Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-04

tenant Atkinson,
dentials were examined and passed
7 o. K.
A. The Hun spoke of his voyage from
America to England as being excep
tonally pleasant, and said he had a
fine time, because he associated with
the English passengers on board, his
fluent English readily admitting him
to several spirited arguments on the
subject of the war, which he keenly
enjoyed One little incident he related
revealed the remarkable tact which
our enemy displayed in his associa-
lions at sea, which no doubt resulted
advantageously for him. As he ex-
| pressed it, he made HIT one evening
when the crowd has assembled for a
little music by suggesting that they
sing God Save the King" Thereafter
his popularity was assured and the de-
sired effect accomplished, for very
soon French officer came up to him
and said, Its too bad that England
and ourselves haven't men in our army
like you" 1t was too bad, he agreed,
In telling me about it, because he was
confident he could have done a whole
| lot more for Germany if he had been
in the English army. In spite of his
apparent loyalty, however, the man
didn't seem very enthusiastic over the
war and frankly admitted one day that
the old political battles waged in Cali
fornia were much more to his liking
than the battles he had gone through ;;
over here, On second thought he |
laughed as though it were good Joke,
but he evidently intended me to infer
that he had taken a keen interest In |
politics in San Francisco,
When my "chummy enemy" first
started his conversation with me, the
German doctor in charge reprimanded
him for talking to me, but he paid no
attention to the doctor, showing that
some real Americanism had soaked
into his system while he had been in
the Z. S. A. l asked him one day what
he thought the German people would
do after the war; if he thought they
would make Germany a republic, and
much to my surprise he said very Bit
terly, IF 1 had my way about 1t, I
would make her a republic today and
hang the ID kaiser in the bar
gain" And yet he was considered an
excellent soldier. l concluded, how
ever, that he must have been a Ger
man socialist, though he never told me
so. On one occasion / asked him for
his name, but he said that 1 would
probably never see him again and it
didn't matter what his name was. 1
did not know whether he meant that
the Germans would starve me out, or
just what was on his mind, for at that
time l am sure he did not figure on
dying. The first two or three DAYS
was In the hospital 1 thought surely
he would be up and gone long before
was, but blood poisoning set in
about that time, and just a few hours
before l left for Courtrai he died.
One of those days, while my wound
vas still very troublesome, 1 was
given an apple; whether it was Just to
orment me, knowing that 1 could not
eat It, or whether for some other rea-
ION, l do not know. But anyway a
herman flying officer there had several
n his pockets and gave me nice one.
II course there was no chance of nv
ating it, so when the officer had gone
nd l discovered this San Francisco
elbow looking at it rather longingly,
picked it up, intending to toss IL
yer to him. But he shook his head
nd said, IF this was San Francisco
would take it, but 1 cannot take II
rom you here" 1 was never able to
Understand just why he refused the
pple, for he was usually sociable and
good fellow to talk to, but appar-
ntly he could not forget that I was
Is enemy. However, that did not stop
ne of the orderlies from eating the
)ple.
One practice about the hospital i'm
'essed me particularly, That was,
German soldier did not stand
uch chance of recovering sufficiently
take his place again in the war, the
'ctors did not exert themselves to see
at he got well. But If a man had -,
fairly good chance of recovering and
ey thought he might be of some fur
er use, everything that medical skill