El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-11-30
y. S. Prisoners
Disappear At
Mystery Camp
Former Captives Declare
Huns Looted Their Red
Cross Packages.

London, Eng. Nov. 30.-Eight Amer
lean prisoners Of war. the first men Of
this class TO reach London. have ar
rived here. They are Thomas Barry,
Frank Butler and John Bathgate. all
Of New Haven: William Lilly. Of
Southington, Conn: Lech Werthead.
Of Jeffrey. Ky; William o. Sullivan
Of Forestville. Conn; James Epito-
chelle. OF North Providence, r. I, and
Leroy Congleton, OF Philadelphia.
All the men are in good condition.
Several Are Injured.
All the men are members Of the
102nd infantry. They were captured
in April COngleton was injured in
the shoulder, Barry in the knee and
lilly in the eye. All three were placed
in various hospitals, but later Joined
the other prisoners who were taken
first to Contains for a week, then TO
Darmtadt for five weeks, 10 Limburg
Tor three months and then to the
Opladen work camp. They were at
tached to the Friedrichsfield camp
until their release November Is.
Huns Prevent Aid.
All the men said they had been
forced TO work hard and were given
insufficient food. They would have
starved had il not been for the Amer
lean Red Cross packages. which were
received at long intervals. English
prisoners tried 10 aid them, but the
Germans prevented this.
The men said they were supposed to
get an American Red Cross package
weekly, but they were lucky IL the
Germans permitted this monthly.
Even the packages received. especial
y Of soap were looted, according to
the prisoners.
Their treatment was varied In the
different camps. In Darmstadt they
endured civilian insults. While work
ing on the roads, they often were
spat upon. After the armistice was
signed, guards and civilians got
down on their knees to u.s. they said
Limburg was called the mystery |
camp owing to the numerous disap- |
pearances Of prisoners. the fate Of I
whom was never revealed
At Opladen, the men workers I
pushed freight cars at six cents a |
day, said Lilly. He added that 30 /
American PRISONERS were shipped to /
a coal mine. Here II was reported /
that corporal named Lucian, whose i
regiment is unknown, refused to enter 4
the pit. German guards pushed him I
over the brink and he was killed by /
the fan. He was buried the next day.
Many Suffer Illness.
The American prisoners experienced /
considerable illness. Several Of them
suffered from influenza The men were
permitted TO write two letters or four
postal cards monthly, but were al
lowed TO receive only two.
Four days after the armistice the
men were taken 10 Friedrichfeld and
then TO Holland. whence they sailed
from Rotterdam on the 18th. They ar
rived at Ripon. Eng, November "a.
Finds Finger In Soup.
Epitochelle related gruesome
Incident, which occurred at the Lin
burg camp. A human finger was
prisoners were made I'll. but a Ger
man guard declared it a great joke
and hung up the finger as a mess
iecoration-'
The food was all but UNBEATABLE
Breakfast consisted OF miserable cof-
fee and a tiny piece Of bread; lunch,
soup containing bits OF turnips, grass
IND potatoes and always full OF dirt
md sand. We used to take out the
potatoes and give the rest to the poor
Russian prisoners. For weeks we had
o labor on that diet" said Epito-
,heile.
Freed Men Pour Through Metz.
Paris. France, Nov Su-Fifteen
thousand allied soldiers, who have
,een prisoners Of war in Germany, are
touring through Metz and an equal
lumber is passing through Verdun.
-ccordinE TO y. NJ c \ headquarters
iere. Americans and British prison
rs are being received at Verdun by =
he Y. N c. a. and are being cared
or.
A large number OF American Off
.ers will enter Switzerland on Friday. |
according to the Y. N. c. A These
men are being concentrated at Yillen-
zen, Germany.
Germans Suffering Now.
StrasbOurE Lorraine Nov. 30.-SeV- ,
raj hundred thousand Germans in Al ,
ace and Lorraine have begun TO ex-
.erience suffering, which equals. IL It
oes not exceed. that which the Ger
mans have inflicted upon the natives
Turing the past As years. A great
many Of them, who are holding pub
&c offices. find their occupations sud
emily Withdrawn. Many others, who
we're employees Of the public admins
ratiOns, are living in daily fear OF the
necessity Of leaving the country. In
edition to these apprehensiOns. the
Germans feel real anguish at the idea {
Z leaving Alsace and Lorraine. They
trongly prefer the two provinces to Z
erman-
Cease To BE German.
They have ceased to be German. but !
till have not become Alsatians. They ;
ave not acquired French culture be- I
ause they have lacked the necessary ,
ocial contact with the natives, but
hey have forgotten some OF their
ierman ideas and have grown highly
} regard Alsace and Lorraine and be J.