The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-10-19
FEED PRISONERS;
TRANSFORMATION
Kindness. Toward Austrians
F. at arth While.
were LITERALLY STARVING
Real Food and Cigarettes Put Cap
tives in Such Cratifed Frame Of
Mind That They Open Their Hearts
to Y. M. c. A. Workers and Make
Startling Revelations Regarding Con-
ditions in Austrian Army.
BY {. A. eATcHEloR.

BY {. A. BATcHELoR.
That "the shortest way to a mans
heart Is through his stomach" has been
proved I'm Italy. The American Y. M.
c. A, by a few acts of kindness toward
Austrian prisoners captured when
the Italians made their Pave drive,
were able to secure information of i'm
mense value to the Italian army.
These prisoners were in bad shape,
particularly in regard to food. In fact,
they were literally starving. They
said that they had been living chiefly
on black bread and gave the Red Tri-
angle workers samples of this food to
prove how inadequate 1t Is for the
sole ration of fighting men. The bread
was hard, heavy and thoroughly unap-
petizing.
Some real food and cigarettes put
the captives In such a grateful frame
of mind that they opened their hearts
to the Y. M. C. A. workers and, with
perfect candor, made startling revela-
lions regarding conditions In the Aus.
trian army.
With one accord they said that they
are heartily sick of the war and tired
of being starved. Mutinies of serious
proportions are prevented only by the
fact that many German officers have
been placed with Austrian regiments
These men, schooled in Prussia y
cipline, do not hesitate to shoot any
man that is slow about obeying the
the alternative of fighting the Italians
or being murdered by their COM
manders.
Opens Prisoners Eyes.
1t was a revelation to those prison
ers to see American soldiers and Y. M.
c. A. workers. They had been told
U-boats would prevent the United
States getting any considerable num-
Der of men overseas. The fact that al
ready hundreds of thousands of YAM
KEGS are fighting in Europe opened
their eyes.
The prisoners are desperately anx-
ious for peace and rapidly getting
: to think that even a defeat would be
preferable to existing conditions.
J. Apparently the hatred of Germany Is
| growing more intense every day and
. 1t is only a question Of time before
: Austria will seize an opportunity to
desert her ally.
, The treatment accorded prisoners by
. the "Y" was an eye-opener to the Aus
/. TRANS. They have been told the Yam
] KEGS either killed their prisoners or
, abused them so death would be pre-
+ ferred. They hardly could believe a
4 man In an American uniform would
hand out food and tobacco.
A Work among the Austrian prisoners
is just n small part Of the American
Y. M. G. A. activities In Italy. Splen'
did results have been obtained among
: the Italian soldiers, whose physical
! welfare and comfort are being en-
a HANGED constantly. Not long g re
freshments were served to 5000 troops
in seven hours at one Of the kitchens
The men arrived tired and dusty witt
their heads down and left for the from
. singing and laughing.
In Genoa, Florence, Rome and Ven
ice the Red Triangle has been dis
played and fine work il being done fol
. men on leave and among the wounded
! At Genoa the association int
. intimate contact with American sail
: ors forming the gun crews of merchan
|. ships. These sailors find the home at
! mosphere of the hut very pleasant aft
: er their long and monotonous voyage
! and are as happy as schoolbOys whei
they see the well-known sign.
Army ~ApprecIative.
= The Italian army is so appreciativ
IS Of the work of the association that !
d has given it carte blanche and is az
cording every facility Tor carrying GU
the program. Labor and material ar
1t furnished whenever possible, an
e. travel on all the railroads Is to be ha
without much of the red tape that vi
II ually surrounds journeys In wartim'
n The physical feature Of the work
N making a particular hit among the so
A. diers. They take to American sport
IS in great style and are deriving benef
from the mass games that have bee
d 80 successfully used among oil the a
r. lied fighters.
Wounded men find that properly d
le reeted sports help them greatly In the
progress toward health and strengtl
Ie and this work has been introduced !
IS several OF the convalescent hospital
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