The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-09-09
EXPERIENCES OF RUSSIAN STUDENT IN GERMAN PRISON CAMP RELATED
Young Man Gives Detailed Statement of Three Years Spent in Enemy Camp at Holzminden, Describes the Unnecessary Cruelty to Which Prisoners Are Sub jected, and the Privatons Which They Undergo.

In spite of the constant activity de- manded of the prisoners, the food was poor and contained little nourish- ment We did have sort of com missary comittee, composed of three prisoners. But if it for a single time ventured to complain of the soup as unsatisfactory" the most disagreea ble things always happened. Mail was frequently held up, by way of re- taliation for alleged misdeeds. Mail was not allowed to be kept beyond eight days and if post card older than that was found upon the person of a prisoner he was always rigor- Ously punished. There was not enough clothing to make one comfortable. As we had to work out of doors regard less of weather or season, our cloth ing was often wet through, and the next morning we had to put it on while 1t was still damp Colds were naturally unavoidable The medical attention given us was absurd. The crazy colonel himself made a point of i being present at almost all medical examinations, and completely dom 1 mated the physicians, who cringed be- | fore him. He was fond of saying that l only the lazy ones pretended to be i'll, that, the camp itself was the best san- 1 itarium, and hard work the best cure. all.
 The Colonel Was Sentimental.
 In spite of his brutality, the colonel 1 had his sentimental streaks. The fol- lowing anecdote is illustrative. 4 Frenchman, 70 years of age, was oc- cupied in paving the street of the camp. The colonel passed by, and, as the old fellow did not seem to him tc
 be working diligently enough, he stepped up and gave him a tremen.
 dous box on the ear. The poor ole man said nothing, but took out of hi.
 pocket a little certificate, from whicT
 it appeared that he was i'll and onl!
 capable of small amount of work
 The colonel was much moved, almos
 to the point of tears. He gave the ol
 man eight days of exemption from al
 labor. But that was rather cold com
 fort.
 Camp Holzminden was frequent
 visited by Gen. Haehnisch and othe ! OlllNldIS. J1OW6N6I, IH0E n6NGI lOOk0
 at the prisoners quarters, except i
 the most perfunctory way. They mere
 ly strutted through the barracks
 watched the laborers at work, an
 then directed all their attention t
 the camp pigs. These pigs the espe
 cial interest of Colonel Gallus, wer
 royalty treated in their pens, and cer
 tainly led a much happier life tha
 the prisoners, until they were slaugh
 tered for the officers mess.
 Even the women are not spared Lately conditions have become stil
 worse, I am told. The women are nov
 forced to do all sorts of burdensom !, things. For instance, they are pu l. at braiding and unbraiding fish nets , and the only purpose of the taskmas st
 CTS seems to be to make their finger l sore. Every Sunday, weird walk undertaken, to a wood about six kilo meters away, from which they brin back wood on their backs. Hundred of men and women are put at thi l work every Sunday, although it coul easily be done by a wagon and tW } horses. In fact, the biggest part 0 the labor demanded of the prisoner
 is almost wholly unproductive, an
 serves no purpose save to torture. l
 any of them dare to complain, the are subjected to certain peculiar pun , ishments, of which the most frequer
 is confinement in an extraordinar cell called the 'bug room," a plac filled with old straw mattresses an sacks, which simply swarm with yer , i min and lice.
 l Murder of a French Lad. t For some unknown reason, ther 9 had been no shootings in Camp Holz g minden when I last heard. In a near :, by camp at Binerbach,, I well re
 member of the shooting of an 1S-year