Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-11

vas as much speculation 90 70 wins
would win the prize as If it had been
the finest treasure in the world. The
great prize was one-third Of loaf Of
bread. Through some arrangement,
which / never quite figured out, il
happened that among the eight or ten
officers who were there with ne, there
was always one-third OF q loaf OF
bread over. There was just one way
Of getting that bread, and that was TO
draw lots. Consequently that was what
started the lottery. l believe if a man
had ever been inclined 10 cheat he
would have been sorely tempted in this
instance, but the game was played alb
sOiutely square, and if a man had been
caught cheating the chances are that
he would have been Stunned by the
rest Of the officers as long as he was
in prison. l was fortunate enough to
win the prize twice.
One man-and l think he was the
smallest eater in the canp-won il on
three successive days. but it was well
for him that his luck deserted him on
the fourth day, for he probably would
have been handled rather roughly by
the rest of the crowd, who were grow
ing suspicious. But We handled the
drawing ourselves and knew there was
nothing crooked about il, so he was
spared.
We were allowed TO buy pears, and
being small and very hard, they were
used as the stakes in many a game.
But the interest in these little games
piles of money instead Of two or three
half-stnryed pears. No man was ever
so reckless, however, in all the betting
as 10 wager his own rations.
By the most scheming and sacrifc-
ing ever did in my life managed to
hoard two pieces of bread (grudgingly
spared at the time from my daily "a
tions), but 1 was preparing for the day
when l should escape-if ever should.
1t was not a sacrifice easily made
either, but instead OF eating bread
ate pears until / finally got one piece
force myself TO stick TO the pear diet
again, l saved the other piece from
that days allowance, and in days TO
come l had cause TO credit myself fully |
for the foresight.
Whenever 4 new prisoner came in /
and his German hosts had satisfied
themselves as to his life history and 1
taken down all the detailS-that is all .
he would give them-he was immedi- /
ately surrounded by his fellow prison |
ers, who were eager for any bit Of l
news or information he could possibly I
give them, and as a rule he was glad
TO tell US, because, if he had been in
the hands of the Huns for any length
of time, he had seen very few English /.
officers.
The conditions Of this prison were
bad enough when a man was in nor
mally good health, but it was barbar-
Gus TO subject a wounded soldier TO
the hardshipS and discomforts of the
place. However, this was the fate of
a poor private we discovered there one
day in terrific pain, suffering from
shrapnel in his stomach and back. All
of us officers asked TO have him sent
to hospital, but the doctors curtly
saying it was against orders.
So the poor creature went on suffering
from day TO day and was still there
when l left-another victim of Ger
man cruelty.
At one time in this prison camp there
we're French marine. French flying
officer, two Belgian soldiers, and OF the
United Kingdom one from Canada, two
rom England, three from Ireland, a
couple from Scotland, one from Wales,
/ man from South Africa, one from
Nigeria, and New Zealander, the
after being from my own squadron, a |
nan whom thought had been killed, !
md he was equally surprised when {
brought into the prison to find me
here. In addition there were Chi !
laman and myself from the U. S. A. I
1t was quite a cosmopolitan group, Y