The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-12-04
PRISONERS ARE
BADLY TREATED
British Corporal Tells Of a.
Months Experience in
Germany.
SHOT FOR PICKING UP FOOD
eentrIee Fire on Starved Prisoners
Who Pick Up Food Thrown to
Them by French Women
Forced to Work.

F0TCCQ 10 WIN /
London.-A corporal In the Lincoln
shires, who was taken prisoner In
April, 1917, and who succeeded In es-
caring from the Huns clutches In
June. 1918, has given a very interesting
account Of his experiences. He Is a
man of the highest character and his
story IL, therefore, worthy of credence.
He was captured April IL, 1917, near
Algicourt, and was at first taken to
the German headquarters, behind the
line. He was questioned, but refused
to give any information. He was
then sent to a working party behind
the German lines at q place called
Maretx, and was employed on a ration
dump. The party was about 10 klo-
meters from the line; they could see
the British shells bursting a mile or so
away, but the corporal never heard Of
any casualties among the prisoners.
There was a commandant In charge
Of the camp. and the second In com
mand was a feldwebel. Both these Of
nclals treated the prisoners very badly.
The first day that they were In camp
the commandant came. and the field
webel shouted "Achtung." The men
did not know what he meant and did
not therefore spring to attention, as
they should have done. The field
webel thereupon struck them with a
whip. The sentries also treated them
very badly.
Picks Up Food-shot.
When the prisoners were returning
from work the Frenchwomen used to
throw them food and other things. The
men knew that 1t was forbidden to
step out of the ranks to pick these
things up. but they were so hungry
that they often broke the rules. The
corporal saw q man shot by q sentry
for stepping put Of the ranks In this
way. BE was killed instantly, the bull
let passed right through him, went
through another mans pocket and
blew the finger. or two fingers. off a
third q There were two other men
shot In the same way; the corporal
raw them both brought into the lager.
The prisoners got no food from Eng
land while they were on this working
party. and they were not allowed to
write home.
Toward the end Of May. 1917, the
corporal was transferred to Minister
II, In Germany, and q week later he
was sent on to Minden, where he re-
manned six weeks.
The treatment at Minden was not
bad. and In this respect 1t differed
from the food. which was very bad
indeed. A five-pound loaf Of black
bread was divided among 13 men; this
was their bread ration for the day.
They had coffee In the morning and a
thin, watery kind Of soup at noon.
Once q week they had fish and q small
quantity Of potatoes. At $50 in the
evening they had what they called
sandstone" 1t was just like eating
aand. Sometimes they had ground
maize. and nj night out of three they
had coffee.
Works Ia MunltIon Factory.
From Minden the corporal went on
= working party to Harrington, where
he remained three weeks. He was
working In q munltion factory, unload
Ing iron ana coal, but the prisoners
had nothing to do with the machinery,
There we're ten Englishmen In the
working party, A Russians and four
Trenchmen. The treatment was not
good. and the work was very hard.
At the beginning the guards over
the prisoners were soldiers, but during
the last four months that the corporal
was In Germany they had been re
placed BY elderly civilians. The guards
told the prisoners that there had beer
riots In Berlin just after Christmas
1o11, and several people had been shot
The guards said that all the best mel
had gone and that 1t was shameful t.
think Of the kind Of men that the!
wore using In the army.
~ has already been said, this cor
pqg1l = . particularly intelligent man
He u quite ready to admit good treat
ment when good treatment has beer
Owen TO him, and he has contcnte,
hnnDolf with giving the bare facts o
thn Cnnn