South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-07-11

lie was informed in a camp with
French and English prisoners. Up
on one instance. because French
prisoner wished 10 share his soup
with fellow countryman. the Ger
man sentinel reached through the
wire enclosure about the camp and
stabbed the Frenchman I'm the stom-
ach with a bayonet. The man later
died. Upon another occasion. with
out any apparent reason. eight bOche
barbaIians in uniform entered the
T stockade and beat 20 death an Eng
lish prisoner. Ny friend, the cor
poral protested at the terrible thing,
and he was struck in the face by
the butt end Of rifle He carries
scar as evidence Of the cowardly
blow
The corporal said that ne and his
fellow prisoners were often com
PEELED 10 work under heavy she'll
fire behind the German lines. They
were denied clothing and adequate
shelter. and hundreds Of them died
from starvation.
When the corporal first reached
the prison camp he absolutely re-
fused TO engage in any work that
would benefit Germany. Tie was
given a choice to work or be starved
70 death. but still refused 20 labor.
For six days he stood at attention
from o'clock i'm the morning until
noon. At the end of the sixth DAY
/ ne was locked up in q wet cell. lie
remained there for five days, but his
! determination was still of steel.
The corporal was led out OF the
cellar and stood up with 80 other
/ prisoners who had refused 10 work.
| A German officer informed them un-
/ less they consented to labor they
would be shot. All OF the prisoners
with the exception OF the corporal
/ and 10 other prisoners weakened ana
/ said that they would work. The cor
I and the other men who had cOur-
poral and the other men who had
courageously stuck TO their guns
asked the boche officer 10 shoot them
and put them out of their misery.
But the Hun had quite another
plan for the application Of German
/ l<ultur. The arms of the prisoners
were twisted behind their backs,
their wrists were tied with a rope
and they were led each 70 post and
backed against it; they were made
TO stand on wooden blocks while
their hands were tied as high as
possible TO the post.
Prisoners Suspended by Wrists.
The blocks were then kicked out
from under them and they were left
suspended by their wrists with their
\ feet off the ground They remain
ed thus suspended for two hours.
The next day the process was re-
! peated and one of the men broke
down and consented to work. Tor
ture Of the remainder was cOntin-
ued and was followed by beatings
with rifle butts. Then they were
subjected to four more hours Of
/ hanging. when consciousness left
/ all with the exception Of the cor
poral. Those who succumbed were
carried in a cellar and thrown on
wet stones.
! Altogether the corporal hung IL
hours on his post. Had he not pos
/ SessCu All uOH COuslltullOH ne Noutu
! have died. Finally the Huns saw
/ they could not kill him by that
method. so they cut him down. He
was given a shovel, but he threw it
away contemptuously. The boche
/ did not ask him to work after that.
The corporal informed me that
each prisoner is marked with a
number. indicating the degree of his
health and strength No. 1 means
good for any work; No. .. good for
/ field labor; 10. 3, good for light
/ work: and 40. 4, incapable of work.
These numbers are tattooed on the
right hand. together with the letters
/ "Kr-Gef, which are authorizations
i for war prisoner
/ CONTINUED TOMORROW