The Carlisle independent., 1918-11-28

hardly walk, and some of the boys simply could not move without intense nain |
 THey laaded twelve men into each eompartinent, and detailed a guard of six men to3each car. The windows in slses cars wereeall smashed, and every thing about the cars was dirty. Finally the train stopped at town named Alt-Damm, and there was mob of women and children around as usual, ready for us with bricks and spit. They stoned us through the car windows and laughed and jeered at us, but by this tlTae We were so used to it that we did hot mind much. Only, every now and then some fellow would get all he could stand, and either talk back or make pass at somebody. Then he would get his either a bayonet through the arm or leg, ora crash on the head with gun butt.
 After an eighteen hour ride. with out food or drink, Xe arrived at Neu- strelitZ. It was raining as We pulled
 
 town We could see lights about a mile away. and we figured that that was the camp. The rain stopped and We remained in the cars tor some time. Then. after while, we knew our new guards were coming; long before we could see them, we could hear the racket they made. Somehow a Ger man cannot do anything shipshape and neatly, but always has to have a lot of noise, and running around, and general confusion. Four-footed swine are more orderly in their habits than the Huns.
 When they came up, we were roust- ed from the cars and drilled up the road to the camp. When we got near the German barracks we were halted and counted again, and made to stand there for at least an hour after they had finished counting us, shivering like leaves. At last they placed us in barracks, and those who could went to sleep.
 There were about forty barracks in the Limey group at Neustrelitz and two large Zeppelin sheds. The bar racks were just about like those at Swinemunde-at least they were no better. Along the sides of the rooms were long shelves or benches, and every three feet were boards set in grooves. The shelves were what we had to sleep on, and the boards In the grooves divided them up so that only a certain number of men could use each bench.
 The following morning we nearly dropped dead when the Huns pulled in large wagon full of clothing We thought we never would have any thing to wear but our underclothes. They issued to each man q pair of trousers. thin model. a thin coat about like the seersucker coats some people wear in the summer, an over- coat about as warm as if 1t had been made of cigarette papers, a skull cap and a pair of shoes. which were a days labor to carry around. Not one of us received socks, shirts or under wear.
 
 of the pair I received, and as my wounds were in the right thigh and my leg had stiffened up considerably and got very sore, l got pretty anx- fous, because there was nothing but slush underfoot, and I was afraid I might lose my leg. So thought that if l went 10 the commander and made a kick might get good shoe. hesi- tated about it at first, but finally made up my mind and went to see him.
 told him that it was slushy outside. and that the water ran through the hole in my shoe and made 1t bad for my whole leg, which was wounded. the open toe for some time, and I thought he was going to put up an argument, but would give In finally.
 Then he asked me what wanted. thought that was plain enough to see, but l said just as easily as l could that I wanted a shoe without a hole in the toe.
 "So the water runs into 1t, does itf" he said. 'Well. my advice to you is to get knife. cut hole in the heel and let the water out" All the other swine in the room laughed very loud at this, and guess this Fritz thought he was great comedian. But some how or other, 1t did not strike me so funny that l just had to laugh. and l was able, after quite struggle, to keep from even snickering. It was a harder struggle than that to keep from doing something else, though!
 Our meals were just about the same as at Swinemunde-the bread was just as muddy, the barley coffee just as rank, and the soup just as cab bageless. The second morning after we had had our barley coffee, one of the sentries came to our barracks, which was number 7-B. and gave each of us an envelope and sheet of writ ing paper. Then he told us to write to anybody we wanted to, after which he chalked on the door in big letters