The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-08-30

battlefield. alive with the foul reek,
brutality and feverish anguish of real
war, let into peaceful and comfort
able South Carolina, was the recital
yesterday of DR.. George G. Bristol,
veterinary, of the Columbia Veteri-
nary Hospital, 1925 Hampton street,
of the story of his ten weeks in
German prison camp on an island IN
the southern Atlantic, of his rescue
from a torpedoed horse ship, and his
experiences of revolving German
cruelty. DR.. Bristol has been in Co.
lumbia but a few days, but has been
travelling the State in the practice of
his profession for some time.
He is native of Arizona and has
been connected with the live stock
industry in Missouri for several years.
He is a graduate of Northwestern
University, class of 1898, and did
post graduate work in veterinary sur
gerry at Toronto University. He was
in charge of the live stock at the
St. Louis exposition, and bears Gre
dentials from David R. Francis, of
st. Louis, president of the exposition,
and at one time candidate for the
Democratic nomination for president.
DR.. Bristol had been engaged in buy
ing and carrying horses to England
since the beginning of the war, and
was on his 18th trip when his ship
was torpedoed, and he fell into the
hands of the German crew of the
submarine.
DR.. Bristol weighs over 200 pounds
now. and is sunburned and hard.
With his leggins and khaki attire,
shirt open at the neck on a thick
chest, he is an arresting figure. His
thumbs bear scars from "thumbing
rack" on which he was swung up for
almost four hours by his captors,
and there is wound on his foot,
now almost healed, where he was
shot by German officer.
DR.. Bristol told the story in the
simple manner in which it is set out
below, in quiet, unexcited tone. IN
way that carried conviction, stopping
sometimes for a good laugh at an oc-
casional remembrance.
"a year ago last February said
DR.. Bristol, 81 was buying horses for
shipment to Liverpool, England, as
purchasing agent for large live
stock exporting concern. l had been
unusually lucky and had picked up a
fine lot, most of them being worth
from $500 to s400 apiece, and had
shipped them to point in Northern
Florida. From there we drove them
to the gulf coat at place called Dead
Mans Bay. The last part of the trip
was made through a thick Florida
swamp, where we had to move along
very slowly, sometimes only three or
four miles a day, and were without
good water a. good part of the time.
The result was that We lost 45O
horses. This and sweating around in
that jungle for four or five days put
me in very bad spirits to start the
trip. We loaded at Dead Mans Bay
and sailed for Tampa, where we took
on feed. Our ship, the Nancy Howell,
was big broad beamed old whaler
with long and stormy record in the
Bering Sea, but she was stout and she
was fast enough under ordinary cir
cumstances to Keep ahead Of any sub
marine. We carried some of the
horses in barges which we towed be-
hind.
From Tampa we sailed to Key
West. There we began hanging
around the harbor Office waiting for
clearance papers We were put off
from day to day for nc very satisfac-
tory reason. Our captain was horn
ed old veteran who had been scour-
ing the Seven Seas on all kinds of
ships since he was 12, as full of su-
perstition as a voodoo negro, and he
kept croaking that we were in for a
bad voyage. He said that holding
back clearance papers was a put up
joSand that they were waiting to tell
the submarines when we would start.
He swore that all of the lighthouses
along the coast were manned by Ger
mans, who kept signals out for sub
marines.
Horses Good Sailors.
'After while I began to get un-
easy myself, and on February 2, a
thick night, We hauled up our an
chor and slipped out without clear
ance papers. Heavy weather struck
us almost as soon as we started. We
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