The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-01-04
YOUNG OFFICER TELLS
OF GERMAN kULTUR

Camp Sherman, o.. Dee. s0s-Lieu-
tenant l.. 6. Rosslter OF the FhstCa-
madam Mounted Rifles. came to Camp
Sherman. today. and with his lef: hand
greeted officers and men OF this divis
ion. His right hard hangs loosely from
the wrist, striking example OF Ger
the Kaiser's armies.
Lieutenant Rossiter was shot thru
the palm OF his right hand at the bat
tie Of Sanctuary Woods, June 2, 1916.
He. with three hundred other Canad-
ians. wss taken prisoner.
Three days later, behind th, German
ines. product Of German kultur,
guised 0s a surgeon, came to L.euten-
art Rossiter, and said: ~
"schmaeinhund (German for "pis
dCg,r> whai ailing you?
The Canadian exhibited his wound,
The German grinned malitiously. TAX
ing Rossitei 10 an improvised operat
ing table he scientifically butchered the
boys hand He operated on the carpus
bone, paying scant attention to the
real wound in the palm Of the hand.
With Characteristic German thor
oughness the surgeon severed the ten
dons which make finger and thumb
movement possible.
Then he turned attention to the lad
middle finger. There was slight
scratch on his digit. but the German
deemed 1t necessary to amputate.
While the surgeon sawed and clip
ped. sewcd and severed the Canadian,
WITHOUT anaesthetic, looked on and
maryeied at the efficient way the Kais-
er's surgeon vas ircapacitating him
for future use as a soldier. At adtoin-
ing tables Germans were having less
painful wounds attended to Under tbs
humane influence of ether and chloro-
form.
For weeks and weeks after the
butchery R0ssiter was under care OF
various German surgeon while he was
being driven from one prison camp to
another Each surgeon in dressing the
wound found a new way to inflict pain
on the invalid Despite their inhuman
treatment the wound healed, but the
hand was left help >ss.
Rossiter. who was a rrivte then first
was taken to prison camp at Morslede
4 thence 10 SOuTlTdl Dclbiuhts ehch ~
Hanover. Germany.
After a brief Imprisonment here h
was moved to Colle Lager tCamE
Celle,) thence to Soltan No. ! Lager
and later to Hamelir and Soltau No.
Lager and finally to tile big prison
camp at Achen, better known as All
Lachaprelle.
/ At AK Lachappelle the CANADIAN
was stripped of lis soldier outfit AM
given civilian clothing, which the Huri
had commandeered from the stricken
Belgians.
i With hundreds of others he wa.
thrown into an ventilated, flea rid
Z, den prison. guarded by old mer wh'
were instructed to shoot on the sligi :.
{. est provocatlon.
The fooG. according to Lieutenan
Rossiter, was unfit for swine. TIL
prisoners subsisted on food sent TO tn
( prison camp by the Red Cross, the onl.
Organization which Is able to get pack
ages through German lines to prison
ers
"Were it not for the Red Cross,
said Rossiter, prisoners of war woul
die by the thousands in German pris
on camps individuals might as we
address packages to Kaiser Wilhelr
as to so dier in a prison camp. Tn
Only humane thing the Huns do is I
allow the Red Cross to care for allie
prisoners,
Lieutenant Rossiter was exchange
for Germ an last spring, and recent
was discharged from the Cahadial
forces that lie might come to this coun
try and tell Americans what he know
about German ki,ltur as prsctieed o
prisoners in the prison camps Of tn
German Empire.
While at Camp Sherman he will de
liver several lectures on Behind tn
German Lines