The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-01-04
YOUNG OFFICER TELLS
OF GERMAN kuLTUR

Camp Sherman, o.. Dee s0r-Lieu-
tenant /. G. Rosslter OF the FirstCa-
madam Mounted Rifles. came to Camp
Shermah today, and with his lef: hand
greeted officers and men OF this divis
ion. His right hard bangs loosely from
the wrist, a striking example OF Ger
man kultur as praeticed by surgeons OF
the Kaiser's armies.
Lieutenant Rosfiter was shot thru
the palm of his right hand at the bat
tie % Sanctuary Woods, June 2. 1916.
He. with three hundred other Canad-
ians. was taken prisoner.
Three days later. behind the German
ines, a product of German kultur,
guised 9s a surgeon, came to Lieuten :
art Rossiter, and said:
"Schmaeinhund German for pig
dcg,e whai aiIing your
The Canadian exhibited his wound,
The German grinned malitiously. TAX
ing Rossiter to an improvised operat
ing table he scientifically butchered the
boys hand He operated on the carpus
bone, paying scant attention to the
real wound in the palm Of the hand.
With Characteristic German thor
oughuess the ylrgeon severed the ten
dons which make finger and thumD
movement possible.
Then he turned attention to the lads
middle finger. There was a slight
scratch on his digit, but the German
deemed it necessary to- amputate.
While the surge on sawed and clip
ped. sewcd and severed the Canadian,
WITHOUT anaesthetic, looked on and
marveled at the efficient way the Kais-
ers surgeon as ircapacitating him
for future use as a soldier. At adjoin-
ing tables Germans were having less
painful wounds attended to 1nder this
humane influence of ether and chloro
form.
For weeks and weeks after the
butchery Rossiter was under care OF
various German surgeons while he was
heing driven from one prison camp to
another Each surgeon in dressing the
wound found new way to inflict paii.
! on the invalid Despite their inhuman
treatment the wound healed, but the
hand was left helpless.
Rossiter who was rrivte then first
was taken to prison camp at MDrslede,
thence to Courtrai Belgium, then to
Hanover. Germany.
After a brief Imprisonment here hs
was moved to C.lle Lager Camp
CELEB thence to Soltan No. l Lager
and later to Hamelin and Soltau No.
Lager and finally to the big prison
I CAM. at Achen, better known as AK
Lachappelle.
AT AK Lachappelle the Canadian
was stripped of lis soldier outfit ami
give, civilian clothing, which the Hurs
had Communicated from the stricken
/ 3elgians.
With hundreds of others he was
thrown into an ill-vantilated, flea rid
T den prison, guarded by old mer who
were instructed to shoot on the eligi =
est provocation.
The food according to Lieutenant
IRossiter, was unfit for swine. The
prise ners subsisted on food sent TO the
prison camp by the Red Cross, the only
Organization which ia able to get pack
ages through German lines to prison
ers.
Were it not for the Red Cross,
said Rossiter, prisoners Of war woult
die by the thousands in German pris-
on camps. individuals might as wei
address packages TO Kaiser Wilhelm
as to a so dier in a prison camp Th,
orly humane thing the Huns do is to
allow the Red Cross to care for allied
prisoners
Ideutenan' Rossiter was exchanged
for a Germ an last spring, and recently
was discharged from the Canadian
forces that lie might come to this coun-
try and tell Americans what Re know
. ~. ,,xtsz