The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-12-19

away were brought back, though. The
Germans were so easy on those who
tried to run away that almost thought
they were encouraging them. One
chap was doing his ten days In the
guardhouse for the sixth time while
was there-that is. he had just about
completed his period Of detention. he
claimed that the sixth time he had
really got across the border and was
arrested In little town by the Dutch
authorities and turned over to the Ger.
mans. That is against the law In
most countries. but he swore II was the
truth. am not so sure. myself. He
got away for the seventh time while
i was at Dulmen and was not returned
Ten days in the guardhouse is not
such light punishment after all, be-
cause water three times a day Is all
the prisoner received during that time
but IL Is pretty mild compared to some
OF the things the Huns do.
One morning ! thought for sure
was going cafard. / was Just fed up
on the whole business and sick of do
ing nothing but suffer. SO I strolled
along sticking my head into barracks
doors. sometimes trying TO have a talk,
other, times trying to pick a fight. 1t
was all one to me just wanted some
thing TO do. / found what / wanted.
all right
had quite a talk with a sentry in
front OF a barracks. II must have
lasted three-quarters of an hour. He
did not know what l was calling him.
and l did not know what he was call
ing me. / could have handled him all
right. but another sentry came up on
my blind side and grabbed me and the
talk was over.
They dragged me TO the commander
Of the camp and he instructed them to
give me a bath. So they took me to
the bathhouse. where l was stripped
and dashed. All the time they were
whipping me l was thinking what a
joke IL was on me, because had been
looking for excitement and had got
more than l wanted, so I laughed and
the Huns thought was crazy sure.
was dumped into vat of hot water
and at the same time my clothes were
given a boiling. which was good for
them.
Then was forced into my wet
clothes and marched back to the bar
racks. This bath and the stroll
through the snow In wet clothes just
about did for me. Nowadays, when /
sit In draft for second and catch
cold. / wonder that am still alive TO
catch II. Having gone through Dix
nude and the Dardanelles and the
sinking OF the George and four Ger
man prison camps and a few other
things-I shall probably trip over "a
hole in n church carpet and break my
neck. That would be my luck.
There were all the diseases you can
think OF In this camp. including black
cholera and typhus and somebody was
always dying. We had TO make collins
from any wood we could find. SO II
was not long before we were using the
bunhSt DitNto
Of flooring and. in fact. the walls of
the barracks. The officers were quar-
tered In corrugated iron barracks, so
they had 10 borrow wood from us for
their collins. We would make the box
and put the body In II, give II as much
service as we could, In the way of
prayers and hymns, and put II away In
a hole near the barracks. There was
so much OF II that a single death
passed unnoticed.
one morning the German sentries
came TO our barracks-they never
came singly-and told us that an off,
Ger was going TO review the prisoners
and ordered us 10 muster up. which we
did. was the last man out OF the bar
racks and on account Of my wounds l
was slower than the rest.
You understand had had no medical
treatment except crepe-paper ban
dages and water; my wounds had been
opened by swimming from the George