The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-10-05

But when / walked out Of their door
| said. "Dobra yetshav," which means
Good night" Then they must have
believed me, for they called me back,
and all the men gave me addresses of
people to write to in case / should get
away.
They were all talking at once, and
one Of the doctors got very excited and
got down on his knees with his hands
in the air. albert" he said, IF you
have the God-given luck to get out of
Germany-not for my sake, but for
the sake Of US who are here in this
hell-hOle, promise me you will tell all
the people wherever you GO what they
are doing to US here. Tell them not to
send money. for we can't eat money,
and not meat-just bread, bread,
bread"
And when / looked around all the
men were sitting on their beds crying
and tearing their hair and saying,
bread, bread, bread" over and over
again. Then each tried to give me
something, as if to say that even if
they did not get out, perhaps their but
ton or belt or skull cap would get back
to civilization.
When ! left their barracks / began
to cry, because 1t did not seem pos
sible that l was going away, and al
ready l could see them starving slow
ly, just as | had been starving.
The next morning a sentry came TO
my barracks, called out my name and
took me to the commander Of the
camp. They searched me, and then
drilled me back to barracks again.
Then the men all thought they were
just playing a Joke on me, and they
said so.
The same thing happened the next
day, and when one of the men said
that probably l would be slammed up
against a wall and shot, / began to feel
shaky, / can tell you.
But the third morning. after they
had searched me, the commander said,
"Well, you'll have to have a bath be
fore you leave the country" and 1
was so glad hat / did not mind about
the bath, although l remembered the
last one / had, and IL did not agree
very well with me. After the bath,
they drilled me out into the road.
There were four sentries with me,
but not Swatts, nor did / see him
anywhere around, for which l vas sor-
ry. But all the boys came down to
the barbed wire. or to the gate, and
some were crying, and others were
cheering, and all of them were very
much excited. But after a minute or
two they got together again and the
last thing / heard was the song about
packing up your old kit bag, and then,
"Are we downhearted?-No!" They
were certainly game lads.
They did. not take me straight to
the station, but took me through all
the streets they could find, and as US
ual. the women were there with the
bricks and spit. But / did not mind:
/ was used to 1t, and besides, ii was
the last time. So l just grinned at
them. and thought that l was better
Off than they, because they had to stay
in the hole called Germany.
l was still half naked. but l did not
iiltAu litG tNU-AONA az ~ Nv SNANAhh
platform. l noticed a little sign that
read, Berlin % miles NORTH" and
that was the first time / had much of
an idea where Brandenburg was.
When we got into the compartment
and l found that the windows were
not smashed / could not believe ii at
first until l remembered that this was
not a prisoner train. We had "A forty
eight hour ride to Llndau, which is on
the Lake of Constance, and no food or
water in that time. But still / did not
mind it much. At Lindau they drilled
me into n little house and took away
all the addresses that 1 had, and
then marched me over to the little
boat which crosses the lake.
As 1 started up the gangway the last
thing 1 received in Germany reached
me-a crack across the back with a
riflel
The women and children on the
dock had their fists up and were yell
ing, american swinel" But / just
laughed at them. And when / looked
around the boat and saw no German
soldiers - only Swiss civilians ~ l
rubbed my eyes and could not believe
il. When they gave me bread, which
was what had decided l wanted most
of all back in the camp, / thought |
was in heaven sure enough, and when,
forty-ive minutes later, we arrived at
Horseback in Switzerland, i finally
knew / was free.