Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-11

bur an empty privilege. Once took
advantage of the privilege to send my
shoes to a Belgian shoemaker to be
half-soled. They charged me 20
marks-S5!
D.. Once in a while a Belgian Ladies'
Relief society visited the prison and
brought US handkerchiefs, American
soap-which sells at about S1.50 q
bar in observation-disclosures and
other little articles, all OF which were
American made, but whether they
were supplied by the American re-
I lief committee or not 1 don't know.
At any rate, these gifts were mighty
useful and were very much appre-
ciated.
One day 1 offered a button off my
uniform TO one of these Belgian ladies
as a souvenir, but a German guard
saw me and l was never allowed TO
go near the visitors afterwards.
The sanitary conditions in this
prison camp were excellent as a gen.
eral proposition. One night, however,
l discovered that 1 had been cap
tured Dy "cooueS.
This was a novel experience TO me
and one that would have been very
willing TO have missed, because in
the flying corps our airdromeS are a
number of miles back of the lines and
we have good billets and our acquaint-
ance with such things as "cooties" and
other unwelcome visitors is very linn
tied.
When 1 discovered my condition, l
made boiler and reused the guard,
and right then 1 got another example
of German efficiency.
This guard seemed TO be even more
perturbed about my complaint than
myself, evidently fearing that he would
be blamed for my condition.
The commandant was summoned
and / could see that he was very an
cry. Someone undoubtedly got a Sc
we're reprimand for it.
1 was taken out of my cell by a
guard with a rife and conducted about
a quarter of a mile from the prison
TO an old factory building which had /
been converted into an elaborate fumi- |
eating plant. There 1 was given 4
pickle bath in some kind of solution, 1
and while 1 was absorbing il my
clothes, bed clothes and whatever else
had been in my cell was being put
another fumigating process.
While l was waiting for my things
TO dry-it took perhaps half an hour
l had chance to observe about one
hundred other victims of "cooties"-
German soldiers who had become In
Tested in the trenches. We were all
nude, of course, but apparently it was
not difficult for them TO recognize me
ms foreigner even without my uni
form on, for none of them made any
attempt TO talk TO me, although they
were very busy talking about me. 1
could not understand what they were
saying, but l knew 1 was the butt of
most of their jokes and they made no
effort 10 conceal the fact that / was
The subject of conversation.
When / got back TO my cell 1 found
hat it had been thoroughly fumigated.
md from that time on had no further
.rouble with "cooties" or other yisi-
ors of the same kind.
As we were not allowed to write I
lnything but prison cards, writing was
nut of the question; and as we had no
'eading matter to speak of, reading
vas nil. We had nothing to do to
lass away the time, so consequently
ards became our only diversion, for
We did, fortunately, have some of
hese.
There wasn't very much money as a
'ule in circulation, and think for once
n my life held most of that, not due
o any particular ability on my part
n the game, but l happened to have
everal hundred francs in my pockets
when shot down. But we held lot
cry that was watched without quite
UGH intense interest as that. The
rawing was always held the day before
D learn who was the lucky man. There