The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1918-08-23
HUNS INHUMANITY
WILDLY RECOUNTED
Russian, Prisoner Two Years,
Finds Home And Fam
lily Gone.

MdutT, NOTdu NuSSld' WIN nus just
been released from German prison
camp. where he spent two years. He
is on his way to Cincinnati, where
his mother and sister are living.
Mauer was in the Russian army
and was captured about the end Of
the first year of the war. Confined
in a German prison camp for more
than two years, he was released when
Germany made peace with the Boil
sheviki. and after wandering about
Russia and China searching for his
missing wife and daughter he has
given them up for lost and will live
in the United States.
His home at the outbreak of hos
tilities was about two miles from the
German border. Fierce fighting took
place in this region during the first
year of the war. and when he return
ed he found his home destroyed and
his wife and daughter gone.
The war was just entering the
second year. he says. when he was
wounded and captured. Sent to a
German hospital. he soon recovered
and was sent to a prison camp. He
says the food was unfit for human
beings and the men were treated in
the most brutal manner.
"Huddlcd Like sheep"
After left the hospital" he |
says. was sent to the prison camp |
at Holzminden. where lived two !
years with thousands of other prison.
ers of several nationalities. huddled |
together like so many sheep in filthy
huts. The thing that impressed me
most was the awful food we had. The
i'll treatment we might have been
able to stand. but the food was worse
than any thing | have ever imagined.
when we went to the prison camp
first they gave us tickets emitting us
to $50 grams of bread a day. about
II ounces. but toward the last they
cut down the ration to 200 grams.
In addition we had a few thimbles
full of soup. with a lump of potato
flour in it. which, if it wasn't
thoroughly mixed was vile. The
bread was made of 20 per cent sub
stitute-potato. corn meal and gra-
ham flours. II was badly made, with
ont yeast. and baked so hard you
could scarcely chew il.
Occasionly as treat. we were
given a bit of dried fish which had
stood so long it was alive with worms.
What ave didn't eat of the food was
given to pigs which were kept in a
sty near by.
I'VE were.treated worse than any
animals could have been.. AT o'clock
every morning we were expected to
be ready for inspection. On some of
the winter days il was far below
zero. but we were not allowed TO have ,
a spark OF fire in the huts. We were
given coal in small chunks and ex-
pected to keep our own fires going.
but they never gave us enough for /
more than two days in the entire r
weeks supply. r
Every able bodied man was put 10 I
work in the coal mines, where there v
was almost no food At all. Each was |
given a little bread and a small a a
mount of water for his rations.
Sometimes men refused TO work. I
They were thrown into prison. where e
they were compelled TO stand from c
morning until night for three days.
You couldn't buy anything in Ger
many. and it was not unusual TO see
a man With plenty Of money in his
pocket starving TO death, We could !
write home. however. and we always
asked for clothing and food. no;
money.
German Opened Cauteen.
a oanteen was finally opened by !
German. but he was an eXtortionist.
lie asked us excessive prices Tor
everything. lie charged 60 cents for
q small herring and . cents for tw1
small potatoes. He now is a million
aire. Another man had a contrac, - =
feed us He was allowed Is cents