Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-12-24
CHAPTER XXI.
a Visit From Mr.. Gerard.


Visit From Mr.. Gerard.
T.r, that night we arrived at Dull
r.r Westphalia. We were rOusted
ant Of the carriages, mustered on the
o,orforn, counted, then drilled through
~. streets. In spite of the lateness,
-br streets were pretty well filled with
na4Dlp. and they zig-zagged us through
an fhr streets they could, so that all
tho paouIp would have a chance to see
rho crazy men, as they called US. Most
or m. people were women, and as soon
90 fbey saw us coming, they began
..nofag The Watch on the Rhine" or
some other German song, and 1t was
.rnnv TO see windows opening and fat
frgyy with night-caps on, sticking
their heads out of the windows. They
would give US a quick Once-Over, and
nine M like a boatswain: "Schwein-
-Vaterland-Wacht am Rhein"
all kinds of things and all mixed up.
So we gave them "Tipperary" and
Dpack Up Your Troubles" and
showed them how to sing. Our guards
Ind no ear for music and tried to stop
rs. but though they knocked several
men down, we did not stop until we
had finished the song. Then, after we
had admitted to each other that we
were not dOwnhearted. we shut up
We would have done so, anyway, be-
cauSc by this time we were on the out
skirts of the town, and we needed all
nm was lust one long sheet of ice, and
we could hardly walk more than four
steps without slipping and falling. My
shoe, had wooden SOles, and it was
inst one bang after another, with the
ice and myself trying to see which
could hit the hardest. Every time we
fpU-smash, came a rifle over the
back
was getting pretty tired, so l said
to some of the fellows that l was go
Ing TO sit down and rest, aud they said
they would also. SO we dropped out
and waited until the guards behind
had lust about caught up with US, and
then we would 90 on. We did this
several times until they got on to US,
and we could not do ii any more.
I'd the road piece | fell again, and
thi, time I did not care what hap
penod. so I just sat there in the
middle of the road until Fritz came up.
Instead of giving me the bayOnet, he
made me take off my ShOes-that is,
he took them off of me with a knife
through the strings-and l had to walk
the rest of the way in my bare feet.
1t was about four miles altogether
from the station to the camp.
When We got near the camp, all the
bows came out of the barracks and
lined up along the barbed wire, and
yelled us a welcome. We asked them
if they were dOwnhearted, and they
said no. and we said we were not eth
or We could hardly see them, but
they began yelling again when we got
nearer, and asked US, rs there anyone
there from Queenstown" and then
Hull, and Portsmouth, and Dover, and
Toronto and lot of other places.
did not pay much attention until
I ha.rd Any Americans thereY and
I yelled back, Yes, where are your
BARRACKS 6-B, Grippe 8"
where from?" I yelled.
"EoStuu. Wherere you frOmP
The I. S. a. and Atlantic ports.
See yoQ later"
&c. Oh" next morning. | went over to
his barracks and asked for the Yank.
They pointed him out to me. where he
] - I
and laid down with him, and we had
quite a talk l will not give his name
here for certain reasons.
He had received several wounds at
the time he was taken prisoner. He
had been in the Canadian service for
two Years. We used to talk about
New York and Boston and the differ
emf p'l We knew in both towns. and
We also talked lot about the rotten
treatment We were receiving and tried
10 cook up some plan of escape. But
every one We could think of had been
used by some one else, and either had
iai,ed or the Huns had fixed it so the
plan could not be tried again. We
a"uri out Srmc pretty wild schemes at
'As' Altogether. we became great
pals. and were together as much as
possible ut Dulmen. The day l left
I'M camp. he gave me ring made
"'"t >heI and told me to get 1t safely
back to the States. but some one stole
II AT Iirandenhurg.
Voe nay while | was In his barracks
an EngIi~hman stepped out of the door
Tor some reason or other, and though
'' uid not say word to Fritz, In two
minutes he was dead, in cold blood
we never knew why they killed him.
y, SWjnemunde and Neustrelitz,
must admit that the Germans had us
pretty badly buffaloed, but at Dulmen
L0e prisoners were entirely different
puuoen was the receiving camp for
Ile whole western front, and the priS
"rTS there GOT TO be pretty tough
eggs, rs tar as Fritz was concerned
y'.'re they hC been in camp many
-"l> They thought nothing of pick.
"S " fight with a sentry and giving
"'.' srod battle, even though he was
armed wiki rifle and bayonet. We
>'oa learned that unless his pals are
..'..a "a German will not stand by his
".-a"ru'> with his fists. In other
.">' he can outtalk you, he viii
.. l'" mp. but if he cannot, 1t is s