Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1918-04-12
4 GERMAN PRISON RECORD
YTranslated from the Courier de Veoui
a Swiss French Newspaper

1Translated from the Courier de Veoui
a Swiss French Newspaper
The German prison camp He's north
west of Berlin in mountain Valley 1t
consists of dozen black barracks
built of rough lumber to shelter civil
ian prisoners. Each barack has three
stories. Old nasty straw ticks. alive
with vermin accommodate the sleepers.
From 20 to so inches are allowed for
each story and the occupants have to
Jump and climb from one to the other
and creep on their stomachs to reach
their most desirable beds. A thousand
persons find Accommodations on 1900
square meters, the size of one barracks
Between two barracks is yard no
larger than the space taken up by the
buildings and divided in half by wires.
There are French, Belgians, Russians
Poles, Jews, Albanians and Loranians,
in groups according to nationalities.
Among them are crippies, invalides
and many women and children.
The prison is in charge of General
Blanrock, related to Thysen Industrial.
of the Krupp firm. This heartless and
inhuman creature did his best to trans
form camp Havelberg into hell. Pro-
fitting by his position he sent many pri-
soners to the boundaries of Dusseldorf,
or agricultural establishments, so en-
tl,o aIo ho, xxrIaf
very few are coming back.
Humiliation of all kinds awaits the
prospective mothers. Their nights rest
is passed in company with the prosti-
tutes, side by side on their miserable
beds. The young intrepids, even after
escaping, are recaptured and thrown
into prison at Loos, near Settle, with
a hard lot of convicts. Three months
later they were sent back of the Ger
man lines to handle ammunition, or do
all kinds of hard tasks.
Three months ago three high rank
French officers were sent to camp Hav-
elberg in reprisal for one German Of
hcer of Togo This conduct shows
plain enough that the Hun realizes the
character physical and moral, of the
place and the terrible suffering in the
camp.
There is no sanitation. And bar
racks No. 1 is a permanent typhus
graveyard. Analysis of the water fur
nishes the proof of the germs presen,.
The prison officers advise the prisoners
to boil the water before using it, but
fuel. is not furnished for the purpose.
The nourishment is almost nil. The
prisoners have to depend exclusively
upon packages sent them from home.
Then if perchance the parcel succeeds
in crossing the entrance to the comp
it has to be examined by the officer. All
soap, sugar, chocolates, so rare in Ger
many, are kept by the examiner. Ir
anything is left, it is taken to the ow-
ner. If a complaint is uttered they |
say, TT is war" Several times the |
bread ration did not appear for three
OF four days and our stomachs had to |
suit the bread service.
Discipline is entirely Prussian, foi |
one must remember that this camp is |
in Brandenburg. Kicks and brutal
tiles of all kinds were up to date. Last
June three German soldiers struck a
prisoner with the butts of their guns.
Pile of towards" cried a Fren,h wo-
man. She was bound for fourteen day
to hard labor for insulting German
sentfnels Another captive was sent
to prison for having, by mistake. step
ped on 3 potato latch.
When 1 left this camp the poor
creatures there made me promise
TO expose their mum iiations and tor
lures and hl L treatment to Swiss au-
thorities, hoping - iiomote interven-
tion and to bring an end to such nor
rors. More than three years have pass
ed in this state of brutality. The Span
ish representatives have many times
softened the harshness of the Havei-
berg camp by their Intervention.
Translated from the French by Mrs
Edw. M. CIemments for the readers of
the Shoshone Journal.
=