The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-10-01

his yarns about how the Germans
treat their prisoners. In that camp
alone 500 died within three months.
The day we arrived there were fifteen
funerals. Not disease, as you In Eng
land, hear, but worked to death, at
the point of a bayonet, then, when
past all remedy, sent back to die. This
Rochdale chap, he had only just re-
turned from the firing line. He told
about having to work on trenches, on
German soil, getting knocked down
with a rifle If he asked for something
TO eat. You'll hear some queer yarns
when this affair Is over. This SOL
dier's name is Sergeant Tom G. Muir
ply, 5 Wilson street. Mount Rochdale.
1--WE were informed while we were
there that we should receive Red
Cross parcels consisting Of clothing
and food. Others I have seen with
them, but none of our crowd have seen
or had any yet. We have wrote sever
al times to the British Red Cross So
ciety at Copenhagen, Denmark,)
London Is the real headquarters. But
Denmark Is where we receive from.
Well, as I say we have got none Of
them up to date.
There are 900 or us here in Lu-
| lean Line for one mark per day and
half mark overtime per hour. But
| If we have not worked during the day,
| the night only counts as day. We
| have to work a full day before any
night work counts as overtime. And
I can tell you it is work. No cotton
hooks or leather gloves, but bare
| hands. Steel plates like razors, rails,
| pig iron, barbed wire, coal, iron ore
| general cargo, barrels, munitions. Our
hands are like cut pulp. No cranes
! here like any modern port has, oh no,
you lift it you English swine. All in
| a primitive style from to 6. Coffee
| at a. M, soup at IL, soup again at
| E, piece of bread per day and you
| cannot buy bread here when you like.
| Germans are the same, everything that
Is bought, a permit has to be shown
from the police. A German told me
| the other day that before be could buy
a pair of boots he had to take the old
| ones to the police and notify them that
the old ones were wore out, even to
a pennyworth of shoe nails.
Soap is 2 marks a pound; tea and
| milk are things of the past; SO is SUI
gar and fat. have not tasted sugar
and milk for two months. A cap or
pants, underwear, all have to have a
/ permit to buy any. That is the Ger
man AS for us, no one is allowed to
serve us outside our own canteen. II
they are caught giving us anything
they are liable to ITS mark fine or
inn Imprisonment. Now, this is not here
say; this is my own experience. How
would this look in, The Observer, or
Umpire, or Chronicle? Tell Ted to try
/ it; it would be information for some
one. OF course, I cannot say what Is
going on at the German front, for, te
tell you the truth, I don't believe any.
thing hear. I have heard a 1ot-one
thing In particular. A German told
me England is starving. only laugh
ed at him.
'The German here Is only d big
slave. You can see serfdom writer
all over his face. And the Prussian
he is a real bully. had some, SO
know, and anotfler.a Although we are
prisoners, some of us have showr
fight, and they have left us alone.
cannot tell you all, as it would take
a book to describe what T know. But
!, believe me- every sensible German Il
, not only tired over this war, but they
don't seem to care who wins or loses
!,
hoped England would win He hat
been in English ships, and he was sor
ry he was in German ship. He wa.
a ships carpenter, receiving 12t
marks a month. He showed me hi
dinner-one slice of black bread ant
, a drink of coffee; no sugar. I tolt
him it served him right; why didn'
he clear out in Norway, same as
would If I was in his place. OF course
he had his own reasons. I let hin
keep them. It was no business o
> mine. Well, If you wish to do me an,
: others good turn, ask whatever pa
per you put this in to shake up tn
: British Red Cross and Order of 81
John, Strand, Boulevard, "a Copenha
gen. OF course, they may be dom
;. their share, but, at any rate we ar
. receiving nothing.
Since I have been in this countr
the only eatabIes have had has bee
= three pounds of Huntleyl & Palmer
Emergency Biscuits and they wer
= champion. I could have done wit
more but it was not to be. You ca
. tell them we are at Lubbock. We cam
), here from Brandenburg on the 3r
= May, Thursday. All the old men owe
;, so, and the boys under 16 were lei
at Brandenburg. We are all told 400.