The Jasper news., 1918-12-12
RI N. DEPEW

and Swatts came to our barracks and
the ambassador told me / would be
released 1t was all l could do to
keep from fainting again. Then Swatts
asked me in English If l had anything
to say about the treatment in the
camp, and 1 began to think maybe
it was frame-up Of some kind, so all
said was, "When will / get out Of
here?" and he said, "Why, you will be
released tomorrow"
did not wait to hear any more, but
rushed into the barracks again, singing
and whistling and yelling as loud as
could. The boys told me my face was
very red and l guess what little blood
1 had In my body had rushed to my
head, because ! could hardly walk for
a few minutes.
Then the men began to think 1 was
crazy, and none of them believed l
would really be released, but that
was going to be sent to the mines, as
so many were. But / believed 1t, and
just sat there on my bunk and be-
gan to dream of the food l would get
and what would eat first, and so on.
did not sleep that nlght-just
walked from barracks to barracks I'M
till they chased me away, and then
walked up and down in my own bar
racks the rest of the night. When l
| got to the Russian barracks and told
| the two doctors my news, they would
not believe me at all, although they
| knew there had been some important
visitor at the camp.
But when l walked out of their door
| l said, "Dobra vetshav," 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 l should get
| away.
They were all talking at once, 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 l left their barracks 1 began
to cry, because 1t did not seem pos
sible that l was going away, and al
ready / 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 / would be slammed NJ
against wall and shot, began to feel
shaky, 1 can tell you.
But the third morning. after they
had searched me, the commander said
"Well, you'll have to have n bath be
fore you leave the country and
was so glad that / did not mind about
the bath, although l remembered the
last one / had and it did not agree
, very we'll with me. After the bath
they drilled me out into the road.
There were four sentries with me
but not SwattS, nor did l see hin
, anywhere around, for which was sor
ry. But all the boys came down t
the barbed wire, or to the gate, ant
cheering, and all of them were verJ
much excited. But after a minute o.
two they got together again and thu
, last thing heard was the song abou
packing up your old kit bag, and then
? "Are we downhearted?-Nol The!
were certainly game lads.
q They did not take me straight t
3 the station, but took me through al
the streets they could find. and as US
? ual, the women were there with tn,
bricks and spit. But did not mind
:. I was used to 1t, and besides, 1t wa
n the last time. So 1 just grlnned a
them, and thought that was bette
off than they, because they had to sta.
8 in the hole called Germany.
: was still half naked, but did no
! mind the two-hour wait on the station
e platform. / noticed little sign tina