The Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 191?-19??, 1919-06-11
COUNCIL Of
DEFENSE.
Relate. Experiences of Kentuek,
While in German Prison Camps

fore the armlSClce was SlRneu. DC
for he was captured he brought dow
two German soldiers, in which figh
he was wounded. Boyd, who has re
Gently returned to his home, says n
was treated will while in the Ger
man hospital, and even invited to re
main in Germany. He said he de
clined this invitation with thanks. al
the dear old U. S. A. was goot
enough for him.
Lieut.. Hugh Dugan, of Lexing
ington, KY, was captured and held
as prisoner for nine months before
being released. He was forced to
eat the German rations for four or
FIVE months, after which time Red
Cross parcels began to arrive for the
prisoners. He said the Germans
took one-third of each mans Red
Cross portion.
1t was reported by the Associated
Press on April 81, 1919, that eleven
American prisoners had been held by
the Bolsheviki had been sent out Of
Russia by way of Stockholm. In this
number was John Triplett, of Lackey,
in Floyd county, KY.
Clarence HINES, of Hickman, Full
ton county, KY, after months of
wonderful experiences and fighting
in France, is home again, bearing
the scars of German bullets on his
arm, breast and leg. He had fully
recovered from his wounds. He was
one of fifteen prisoners captured by
the Geramns in big drive. He re-
ports that the Germans treated him
will in prison, but that the food and
medical attention were nothing to
brag about.
Leslie Pedigo, of Louisville, KY,
spent two horror-flled years in al
German prison camp While on
board a British merchant ship he was
captured by the German raider Meow
early in 1917 Pedigo relates that
during the time he was in prison heI
was beaten, starved and worked toI
a point almost beyond endurance.
Part of his work was unloading pig
iron. The diet consisted of snail
soup and turnips. Part of Pedigo's
4or,y 70 nc folIous.
"At Lubbock we were housed in
and slept in ship hunks.
We worked, loading and unloading
pig iron from the ships, from 6 o.
clock in the morning until 8 o'clock
at night. This work was like torture
to all of us, although there were
many big, husky seamen among us.
There were also many small fellows,
and the heavy work soon made them
look like living skeletons, The menu
Of the German army and navy must
have been the same, for even at Lu-
beck we were given the same old
snail soup, and boiled, and some
times raw turnips. When we were
lnruly and oftentimes when we were
not, we were given pulp bread and
water and kept on this diet for days.
| tried four times to escape and all
got was hole in my head, and the
Eacancy which these false teeth fill.
The treatment which we got when
We were recaptured, / can't describe.
Il was too horrible"
Charles Porter, of Louisville, en-
isted with the Canadian in 1914. On
November %, 1914, he was on the
ring line, with the Bird Battalion.
lie was in the first battle at Ypres
lie was wounded in January at St.
ulien, spent two months in hospital
nd returned to Ypres. He was
wounded second time, and spent a
ear in French hospital. Return
nS to the front in 1916 he was again
everely wounded and left on the
eld. This time his name appeared
n the list of the dead. But Porter
vas this time rescued from she'll
ole by the Germans and made pris-
ner. After being in a German hos
ital for four months he was sent to
farm in Westphalia to work. He
efused to work and was beaten with
ron rods and starved. At this time
he British were sending rations for
he prisoners, but when the prisoners
efused to work the Germans moved
hem from one place to another quick
' and used other underhand methods
0 prevent them getting the food
emit them. More than a year elapsed
efore Porter received his first ra-
ions from the British government.
Until that time he subsisted entirely
n two slices of Holtz bread (this
read is made Of potato Feelings.
round wheat straw and wood pulp)
arpots for dinner and quart of tur-
lbs for supper. When he worked in