The Farmington times., 1918-08-23

Dispatch correspondent today:
"Our authorities, evidently acting
on instructions from headquarters,
decided to outdo their own regard of
cruelty toward American prisoners.
A system newly devised was careful
ly worked out under the watchword,
The fewer Americans who return
home the better for US. Now in op-
Grafton, if it is permitted to go on,
there is no telling how many Ameri-
cans taken as prisoners will ever be
allowed to see America again. Surely
very few.
"After seeing a good deal of service
in Franco and Russia, in France again,
where | was wounded, was sent to
a camp at Wittenburg to guard pris-
oners. Later l was moved to Soltau,
thence to Holzmindcn, where man.
aged to escape. What | saw in the
camps was worse than what saw at
the front, ever since we began taking
American prisoners.
Especial instructions were given to
the guards, in charge Of the Americans
to apply the so-called sharp regime
meaning to treat them worse than
either the Russians, Belgians, ltal-
ians, all of whom enjoy the sinister
privilege of being bullied in man
ner worse than either the French or
English.
Submitted to "Hellish Treatment"
Additional camps were erected at
Wittenburg, Soltau and Holminden;
Near the former ones the reprisal
camps, which were supposed to Lave
been suppressed, but which are 60
ing as strong as ever, were consid-
erably enlarged, the reason being that
it was intended to send Americans to
a reprisal camp straight from the
battle field before they had the chance
of committing the slightest offence.
This the Germans call preventive pun
ishment", and is supposed to be what
Americans need. One of my super
iors told me explicitly, We must
teach the Americans something
an Kustrin, where was often on
duty, because | spoke English, having
lived five years in Norfolk Va, pris-
oners were submitted to hellish treat
ment, 70 having to sleep in huts fit for
10, OH dirty boards without mattresses
or covers, except in the case of those
who could bribe the sentries.
"The food consisted chiefly of a
dirty plate of soup which the men had
TO fetch from the canteen at noon. The
bread ration was small and was miss
ing three times weekly
complaining on the part of Amer
ictns was met by requiring them to re-
main motionless in the sun three hours
Each movement meant Is minutes
more of this torture. Any remarks
about food were met with such retorts,
'You don't want our German bread.
eh? Ask Wilson for some; he ought to
help you
"The conditions of labor at Kus-
trim were terrific, Is to 20 hours daily.
The men were forced to repair roads
under the scorching sun, under guard
of sentries instructed to shoot anyone
at sight if only suspected of wishing
to run away or to sit down to rest.
When soldiers collapsed, owing to
weakness, guards would threaten to
crush their skull with rife butt or
to shoot them. Three colored soldiers
died at Kustrin, in juno, of weakness.
Men Forbidden to Converse
"The Kustrin commander found
two devices to make the Americans
miserable. He forbade the men to
speak to each other except on camp
duty, furnishing infractions by 20
days confinement in cell. He pro-
hibited the men taking baths in a
small brook inside the camp grounds,
and bathing was allowed only as a
special favor. Any soldier seen bath
ing without written permission was
liable to be shot.
"While bullying the Americans, the
Germans did not neglect those Ger
man-Americans whom they believed
they might be able to use for their
{ own ends. In Soltau and Holzminden
Americans of German descent had
been placed in parts of the camps by
themselves. No reason was given,
but the first day they were separated
from the others the German-Ameri-
cans received an extra allowance OF
bread. They would have eaten it had
not one of them heard by chance that
the others had no bread at all. The
extra bread remained untouched i'll
spite of their biting hunger.
propaganda among the German
Americans has not begun yet, but
when there are enough of them to
form division the German authori-
ties will try to induce them to enter
the German army at high pay. Up
to now the propaganda in American
camps las been carried on by a paper
called the Continental Times, which
publishes the foulest tales about Will
son, America and Americans. For in
stance, this report was pasted on all
Hilzminden walls:
"'London papers announce that Will
son has been murdered by an Ameri-
can pacifist.'
"Anothcr one read: THE steamer
Leviathan has been sunk by Ger
man submarine, 10000 American sol
diers drowned
at is foolish talk and makes mon
laugh, yet the Germans believe that
after six months Of continual injec-
ton of lies and bad news that the
prisoners patriotism may be less fer
vid.
Try to Drive Prisoners Crazy
1.-TWO or three young officers seem