The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-01-23
SERGT. HOL LYBURT0N TELLS
HOW THE GERMANS SPREAD
PROPAGANDA IN PRISON CAMPS
(By United Press).

Berne Dec. 31.-(By Mail)-An
American army whipped the Germans
right in their own backyard. lorg be
fore the armistice was signed.
This army wasn't big. as armies go
and it didn't have a rifle, or a cannon
cor any of the other usual implements
But it had morale to burn; and mo
rale won.
These doughboys were war prison
ers. There were eventually about
2 500 of them.
The story of how these men won
their battle at the Rastatt prison
camp became known only when the
American prisoners came out of Ger
many. Edgar M. Halyburton of
South Carolina was responsible for
young America in Germany" He
Is an army sergeant of eight years
: service. 1t was his bad luck to be
one of the first Americans captured
by the Germans, back in October
1917 He belonged to the First divi-
sion. He is a tall, lean chap, 25
pounds underweight now because of
German treatment ard his tireless
work
Halyburton unanimously was elect
ed commander of Young America in
Germany" by his associates. He Sc
1ected as his aide-de-camp Charles
Geohegan, a private from New York.
Shortly after Halyburton was
taken to a prison camp he was joired
by half dozen other Americans, cap
tured in the Fl. st few days of Amer
ica's fighting. He and his compan-
ions we're hitched to a wagon with 16
Russians and made to haul wood from
Their shoes gave out ad they tied
rags to their feet. The snow often
was up to their knees and the weather
was bitterly cold. Their food consist
ed of piece of prison bread in the
morning and "soup SO thin you could
see the bottom of the pail at night.
The Americans stood it several
weeks, growing weaker and weaker,
but studying their German captors
Soon another group of captured
Americans arrived, making the total
about 20. Then they decided to de.
mand better treatment They had no.
rticed that the Germans had a dis.
stinct treatment for prisoners of each
nationality. Russians and Rumanians
-were treated as dogs, or worse, and
were being slowly starved. British
were treated somewhat better, and
the French best of all.
Americans were new in Germany
and no standard of treatment had
been established for them. The Ger.
mans had started the first Americans
on the same plan as the Russians
Halyburton and his pals began estab-
fishing an American standard They
made him leader and agreed to stick
by him through anything. They
summed up their position thus: We'll
soon die on this anyway; we should
have died at the front, and we can't
die better than by demanding that
we be treated as Americans"
Halyburton first ordered them to
clean up as best they could. Then
he demanded, in the best military
way. to see the camp commander. He
saw him. and declared that the Amer
leans must be treated better. and re-
fused for them to do further wood
: hauling. He told the Prussiap he
could either line the Americans up
and shoot Them ,or comply with their
demands.
The commander was furious, but
the Americans hauled no more wood
They we moved to Rastatt and their
food improved. Red Cross packages
and clothing arrived and were dis
aributed evenly Ultimatums and de-
mands were made in soldieriy way.
with Increasing force as the Amer.
leans estab ished their standing. The
Americans were careful to be Just and
diplomatic in their demands.
Th ir camp became a model Haly-
burton had commander of each bar
racks to see that every American
kept his clothes clean and his shoes
blacked. Every salute had to be
,snappy and correct. The Americans
gained special barracks by demand
Ing tfem. Under Halyburton's orders
these were c'eaned twice a day. They
were better than hose of,the German
guards.
Then came the fight against Ge
Eman propaganda. The Germans we. e