The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-09-28

fayef anu hymns, ana put IL away IN
q hole near the barracks. There vas
90 much of II that a single death
passed unnoticed.
One morning the German sentrfes
came TO our barracks-they never
came singiy-and told us hat an off,
Ger was going to review the prisoners
and ordered us to muster up. which we
did. I was the last man out Of the bar
racks and on account Of my wounds I
was slower than the rest.
You understand I had had no medical
treatment except crepe-paper ban
dages and water my wounds had been
opered by swimming from the Georgia
TO the Moewe and they had been put
In terrible shape In the coal bunkers.
On account of the poor food and lack
OF treatment they had not even started
to heal. Incidentally. the only cloth
bandages that any OF US had were what
we would tear from our clothes and
have seen men pick up an old dirty
rag that someone else had had around
his wound for a long time and bandage
MS WI WOUNDS WIN IL.
SO II was all I could do to drag my
self along. The officer noticed that ]
was out of line and Immediately asked
my name and nationality. When he
heard American" he could not say
enough things about us and called me
all the swine names he could think of.
I was pretty thin at this time and
getting thinner. go I figured I might
Just as well have II out before !
starved. Besides. ! thought. he ought
to know that we are not used to being
bawled out by German swine In this
country.
SO I told him 30. And ] said that he
should not bawl Americans out, be-
cause America was neutral. He then
said that as America supplied food and
munitions to the allies she was no bet
ter than the rest.
Then I said: do you remember the
Deutschland When she entered Bal.
timore and New London she got all the
cargo she wanted. didn't shef'
yes"
"Well. IL you send over your mer-
chant. marine they Will get the same"
For that answer he gave me ten days
In the guardhouse. He did not like to
be reminded that their merchant ma
rne had to dive under to keep away
from the Limeys.
/ admit l was pretty flip to this Of
icer, but who would not be when a
slick German swine officer bawled him
outf
II was while I was In the guardhouse
that Mr.. Gerard, the American ambas-
sador. visited the camp. He came to
this camp about every six months. as
a rule. Even In the German prison
camps the men had somehow got infor-
nation about Mr.. Gerard's efforts to
improve the terrible surroundings In
which the men lived. Some OF the men
at Dulmen had been confined In vari-
u other camps and they told me that
when Mr.. Gerard visited these camps
all that the men did for a week or SO
afterward was to talk about his visit
and what he had said TO them. W,
knew Mr.. Gerard had got the German!
to make conditions better In some Of
the worst hell-holes In Germany anC
the men were always glad when hi
came around. They felt they had some
thing better to look forward to and
some relief from the awful misery.
Mr.. Gerard was passing through the
French barracks and q man I knew
there told him there was an American
there. The Germans did not want hin
to see me. but he put up an argument
with the commanding officer and they
finally said he could interview me.
never was so glad to see anyone al
! was to see him. The picture Is still
with me OF him coming In the door
We talked for about an hour and q
half. / guess, and then he got up to
go and he said I would hear from him
In about three weeks. Just think what
good news that was to me!
They let me out OF the guardhouse
and I celebrated by doing all the dam
age to German sentries that / could
do. The men In the camps went wild
when they learned that Ambassador
Gerard was there. for they said he wal
the only man in Germany they could
tell their troubles to. The reason wal
that he was strong for the men. nc
matter what nationality. and put his
heart into the work. I am one OF
those who cannot say enough good
things about him. Like many others
II II had not been for Mr.. Gerard
would be kaput By nov
Ito Be Continued)