Arizona republican., 1917-09-09

the street until l receive answer left beautiful clock for Mrs. Gerard 1 as an expression of his gratitude Tor the attention shown to his country men.
 It was really a pleasure to be able 1 to do something for these polite and charming people
 First Visit to a German Prison Camp |
 On August 20 I paid my first visit i to German prison camp. This was i to the camp at Doeberitz, situated | about eight miles west of Berlin sort | of military camp with permanent bar racks. Some of these barracks were 1 used for the confinement of such Bri- | tish civilians as the Germans had ar rested in the first days of the war. Only a few British were among the | prisoners there together with a num- Der of Russian and French I was al lowed to converse freely with the prisoners, and found that they had no complaints
 AS the war went on, however, a number of British prisoners of war
  course of the great retreat of the Bri- tish in northern France. Then officers and privates began to come into Ger many, and were distributed in various camps. Finally. in the autumn of 1914, the British government decided on in- terning a great number of Germans in England and the German government immediately, and as reprisal, interned all the British civilian men who, up to this time. had enjoyed comparative freedom in Berlin and other cities of the empire
 The British civilians were shut up
 n race track about five miles from the center of Berlin, called Ruhleben. This race track in peace times was used for contests of trotting horses. and on it were the usual grand stands and brick stable building containing box stalls with hay lofts above, where the race horses were kept
 On August 20 I paid my first visit to the police presidency in Berlin, where political prisoners, when ar rested, were confined A small num- Der of English prisoners subject to special investigation were there in- termed. This prison, which I often subsequently visited was clean and well kept, and Ihever had any particu lar complaints from the prisoners con- fined there-except, of course. as the war progressed, concerning the made quacy of the food
 Special Care for British Prisoners had organized special department immediately on the breaking out of the war to care for the interests of the English. At first MT. Boylston Beal lawyer of Boston, assisted by Rlvington Pyne of New York. was at the head of this department of which later the Hon. John B. Jackson, form cry our minister to the Balkan states, Greece and Cuba took charge. He volunteered to give his assistance at the cCmmencement of the war. and I was glad of~his help, especially as he mad been twelve years secretary in the Berlin embassy; therefore, he was well acquainted. not only with Ger man, but with German official life and customs. MT. Jackson was most ably assisted by Charles H. Russell Jr. of New York and Lithgow Osborn. Of course others in the embassy had much to do with this department. The first privates, prisoners of war came to the camp of Doeberitz nea,, Berlin. Early in the war MT Grew, our
 first secretary, and Consul General Lay visited the camp for officers at Iorgau. The question of the inspec- ton Of prisoners of the camps and the
 rights of ambassadors charged with the interests of hostile powers was
 quite In the clouds. So many reports came to Germany about the bad treat
 ment in England of German prisoners | or war that I finally arranged to have | MT. Jackson visit England and report. | This was arranged by my colleague.
 our ambassador to England. and in
 the flrst winter MT. Jackson made his
 trip to England. His report of condi-
 uohs there did much to allay the Ger
 man belief as to the ill., treatment of
 tneir subjects who were prisoners in
 Ihsiano, and helped me greatly in
 bringing about better conditions in
 Germany. After vainly endeavoring to | get the German government to agree
 to some definite plan for the inspection
 or the prisoners; after my notes to the
 foreign office had remained unan
 swered for a long period of time, and
 after sending personal letter to vor
 Jagow, calling his attention to the fac
 that the delay was injuring German
 prisoners in other countries, finally
 called on Chancellor von Bethmann
 Hollweg and told him that my note.
 concerning prisoners were sent by tn,
 iorelgn off1ce to the military authori
 ties, and that while I could talk witt - officials of the foreign office, I neve