The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-10-10

and coat and clogs, and, believe me, 1t
was not a case Of all dressed up and
nc place TO go!
Then 4 swan hard and caught up to
the Limeys who had jumped first. They
were asking each Other II they were
| downhearted and answering, Mot a
bit Of 1t, me lads" and trying to sing,
"Pack up your troubles In your old kit
bag" only they could not do much
singing on account Of the waves that
| slipped into their mouths every time
they opened them. That was just like
Llmeys, though.
Some of the boys were just climbing
up the Jacobs ladder on the Moewe
when the old George let out an awful
roar and up went the deck and the
matches high In the air In splinters.
One fellow let go his hold on the lad
der and went down and he never came
up. The Germans were making for the
Moewe liz the iifeboat uni we reached
1t just before they did. Up the ladder
we went and over the side and the
first thing we caught sight Of was the
German r~evolyers In our faces drilling
us all into line.
The lifeboat brought back the ships
papers from the George and we had
roll call. They kept IS up on deck In
our wet underwear and 1t was very
cold indeed. Then the first mate and
the old man and one of the German
officers called OFF the names and we
found W. had fifty missing.
The Boche commander had gall
enough to say that he was not there
to kill men but to sink all ships that
were supplying tire ATTEST He said
England was trying to starve Germany,
but that they would succeed and
that Germany would starve the allies
very soon.
After roll call some of us asked the
Germans for clothes, or at least a
place to dry ourselves In, but Fritz
could not see us for the dust on the
ocean and we just had to stand there
and SILVER till we shook the deck, al
most. Then / went and sat down on
the pipes that feed the deck winches.
They had quite a head of steam In
them and I was beginning to feel more
comfortable when / got a good clout
alongside Of the head for sitting there
and trying to keep warm. 1t was a
German garby and he started calling
me all the various kinds of schwein-
hunde he could think Of and he could
think Of a lot.
Finally they mustered us all on
another part OF the deck, then drilled
us down into the f~orecastle and read
the martial law of Germany to us.
AT least / guess that is what 1t was.
1t might have been the "Help Wanted
Dog Catchers" column from the Ber-
lin Lokal Taggabble for all most of us
knew or cared. 1t shows what cards
the Germans are-reading all those
four-to-the-pound words to us SILVER
Ing garbies, who did not give a dime
a dozen whether we heard them or not.
| Fritz is like some other hot sketches
he is funniest when he does not mean
to be. Every German Is a vaudeville
skit when he acts natural.
There were hammocks there and we
jumped into them to get warm, but the
Germans came down with their re-
volvers and bayonets and took the
hammocks away and poured water on
the decks and told us to sleep there.
They could not have done q worse
trick than that.
Then they put locks on the portfolios
and told us that anyone caught adding
with the locks would be shot at once.
This was because we might sight o
British or French man-of-war at any
time and as the Moewe was sailing I'M
der the British nag and trying to keep
nut OF trouble they did not want IS
at the ports signaling III own war
ships for help. II they had bucked
any OF the allied ships and had a fight
we would have died down there like
rats.
The Moewe had already captured
the voltaire. Mount Temple. Cambrian
Range and the King George and had
the crews OF these vessels between
decks with us. These men told US
how the Germans were treating them
and 1t looked to me as though the eve.
ming would be spent In playing games
and a pleasant time would be had By
all-not.
The crew Of the Mount Temple were
on deck working when the ruider sud
denly opened IRE on them. Two OF
three men jumped into the water and
the Germans turned q gun on them
while they were swimming and killed
them. That was just q sample Of what
had happened to them
The men now began running up and
down In q line to keep warm, but
took 4 little run on my own hook and
treated myself to as much Of 4 once
over Of the ship as I could. I do not
believe the Moewe had more than .
three-fourths-inch armor plate. but be
hind that she had three rows Of pif
iron, which made about q foot Ia thick
ness. There was nothlng but cable
strung along the deck and when ! saw
that I would have given anything q
have had q crack at her with = 14-incl
naval. And I sure wished hard enough
that one d q ships wcuid slip up q