Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-02

his ofiiccr who. with his heavy boots.
dashed Mt tho unfortunate fellows legs,
until hc almost howled for mercy.
whist this was going OH. not an eye
was turned towards the scene OF this
one-sidad Kicking bout. / saw another
cihcer go up to one OF his mon, who.
as FAR as l could see had done moth
ING wrong. and apit at him. after which
he struck the luci,less fellow across the
face with his scabbatd
Another recruit was bit slow in
shouldorinE and sloping arms, and after
he had his knuckles raped with a
cane about twenty times, ne WAS taken
10 one side and for two solid hours he
was kept continually shouldcring and
sioplng arms by noncommissioned Of
hcer. who used his feet whenever the
youth made bad blunder. Through It
MI Inc man never protested. l don't
know how they can contend with all
this brutality without having their
revenge. No wonder they show us no
mercy. Cruelty is part and parcel OF the
Germans nature. 1t has been knocked
into them. and whom they have the op-
portuntiy OF giving back the punish
ment they have received. they get their
pound OF flesh out OF the prisoners Of
war.
heard some tales OF Germans who
mad turned on their officers. and no
doubt they nre true. At Seonelagcr a
machine gunner had been snvaEely
beaten by his officer for some slight
mistake. and when tho officer stepped
back the gunner turned the muzzle OF
the gun upon him. and riddled his body
with bullets. after which he took his
own life.
During tho twenty-three days was
NJ Munster living on SOUP. should say
lost good four stone (hfty-sIx
pounds) in weight. When went out to
france should be good thirteen
stone. Yet a little more than three
weeks In the hands of the Germans had
brought me down to nine stone u2G
pounds).
ENTIRE BLOCK PUNISHED AS
ONE MAN TRIES TO ESCAPE,
IL was whilst in this state that
was warned TO so out on working
party Al Lang endreer. We were, how
ever. too weak TO stand up, let alone
work. When the news got broadcast
tnat the Germans were going to make
US work. number OF our lads made up
their minds to try and get away. One
chap. having kept his spade. aneaked
out or his sleeping quarters every night
ana secretly tunneled his way under
meath the wall and barbed wires. This
man had only about another half
hours digging to finish to land him
clear OF the sentries. but apparently n
traitor In the camp. hoping TO gain the
favor OF the Germans. gave the daring
britisher away. ] need hardly say that
Inc sneak was neither Britisher nor a
colonial The guards at once began to
search the grounds and ultimately
managed TO find the tunnel Every eff
Tort was made TO find the prisoner who
had tried TO dig his way to freedom
OUT without success. and every man in
that certain block wac punished.
Another prisoner, called Watson
made daring attempt to get away.
Like the unlucky fellow mentioned
ABOVE. he dug tunnel below the sentry
uoI' but when success was in his grasp
he was given away by some one in
the camp. / afterwards saw Watson
whose only desire was to get hold of
the traitor.
When the comTnandant OF the camp
tried Watson. and was told how he had
deiuded the guards, only to be given
away by another prisoner OF war. the
soldier. who. no doubt, admired pluck
told him that he had done wonderful
Dir OF work which had deserved sue
cess. The conmandant did not admire
the action OF the man who had played
the traitor. and he informed Watson
that II 1t had been in his mower he
would have let him go with a caution.
nut seeing that the laws OF the court
had 10 be obeyed he would be forced
10 punish him. He would. he sn Id. how
ever. only give him FIVE days. instead of
! beheve, the regular fourteen days.
fTo Be Continually