The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-08-10
Rendered Half Insane by Hunger Men
Fight Among Themselves for
Scraps of Food-Sawdust
and Straw in Bread.

49, 1C $500
and well educated, was visiting in
France when the war came and very
soon he was in the ranks. On the sec
ond day of his service at the front he
was wounded in the left a by a frag-
ment of shrapnel and three days later
he was taken prisoner.
With many other prisoners he was
sent to the rear, and there they were
loaded like so many cattle into freight
cars and started on a seven days ride
to the prison camp at A~ltengrabOw.
"At every way station where the
train stopped" says Defoirdt, "the
German people gathered round and
threw stones and spat in u faces.
We were subjected to all sorts of in
suits. Many of us were wounded, yet
we got no attention whatever, being
given scarcely food enough to keep us
alive and made to sleep on the floors
of the dirty freight cars.
"When finally we found ourselves in
the German prison camp conditions
were worse rather than better. There
were about $4,000 men at Altengrabow,
all na%tionalities mingled. We were
guarded by German soldiers who had
been incapacitated for service at the
front and who on account of their
wounds were revengeful toward us.
Dogs Refused Prison Fare.
"Tt would be difficult to picture in
words the awful conditions prevailing
in that camp. Our diet consisted for
the most part of hot water and de-
cayed vegetables-they called it soup.
Sometimes we were given herbs mixed
with grass to eat. Under such treat
ment the strongest men soon fell sick
and were scarcely able to move about.
The smell of this soup often was so
nauseating that men held their noses
while eating it. Dogs would take one
sniff at it and refuse to eat.
At times the men became so des-
perately hungry hat they caught and
ate rats and even a dog. Occasionally
we were given herring broth, made by
boiling whole, uncleaned behring's into
a thin liquid, the heads, bones and
NNdlCS VI Llt IlSIitS DClnS SCI NCu Will
the rest. One of the prisoners was op-
Grated on for appendicitis after his
transfer and four herring heads were
found lodged in his intestines.
81 have seen prisoners, rendered half
insane by hunger, fighting among them
selves for bits of food. If ones ra-
lions were stolen or taken from him by
force and he complained to the guard
the answer would be: why, are you
not all friends-allies? Surely there
can be nothing to complain Of When
the neutral commission would visit the
camps the prisoners would be given a
short cut of frankfurter sausage and
a lump of bread, so that it might ap-
pear that they were fairly well fed.
Sawdust Bread.
"This bread contained all sorts OF
stuff, such as potato Feelings, straw
and sawdust. All prisoners were made
to sign papers indicating their willing
ness to work. If they refused to sign
they were severely punished. The men
supposed that they were to engage in
farm work, but were sent to coal
mines, salt mines and munitions fac
tories. / refused to work in a NUM-
lions factory and was tied to a post
for three hours. One group of pris-
oners who persistently refused to
work were told that they would be
shot and We're placed under a special
guard. At the end of II days, during
which they momentarily expected to
be executed, they We're told that their
lives would be spared.
"While in prison I slept on the same
cot for 10 months and in all that time
the straw was not changed. When 1
left the straw was as fine as dust and
alive with vermin. After Is months
at Altengrabow I was transferred to
Mersburg. After an exchange of pris-
oners had been effected l was taken to
Constance, where 1 was provided with
a new suit of clothes and was we'll fed
and kindly treated for eight days be
fore being turned over to the allies. 1
suppose this was done in the hope that
in my new comfort and the joy at be-
ing released 1 might forget the past.
"In Switzerland I was taken in
charge by the Red Cross and kept liz
the hospital there for IA months. Had
the Germans given me proper treat
ment for my wound I would have re-
covered in a few weeks; as it was,
after years of neglect, dirt, secnistar-
walton and hard work, I was II such
condition when released that for a
time my life was despaired of. Even
now, after the best efforts of the Red
Cross physicians and nurses, the left
side of my face is partially paralyzed
and l can see but little with my lett