Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-07-25
BY LOWELL MELLET,

Onleeo FreS8 starr Correspondence
With the Americans on the Marine.
(by mail).-James A. Donahue. Of
Newark, N. j., felt around in the dark
Then he hit his sleepy German guard
over the head. and two days later
yesterday-he made tho following re-
port to Second division headquarters
on what it is like to be q prisoner in
the German army:
and Joined my command-what there
was left of 1t. They were all split up
and mixed up. 1 heard a whistle blow
and went forward. Every time that q
fare would go up I would drop down.
There was 9 lot Of rifle firing. Just
thought they were our fellows. I ran
right into them and when I got there
one OF them hit me on the head with
something. When I came to they took
me up before an officer. He said:
.How many Americans are there over
Of Americans (7so.oOo men) and 40 d.
visions of French He said: .Ach.
schwein! Schwein!''
Then they booted me and showed me
away. Going u I got a couple more
Kicks. They took me down the road
would give me the once over and say:
..Ach. American! Schwein!' I don't
know how long I walked, but it was
a long time. ! didn't sleep all night.
Next morning I got IN axe about
the size OF this helmet handed me and
work cutting with them. ;. They had
machine guns all through the woods.
Then they took me across an open
field and back into another woods and
9 me cut more brush. They were
digging emplacements. They would dig
one and set q machine gun in it and
try 1t. turning 1t all around, and then
move to another place and try it. Then
they would cut more brush and camou-
f1age the holes.
THAT night I tried to sleep in an
old covering. About the time I would
get started sleeping they would come
along and give me q kick and take me
an another march. ss
That evening three men in Ameri-
can uniforms walked UP to an officer
and talked with him. Then they turned
and walked back toward the line. Then
about seven French officers, or men in
French uniforms. walked up and talked
to this officer and then they turned
n walked toward the line.
They would give me soup and black
bread to eat. That was enough to
drive 9 man crazy. Then they would
git IN front OF me ana eat cheese and
OIea0 3no drink 6OfnoChln1 that looked
like coffee to ~tantalixe me. They kept
me chopping all tho time. They had
about Is or 20 men carrying the brush
away while I was chopping It. They
were using 1t to camouflage the bitches
that had ammunition in them.
. was there about seven or eight
nights. I could not keep track Of the
days. So between showing me- around
and kicking me around, I thought
would try to escape and take q chance
OF being shot. So when another sentry
came on I watched him and he sits
down by q tree ana looked like he was
sleeping. I moved q bit and no move
out Of the sentry. He just kept right
on snoring away. Just rolled ove
and got Q little closer and still no move
out Of him. I reached around and gets
hold Of an old pick handle and thought
lit vas no good to me. So / felt around
and found the rest OF. the pick With q
little piece Of the handle.
70 I hit him on the head with the
pick ana not . sound or grunt out Of
him. I slipped right away then. Then
ran acf00s those Red Cross doxn oe
thelrs. They have got . little ca1.
teen on both sides OF them. I weat
% Q little piece aad stayed In thQ