The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-09-21

nave seen hogs that we're more d
icky.
While they we're at II. hand to hand
with the chow, giving and receiving
terrible punishment. we prisoners
were mustered on deck. counted,
kicked onto tugs and transferred to
the west bank, where the mob was
waiting for us. My wounds. as you
can imagine, were In a pretty bad
state by this time, and were getting
more painful every minute. SO that |
found l was getting ugly and anxious
for an argument. l knew that II l
stayed this way I would probably
come out alive, for there Is
every chance you could van TO pick
a quarrel while you are a prisoner
that will mean freedom for you-but
only the freedom of going west, which
l was not anxious to try.
When we got near the west bank,
on the tugs, we could see that we were
up against a battle with our arms tied.
Over half the crowd was and
children. l should say. and the rest
VCiC dUOItIr anu Otu VICES hhA ~
serve soldiers, and roughnecks gen.
orally. We could see the spit experts
the spit snipers. deployed to the
front, almost.
As we went ashore, the lombard
ment began. and we were not only
under fire Of spit. II you could call 1t
that, but also of rocks and bottles and
sticks and most anything that could
be thrown.
All this time, "lest you forget" we
had no shoes. and no clothing-only
what had once been Jul underwear.
II is all right to be a Coney Island
snowbird and pose around In your
bathing suit In the drifts, because you
are In good condition. and last but not
least, because you do not have to do
IL. Figure out the other side of II
for yourself.
They marched us into a field where
there was nothing much but guns and
ammunition and snow, and set us up
In something like skirmish formation.
We stood there for some time. and
then we saw a lot OF Huns with the
new long rifles coming toward us.
yelling just as they did In battle. and
we thought sure we were being used
for practice targets. 1t is a good
thing they halted and stopped yelling
when they did. or we would have
started for them to fight II out, for
we we're not the kind that likes to be
butchered with hands In the air, and
we would have been glad for a chance
to get a few Of them before they got
US. But they did halt. and then sur
rounded us, and drilled us away
through swamps and woods and shall
low water or slush. The women fol-
lowed, too, and there were plenty of
bricks and spit left. Women as well
as men are the same the world over,
they say. ] wonderf You can just
picture. the m of. say, Rockland,
Me-, following q crowd of German
prisoners that way. can't your Not!
But of course the IN of Rockland
are pretty crude-no kultur at all
and Colt never commissioned Presi-
dent Wilson to take the lid OF the
strafe pot for him.
They drilled US along the docks. and
II looked as though the whole German
navy was tied up at Swinemunde.
We saw many Of the ships we had
heard about. among them being the
famous Vulcan. the mother-ship for
submarines. There were many sail
ors loafing along the docks. and they
gave the ONE a hand with their
days work. They were no better with
a brick. but they had more ammunition
when II came to splitting. One Of them
tripped a young boy by the name Of
Kelly. and as you would never doubt.
Kelly picked up a rock and crashed
the sailor with 1t. he was then bay
oneted twice In the left leg. We be-
gan singing then, our popular ~favorite.
"Pack up your troubles" etc., and
when they heard us. how the swine
staredi
Then they drilled Us past the Ger.
man soldiers quarters. The men were
at rifle practice. and / guess all Of Us
thought how handy We would be as
targets. But when we got e them.
they quit precticing and crowded
around us yelling: "'Rausl Zuruck !"
Finally we got to the top Of the
hill. and were halted near the bar
racks while an officer read the a
tia law of Germany to us. At least
we thought maybe that vas 1t.
Finally they let US into the bar
racks. and the first thing we saw was
a great pile of hay. That looked good
to us. and we made a rush and dived
into 1t. But the Huns told US to take
the hay and throw II In the middle of
the road. They had to use force be-