The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1918-12-12
PRISONERS ARE
BADLY TREATED
British Corporal Tells of ia
Months Experience in
Germany.
SHOT FOR PICKING up FOOD
Sentries Fire on Starved Prisoners
Who Pick Up Food Thrown to
Them by French Women
Forced to Work.


shires, who was taken prisoner II
April, 1917, and who succeeded in es
Gaping from the Huns clutches in
June, 1918, has given a very interesting
account of his experiences. He is q
man of the highest character and his
story is, therefore, worthy Of credence.
He was captured April II, 1917, near
AlgicOurt, and was at first taken to
the German headquarters, behind the
line. He was questioned, but refused
to give any information. He was
then sent to working party behind
the German lines at a place called
Maretz, and was employed on ration
dump. The party was about 16 kilo-
meters from the line; they could see
the British shells bursting mile or so
away but the corporal never heard of
any casualties among the prisoners.
There was a cNmmandant in charge
of the camp, and the second in COM
mand was feldwebel. Both these of
ficials treated the prisoners very badly
The first day that they We're in camp
the commandment came, and the field
webel shouted 'Achtung." The men
did not know what he meant and did
not therefore spring to attention, as
they should have done. The field
webel thereupon struck them with
whip. The sentries also treated them
very badly.
Picks Up Food-Shot.
When the prisoners were returning
from work the Frenchwomen used to
throw them food and other things. The
men knew that it was forbidden to
step out of the ranks to pick these
things up, but they were so hungry
that they often broke the rules. The
corporal saw Il man shot by sentry
for stepping out of the ranks in this
way. He was killed instantly, the bull
let passed right through him, went
through another mans pocket and
blew the finger, or two fingers, off q
third man. There were two other men
shot in the same way the corporal
saw them both brought into the lager
The prisoners got no food from Eng
land while they were on this working
party, and they were not allowed to
write home.
Toward the end of May, 1917, the
was transferred to Minister
IL, in Germany, and a week later he
was sent on to Minden, where he re-
manned six weeks.
The treatment at NIinden was not |
bad, and in this respect it differed
from the food, which was very bad |
indeed. A five-pound loaf Of black |
bread WAS divided among 10 men; this |
was their bread ration for the day. |
They had coffee in the morning and
thin, watery kind of soup at noon.
Once week they had fish and a small
quantity Of potatoes At 80 in the
evening they had what they called
1t was just like eating
sand. Sometimes they had ground
maize, and one night out of three they
lad coffee.
Works In Munition Factory.
From Minden the corporal went on
| working party to darlington, where
le remained three weeks. He was
working in munitiOn factory, unload
ng iron and coal, but the prisoners
lad nothing to do with the machinery.
There were ten Englishmen in the
working party, Al Russians and four
The treatment was not
God, and the work was very hard.
At the beginning the guards over
he prisoners were soldiers, but during
he last four months that the corporal
1as in Germany they had been re-
laced by elderly civilians. The guards
old the prisoners that there had been
lots in Berlin just after Christmas,
917, and several people had been shot
he guards said that all the best men
ad gone and that it was shameful to
mink of the kind of men that they
ere using in the army.
AS has already been said, this cor
oral is a particularly intelligent man.
e is quite ready to admit good treat
ent when good treatment has been
wen to him, and he has contented