The Arizona copper camp., 1918-10-26

Then some Of us said we were go
ing to get some of that bread if we
went west for it,. So we started q
fight, and while they were attending to
some of us, the others grabbed and hid
all the bread they could. They rousted
us back into the cars and we were
just starting to divide up the bread
when they caught us with it and took
it away. We were wilder than ever
then, but we could not do anything.
1t got colder after we left Witten-
berg, and the snow blew into the cars
through the windows and doors until
we were afraid to sleep for fear Of
freezing. 1t was the worst night I
have ever seen, and the coal bunkers
on the Yarrowdale seemed like pal
ace compared to the compartments,
because we could at least move around
In the ship, while in the train we could
not move at all, and were packed so
close that we could not even stretch
our legs and arms. Some of the men
did die, but not in my compartment,
though most of us were frost-bitten
about the face.
We thought that night would never
end, but day came finally, and though
1t seemed to get colder and colder, we
did not mind it so much. At about
eleven that morning, we arrived at q
place called Minden and saw prison
camp there-just a stockade near the
tracks with the boys out in the open.
We waved to them, and they waved
back and gave cheer-oh or two. We
felt sorry for them, because we knew
we were not going to that camp, and
from what little we saw, we knew we
could not be going to worse place
than they were in. / shall never for
get Minden, because it was here that
received the only cigarette had while
was in Germany.
Minden is quite railway center, I
guess, and when we pulled into the
depot. we saw many troops going to
the front or coming back. AS at all
important German railway stations,
there was a Red Cross booth on the
platform, with German girls handing
out barley coffee and other things to
the German soldiers. I saw a large
shanty on the platform, with a Red
Cross painted over the door. saw
the girls giving barley coffee to the
soldiers, and thought I would have
a try at 1t and at least be polite
enough to give the girls a chance Of
refusing me. / was refused all right,
but they were SO nasty about it that
put down my head and let something
slip. do not remember just what 1t
was, but it was not very compliment
ary, guess. Anyhow, / did not think
anyone near there understood Eng
lish, but evidently some one heard me
who did, for got an awful boot that
landed me ten or twelve feet away.
fell on my hands and knees, and
about yard away / saw a. cigarette
stub. dived for it like man falling
on a football, and when came up
that stub was safely in my pocket.
And 1t stayed there until I reached
Dulmen and had chance to light it
behind the barracks. If any Of the
other men had smelled real tobacco,
they would probably have murdered
me, and / could not have blamed them
for 1t.
That was the first and last cigarette
I got in Germany, and you can be-
lieve me when say that l enjoyed
1t. There was not much to it, but
smoked it until there was not enough
left to hold in my mouth, and then
used what was left and mixed it with
the bark that we made cigarettes out
of. Incidentally, this bark was great
stuff. / do not know what kind of
tree 1t was from, but It served rne
purpose. Whenever a fellow wanted
to smoke and lit one of these bark
cigarettes, few puffs were enough.