Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-11-29

ment for it that prisoners dare not
risk telling the truth unless we can
get the malone
Who Profited by It?
Another case of trickery in the
matter of addresses has just been
brought out by British Tommy who
escaped quite recently from captivity
after two months of it. His expert
enCe, with what the neutral doctor met
at Mnnheim, sheds some light on the
mystery, He was captured north of
Albert during the German offensive
last spring and taken to Etrecourt and
put into a cage with $50 other pris-
oners E,reccurt is in the zone of OPP
erations, or was at that time.
He and his fellow captiyes were
put to work at road making and were
treated fairly WE'LL except for the bad
food Each was allowed to write one
postcard home, but under the condi-
ton that they give Limberg as their
address Now, Limberg is several hum
dreds of miles away from Etfecourt.
1t is a registered prison camp in
south Germany These men were new
err there in their lives They were
taken from Etrecourt to Quinteci,
thence to Marchelepot, thence again to
Peronne. under the fire of the allied
troops. They received no parcels at
Peronne or the other places where
they were put to work. How could
they, when their friends and the Red
Gross were addressing things to Linz
burg for them?
Who gets their food. clothing and
soap? 1t is not hard to guess. The
contents of their parcels have gone
the way of American boys boots,
blankets and woollen clothing, which
are stolen by their guards, while our
men on working parties as these
gangs of prisoners sent to work be-
hind the lines are called, are starving
on the wretehed rations of coffee sub
stitate bad bread and thin soup, with
an occasional ration of horseflesn.
This German trick of making a
prisoner pend card home with the
address Of n distant registered prison
camp upon IT, whereas he Is many
miles away working under fire. is at
tested IN all prisoners who have es-
capped from such parties. These cards
are never answered, nor does the
prisoner get his parcels. The Germans
save answered complaints about the
non-arrival of letters and parcels fy
saying: Yes, il may be that your par
GELS have gore astray. But you are
not now working in a registered war
camp, so they have got lost
Many Untraceabie.
The American Red Cross in Rerne
| gave me the number Of Americans
| located in various German camps up
| till october as 1.765 An American
| officer who had Just arrived from gem
/ Ia .far fn1d N h
| ago that G. II. o. had ever reason to
| believe TINT 5000 Americans were
| prisoners in the enemys hands.
Where are the rest? Some are sick
or wounded, ten have been reported
| dead on their way to camps, others
! are being shifted from one camp to
| another and are unable to write Pris-
/ oners are not allowed to write when
| they please.
Private Oliver Elliott. confined in
! Giessen prison camp, wrote to the
| Red Cross: 1--WE are allowed to send
/ one acknowledgment card month
| The parcels come pretty regular and
they are wonderful, and, believe me,
| am very grateful to you all.
When men are few DAYS in each
| camp. or less than a month. it is inn
i passible for hem to write a card. All
communications have to he written
on the regulation card. which con-
| tains the prisoners name, rank, pris-
! on number, the camp, and then a
/ small space for correspondence, which
consists in stating that the writer is
! we'll or wants boots, warm shirt
/ soap or razor. One card which
/ saw at Geneva. which had just arrived
/ after six weeks journey. said:
/ IlTRf- k-1l l...NT rrsH4f H..
Sam died in this camp last night OF
inflammation of the lungs. All Of
| ficers in this camp send their deep
reerets to the family"
That was all. No details. merely
/ the death of lad Is years of age. He
had been a prisoner for six months
i only.
But to return to figures. The pris-
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