The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-08-16
TELLS REMARKABLE STORY.
Bamberg Visitor Says He Was a Tur-
kish Prisoner 1S Years.


berg last week telling the most re-
markable story perhaps ever heara
frst-hand in this city. The man says
he was a prisoner of Turkey for over
lis years, during which time he was
| held in close confinement in a dung
con, and allowed no intercourse with
outsiders. He was released from
prison at the Turkish town of Ambole
| in December, 1915, when that town
was captured by allied troops. 1t was
then, he said, that he learned for
the first time that there was war in
progress.
Laurene impressed his hearers with
the sincerity and truthfulness OF his
story. Sunday night he gave lee
ture at the Carlisle auditorium to
packed house. For two hours he
held his audience spellbound. He is
Mason, and carries with him letters
from many men prominent in Mason
ry. He has large collection of rare
and ancient coins. These he exhibit
ed on the streets last week. Laurene
claims to be in search of his wife
and daughter, who, he says, were
somewhere in this country up to
short time ago.
He was born in Mississippi in 1870.
In 1878 he was carried by his parents
to France. He was educated at
Christ's college, Cambridge, England,
and at Brien, France. He was COM
missioned he stated, an officer in the
French army in 1890, and took part
in suppressing the rebellion of the
Kurds in 1896, and was held a pris-
oner for IS years, two months and
three days, being released by Gen.
Pierre Lemarie after the battle OF
Ambole, on December 3, 1915. He
SAYS he was sent by the French Gov
ernment to the United States to
search for his family.
The following story Of his expert
ences, was related recently to re-
porter for the Aiken Standard, upon
Laurene's visit to Aiken:
His story begins more than 20 years
ago. 1t carries one to the land o,
harems and oriental splendor, but TO:
him to the land of misery and un-
speakable horror; it breathes with the;
fire of battle; and the Great World
War figures in the story.
After IS years spent in a Turkish
prison, where he suffered torture,
never expecting again to see his ma
tive land or to enjoy day freedom
CAPTAIN Laurene is now back in his
native land wandering aimlessly
about; but like Enoch Arden, this un-
fortunate man is seeking his wife and
daughter, long separated from him.
His story is one of cruelty, of wan
dering, of abandonment, want and
privation. His scars-and they are
from the top of his head to the soles
of his feet-bear out his story. In
Turkish prison, where he was
abandoned, he was whipped and
punished in almost every conceivable
and inhuman manner.
Fate-the fortunes of war-opened
his prison doors to him after 1S years,
lust as fate and the misfortunes of
war shut him in that prison of living
death.
His story is enough to cause the
blood of any Christian to boil against
tn barbarities of the Mohammedans
the present allies of the Germans;
and he tells of cruelties which even
the Spanish Inquisition could hardly
rival
A Southerner, a native Of 'Mlssls-
sippi, Captain Laurene was OF
French abstraction, He is now more
than two score years of age, but what
he has suffered shows in his face
and he has suffered hell-making him
appear much older than he really is
His wife was Miss Lauris La Raeu,
also French Southerner, her mother
a native of Columbus, Ga. The daugh-
ter, lost with the mother, is known as
Tommie, and would have been l9
years old on July IA, last.
Some 20 years ago Mr.. Laurene
went to France, from where his grand
father came to- America as a mill
tary attache of the French lega-
ton at Washington. There he joined
the French army, which went over
seas to fight the bloody Turk. IN an
ENGAGEMENT Mr.. Laurene, together
with many other gallant French fight
ers, was taken prisoner. He was i'm
prisoned and subjected to all manner
of hardships and barbarous treatment,