The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-25
Prisoner Outrages eliminating
in the Shooting of Cap
tain Fryatt.

tain Fryatt. -
AT Ruhleben there was a hospital
which. in spite of many representa-
lions. was never In proper shape. In
addition, there was in the camp a
special barrack established by the
prisoners themselves for the care Of
those who were SO i'll or SO weak as
to require special attention. hut who
were not III enough 70 he sent to the
hospital. This barrack was for a long
time in charge of a devoted gentle
man, prisoner, whose name I have
unfortunately forgotten. but whose
self-sacrif1ce deserves special mention.
! arranged with the camp authori-
ties and the German authorities for
permission TO enter into a contract
with DIR. Weller. Under this contract
DIR. Weller, who had a sanatorium in
the west OF Berlin, received patients
from Ruhlehen. Those who were able
( TO pay paid for themselves. the poorer
ones being petd for by the British
government. This sanatorium oceu-
pied several villas / had many dis
putes with DR.. Weller, but finally
managed to get the sanatorium In
such condition that the prisoners who
there resided were fairly well taken
care Of
q
England and Germany by which civil
ians UNIT for military service were
sent to their respective countries. and
just before I left I effected an ar
rangement by which all civilians more
than forty-five years old. with the eX-
ception OF twenty. which might be
held by each country for military rea-
sons, were to he released, ] do not
know whether this arrangement was
ri, IN, F.,9t
MENTAL CONDITION
OF CIVILIAN PRISONERS
With the lapse Of time the mental
condition Of the older prisoners In
Ruhlehen had become quite alarming.
Soldier prisoners when then enter the
army are always In good physical con-
dition, and enter with the expectation
of either being killed or wounded or
taken prisoner. and have msde their
arrangements accordingly. But these
unfortunate civilian prisoners were
often mon in delicate health. aud all
were In a constant state OF great men
tai anxiety as to the fate of their
business -a1sd--their- eater FsFises ess+i
their families In 1916 not only Mr.
Grafton Minot, who fer some time had
devoted himself exclusively to the
Ruhleben prisoners. but Mr.. Ellis
Dresel, a distinguished lawyer, of Bos-
a volunteer, took up the work Mr.
Dresel visited Ruhleben almost daily
and. by listening to the stories and
complaints OF the prisoners. material
iy helped their mental condition.
SIR ROGER EASEMENT
CHASED OUT OF CAMP
The Germans collected all the sol
der prisoners of Irish nationality in
one camp at Limburg. not far from
Erk-rsv IL F.r~ y
made 10 induce them TO Join the Ger
man army. The men were well treat
4 80. and were often visited ny Sir.
!. Roger Caseu ent. who. working with
the q srman authorities. tried To get
these Irishmen 20 desert their flag and
join the Germans A few weaklings
weer persuaded by SIR Roger who
finally discontinued his visits after OBJ
taining about thirty recruits, because
the remaining Trishmen chased him
sut Of camp,
] received information Of the shoot
fsfg Of one prisoner and. although the
aamp authorities had told Dr. McCar-
Inv thai the invest CATION had been
closed and the guard who did the
shooting exonerated. nevertheless
hen ! visited the camp in order 10
Investigate Z Was toid that | could
not do SO because the matter of the
sEbtANE was SAsit AEQSF INK HSti Ea tiOU-
Nor RaF allowed to sneak TO those
prisoners who had been Witnesses at
The time 81 tho shooting. afterward
learned that a0other lrishmau had
been shot by "a guard on the day be
fors my visit. ard the same obstacles
10 my investigation were drawn about
this ease.
The irtshmen ala not hear conAre-
ment well, ana az the time Of my visit
among them many % them were sur
fer3ng with tuberculosis in the camp
hospital. They seemed also peculiarly
subject to mental breakdowns Two
devoted tatt f1ciir priests. Father Croft
ty a1d a Brother Warren, from a re
ligious house in Belgium. were doing
wonderful work among these pris-
oners.
BAD ftTECrT
Of WORKING PRISONERS
The sending oug ( the prisoners of
war TO work throuI out Germany has
had one very evil effect. II has made
it 10 the financial advantage OF. cer-
sain farmers and manufacturers to
have the war continued. The Prus~
sian land owners or junkers obtain
four Or five times as much for their
Agricultural products as they did be-
fore the war snd have the work on
their farms performed by prisoners Of
war 10 WEom tfsF are required 10 pay
only six cents day When the ''Tage-
blatt' called attention to this It was
suppressed for several days,
At many OF these so-calied working
CAMPS our inspectors were refused
admission on the ground that they
might learn trade or war secrets
They succeeded. however, in having
the men sen, outside. In order that
they might inspect them and hear
their complaints. There were in Ger
many about one hundred central
camps and perhaps 10000 or more
so-ca!led working camps In summer
q time throughout the country. Some
cS the British prisoners were put to
work on the sewage farm of Berlin
but we succeeded In getting them sent
back to their parent camp.
The prisoners OF war were often
accused OF various breaches OF dis
ciplfne and crimes. Members Of the
I'm hassg would attend these trials and
we endeavored TO see that the prison
ers were properly Represented. But
the Germans often refused US an op~
portunity to see the prisoners before