had on after dis enbarking on March 22 to go to Dull lNen, where we arrived at o'clocl in the morning. We had to walk 1 EkflometeFs. in the rain.
 T was famished and faint when W got to the camp. We had been toll that we would be treated all righ provided we did nothing against tn regulations. None of the German there would speak English and be cause we did not understand then they stuck their bayonets into us an Init us with the heels of their rifles
 "Our food at o'clock in the morn ing in the camp was slice of blac. bread and German coffee withou milk or sugar. It was an awfu change from the good grub on tn Moewe. Our second meal, at moor sconsisted of turnip soup and a fe, vegetables. At night we had som more of the soup.
 ''On April we were switched t Brandenburg. a journey which too A hours After being inoculated should think half dozen times " were set to work making safet screens for the powder magazines.
 There were 63 of us in a sma hut and I had only the clothes I le the ship in. They gave me nothin more. although I begged for it, e! pecialiy shoes,
 Finally after being in BFandef burg for about a month they told | Tzr1 crAnd fnn6 in yo5-l ing for the steamships-and that W were going to have a chance ther
 Before leaving that place we sa some of. the crews of the NOmad an the NeStor, 1.-two British destroye. sunk in the Jutiand fight. The sai ors said that when they first can there 8 young officer screamed them as if they was swine-Eng1is swine! He spat at the sailors, ar then was joined by another office
 Pretty soon, these chaps said, or big sailor catches the Fritz under u jaw and then a second sailor knocl the spots off the other German.
 'But there was the end. The tv British sailors had the daylights kicl ed out ofsthem and then they wei showed into wooden sentry box. IT Germans piled wood around it af set 1t alight. Neither of the two me has been seen since.
 Then we went to Lubeek. It didF matter much where we went, as couldn't be worse than Brandenbur Ay feet were raw and bloody, al when I told them that could n walk they pulledlme along the ro and laughed at me.