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

/ prisoners 10 SlDeriu, OF NJ lthSt, so tne
Huns thought, and Fritz hates the
cold. So, hating the Russians, and
realizing that they were used to be-
ing under-dogs, Fritz picked on them
and bullied them in way that the
rest Of us would not have stood. We
would have rushed them and gone
west with bayonets first.
The barracks were made Of spruce,
and were about ninety feet long and
twenty-five feet wide, and you can
take II from me that as carpenters,
whoever made them were fine farm
ers. There were cracks In them that
you could drive an automobile through.
When we were there, each barracks
had a stovein the center, a good stove
and a big one, but at first II was OF
no use TO us, because the Germans
would not give us coal or wood for Il.
But after shivering for a while, we be-
gan ripping the boards out Of the bar.
racks. and taking the dividing boards
from the benches that we used for
| beds.
Later, they gave each Of us a mat
tress filed with wood shavlngs. and a
blanket that was about as warm as
| pane OF glass. The mattresses were
placed on the ground in the barracks,
which were very damp, and after three
OF four days, the shavlngs would be.
gin to rot and the mattresses to smell.
In order to keep warm we slept as
close together as we could, which
caused our various diseases to spread
rapidly.
When we were receiving our rations,
the sentries would offer us an extra
ration II we would take a lash from
their belts. We were so hungry that
many and many a man would 90 up
and take swat In any part Of his
body from the heavy leather belts
with brass tongue and buckle. Just to
get little more shadow" soup or
barley coffee or mud bread.
One morning the sentries picked out
ten men from our barracks. Of which
! was one, and drilled us over a field
near the kuche There was a large
tank In the field and we had to pump
water into IL. II was very cold. ond
we were weak and sick. so we would
fall one after another. not caring
whether we ever got up or not. Fritz
would smash those who fell with his
rifle butt. We asked for gloves, be-
cause our hands were freezing, but all
we got was "Nlchts."
After we had been there for about
an hour and half, one Of our men
became very sick, so that / thought
he was going TO die. and when he fell
over, l reported il to sentry. The
sentry came over. saw him lying In
the snow. yelled, "Schwein, NIGHT
krank :" grabbed him by the shoulder,
and pulled him all the way across the
field TO the office OF the camp COM
mander. Then he was placed In the
guard house where he remained for
two days. The next thing we knew,
the Russians had been ordered to
make a box. and were being marched
10 the guard house to put him In II
and bury him.
Another thing at Neustreiitz, that
was pretty hard to stand, was the pref
~ habit the Huns had Of coming up
to the barbed wire and teasing us "a
though we were wild animals in a
cage. Sometimes there would be
crowds OF people lined along the wire
throwing things at us, and splitting,
and having a great time generally. IL
was harder than ever when a family
party would arrive, with water and
mutter. and maybe grosvater and
grOsmutter. and all the little Boche
kinder, because, as you probably
know, the Germans take food with
them whenever they go on party,
no matter what kind, and they would
stand there and stare at us like the
boobs they were. eating all the tim'
and we so hungry that we could
have eaten ourselves almost. After
they had stared a while. they would
begin to feel more at home ana then
would start the throwing and splitting
and the "schweinhund" sangerfest and
they would have a great time general
~. Probably. when they got home
they would strike of a medal fol-
themselves In honor OF the visit.
Then. too. there were always Hun
soldiers on leave or off duty, who made
IL point to pay MS visit, and though
do not think they were as bad as thu
civvles, especially the women, they
were had enough.
We had one bucket In each barracks
and as these buckets were used fol
both washing and drinking. they were
} always dirty. We boiled the watel
when we washed the clothes. to ge
rid Of the coolies. and that left 4
settling In II that looked just like rec
, lead. We had to get the water from
n hydrant outside of the barracks. anC
for while we drank II. But aftel
!. several of the boys had gone ives
and we could not figure out why, 1
man told us he thought the water wal
poisoned. and X isslan doctor, Wit
was a prisoner slipped us word abou
, II also So. after that. very few o.
!. us drank water from the hydrant.
was scared stiff nj first, because haC
had some of the water. but after tina