The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-11

Il think I have figured out" Gilberg
said, where all those horse steaks
came from" Without stating his de-
auctions, he left the impression that
able-bodied horses were not butchered
for the purpose of furnishing fresh
meat to the army, and that the battle
field was an animal slaughter house
as a sort of by-product.
He spoke of the returned prisoners
he saw. About 10000 Italian, Eng
lish and French soldiers came into the
town, where he was stationed. Those
men were the worst looking sight you
could imagine" he said. 'They were
more like skeletons than living men,
and they ate out of our swilI pals
When you realize what we had to eat
and that we were more often hungry
than not, you can understand that
our swill buckets contained little that
could be called food. We gave these
poor men all of our clothing that we
could possibly spare. 1 gave them ali
my sweaters, and all the socks I could
manage to get on without. Their feet
and hands were frozen, and they were
pitiable beyond description"
How Allies Treated Prisoners,
Gilberg went on to describe the
treatment given the prisoners of the
allies. '"They worked eight hours a
day." he said, were given the pay of
common soldier. were safe from dan
ger and were sure of three meals a
day and a decent place to sleep, and
that is more than many a civilian
gets in his own country in times of
cace. Many a time our men have
envied the prisoners in the hands of
the allies
THE soldier of our army had to
sleep in the mud and rain, for it
seemed to us that it rained every day
Our shelter at night was often self
provided. We would put up poles and
PLACE across them strips of CORFU
gated ho
hardest rains off the ground on which
We were to rest. That is, we did that
when any such iron was available.
Otherwise, we slept in the mud and
water"
Gilberg refused to talk of the battle
field sights, and other narrowing de-
tails of his experience. Il am trying
to forget them,'' he said.
He spoke of the negro troops abroad
and the American negros astonish-
lent to find that the Moroccan neg
roes of the French army did not speak
the tongue that they understood.
Good Negro Story.
IAN American co1ored soldier" he
said, approached one of the French
colonial men from northern Africa.
The two men did not look unlike, ex-
cept that one was dressed like an
Arab and the other like plain Ameri-
can soldier. Gimme a light for my
cigaret,' said the American negro.
'Je ne vous comprends pas was the
answer. The American repeated his de-
mand. and the Moroccan repeated his
assertion that he did not understand.
Man, demonstrated the American
negro. has you-all forgot yo're own
language?
Gilberg left the Topeka high school
to enter the army. He enlisted at
Kansas City, was sent to jefferson
Barracks, and from there to Fort
Totten and Fort Scott, New York. He
was then sent abroad and was in serv-
ice about six months. Going over a
number of the men died of the in
fluenza, and were buried at sea-
MANY of the Others" Gilberg said.
were so seasick that they longed
for submarine to show up and put
them out of their misery
The young soldier was asked IL he
thought it at all possible that the
allied army of occupation would re-
peat in Germany any of the outrages
that the German army had committed
on invaded territory. "Empha tically,
no." he said. I'm the first place the
allied soldier is without the yellow
streak of the cowardly German SOL
der and besides the American army
is the best disciplined army in Europe.
None of the other troops are under
anything like so rigid a system of
discipline as the Americans"
Young Gilberg, after nearly years
absence from school, expects to re-
enter the high, school this winter.
and complete his education
Brought Home Hun Gun.
Among the trophies of the fight
brought home by Lamy Gilberg is a
Mauser gun which he took from a
German officer near Nerdun- The gun
may be used as a revolver or rifle.
In the holster, the gun is a regular
revolver in use by German officers.
but it may be taken from the case and
fastened to the end of the holster. the
holster which IS Of leather, strength
ened by steel rods, then serving as the
handle to the rifle. Another souvenir
brought back by the young soldier is
made from one of the short spears
which the Germans used to drop from
their airplanes onto marching men
The weight Of the spear, and the mo-
mentum it gained in the fall of several
thousand feet. drove the blades Tito
I the heads or necks of the unsheltered
mon. This spear. which had been
dulied, probably by striking a helmet,