The evening leader., 1918-07-23
French Generous to Prisoners De-
spite Brutal Course of
Enemy.
ARE GLAD TO Be OUT OF IT
Sight of Long American Columns De.
stroys Hun Hopes of Victory-Live
Like Happy Family in
Prison Camp.

With the American Forces in France.
France knows that her prisoners in
Germany are treated badly, but Ger
man prisoners are treated humanely
and even generously in French pris-
ons just the same, writes Don Martin
IN the New York Herald. asked
an officer in charge of French prison
camp why this is, and he shrugged
his shoulders and said merely:
"Ah!"
Unless one could see the gesture
accompanying the monosyllable he
would hardly know what meaning to
attach to It. 1t really meant:
'Oh, what's the use of being bru-
tai to individuals just because some
one else is? We wish we could, but
we can't"
/ have inspected several prisons.
some large and some small, and in
every one have found the Germans
treated quite as well as civil prisoners
In normal times and in many instances
better. Officers are not humiliated in
any way. In fact they receive better
treatment, stranger would think,
than they are really entitled to.
Prisoners Live Happily.
On low hill about 1000 feet from
n main road of France stands prison
five low wooden buildings surround
1d by two barbed wire fences, with
armed pickets always patrolling out
side. Here are 200 Germans, many Of
RAem prisoners taken in the early bat
lie of the Somme, but some taken
more recently. They are all privates
and constitute as happy a family as
one could find where personal liberty
is the one thing desired and denied.
The Germans stood at their barbed
fences hours at time and watched
the endless line of soldiers. When It
was the blue of France that was NOV.
&ng past the Germans were not particu-
Larry interested. They had seen that
3or years. They know France always
mas had an endless line Of everything
needed for war. But when they saw
the khaki Of America filing or rolling
by for whole day and then for an
other, and heard the muddy shuttle Of
feet through the night, there was a
change in the dull expression of those
German eyes. It was at this time that
4 went to the prison to learn what they
thought of what they had seen. First
1t should be stated that these prisoners
see little of recent developments in
the war. They must form their opin-
ions from ruch fragments of conversa-
fion as they hear from their keepers
and from what they see, as, for in-
stance, from the long, long line Of
Americans, the first they had seen.
In this particular prison the new
comers had brought the news situation
up to early spring, but as for the big
offensive the prisoners knew only that
there probably would be one.
Americans Surprise Germans.
When I asked if there was German
among the two hundred who could
speak English, good looking young
man, with typical Teutonic mustache.
red cheeks, a glow of health, was call
ed out. He stepped into my presence
like an automaton, clicked his heels to-
gether and saluted the French captain.
He told me he was private; that he
has home in Lucerne, Switzerland;
that he fought eight months, but was
never wounded +; that he is in the whole
sale dry goods business in Berlin, and
that he does business with John Wana-
maker, Marshall Field and Stern
Brothers.
"What do you think Of all the Ameri-e
cans you have seen pass ng here recent
1y?" asked him.
81 have seen many Americans" he
said. II was surprised that you have
so many in France"
Another prisoner, less prepossessing
in appearance than the first, was asked
about things in general. He spoke
English poorly.
81 live in Berlin and work in bank,
but was in the war for two years.
When the war is over I am going to
Switzerland to live. would go to
America, but they don't like Germans
over there any more"
"Why are you going to leave Ger
many"
For an answer there was a shrug Of
shoulders and half scowl, half smile.
"Are you satisfied here?"
'It's a lot better than being in a
grave where a lot of them are"