The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-02
Germany Sends 9. S. Note;
Will Free Them March z.
Terrible Suffering of American
Prisoners in Germany.
HELD CAPTIVES THREE MONTHS
Four Americans From YarrOw-
dale Reach Copenhagen.
Rest of ~ Retained in Quaran-
tine Camp in Germany.

Washington, March Germany,
in a note delivered to the state de-
partment today by DIR. Paul Ritter,
Swiss minister, promises the release
of the Yarrowdale prisoners on March
Z. saying quarantine regulations Will
have been complied with by that date.
Copenhagen, March -Four Amer
leans from the steamer Yarrowdale
who have been prisoners in Germany
for three months arrived here today.
They are DR.. John Davis, Columbus,
Miss, Orville McKim, WATERFOWL, N.
Y. DIR. H. D. Snyder, Norfolk, Va, and
Richard Zabriskie, EngIewood, n. j.
The four men were practically destl-
tute.
The men reached here with only the
clothes they stood in and under the
custom of the sea will be supported by
the British consul until it is possible to
send them home. They owe their re-
lease before the remainder of the
seventy-two Americans who were on
the Yarrowda1e to the fact that as
physicians or veterinarians. they rank
ed as officers and were confined in the
officers camp at Karlsruhe.
The horse tenders and sailors, who
composed the bulk of the American
captives are still held in Quarantine"
at the prison camp for enlisted men at
Dulken.
Must Now Aawait Identification.
The four men left the camp at Karls-
ruhe on February 27 and travelled di-
rect to Warnemunde under escort,
where, after being subjected to the
usual frontier search, they were put
aboard a Danish ferry and left to shift
for themselves The Danish police
took charge of them upon their ar
rIx in rl< RI writ 4
quarters for the night in hotel al
Gjedser and gave them the first hearty
meal they had enjoyed since landing
! in Germany in December. The next
morning the Danish authorities pro-
vided railroad transportation to Cop
enhagen.
| Ancient sea practice makes seaman
stranded in a foreign port the guests
| of the consul of the power under
whose flag the lost ship sailed. Uni
ted States Consul General WinsloW
was compelled, therefor to refer the
passless, paperless and moneyless wan
! derers tC his British colleague. The
British consul provided hotel accom-
modations pending an investigation as
to the mems identity. He pointed out
concerned the four men might be Ger
4 man spies
Dramatic Story of Adventure.
Few more dramatic tales have beer
brought forth by the war than the
story of adventure, hardship and peri
at sea, short rations on land, and the
new danger from the sky which was
related by these four American pro.
/ fessional men to the Associated Press
correspondent.
! Snapped up by the German raider
! in midocean, they oruised around fol
days while the commerce DESTROYER
was gathering further prizes Their
they made the voyage in the YarroW.
dale to Swinemuende, under such con.
ditions that they expected the ship:
seams to open and the vessel to sinh
! beneath them at any moment.
They lived for more than tive
Z months IN prison camps in German,
on the meagre prison fare nrovidef
by the German government withou
food parcels which tighten the condi
tons of existence other prisoners O
CONTINUED on Page Two1