Iron County register., 1919-01-23
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIlllIIIIIIIlIllIIll
CHAPTER xxII-continued.

regular prison barracks four hundred
Russians and Belgians were buried.
Most of them had died from cholera,
typhoid and inoculations. We heard
from the prisoners there before us that
the Germans had come through the
camps with word that there was an
epidemic Of black typhus and cholera
and that the only thing for the men to
do was to take the serum treatment to
avoid catching these diseases. Most of
the four hundred men had died from
the inoculations. They had taken the
Germans word, had been inOculated
and had died within nine hours. Which
shows how foolish it is to believe
German. None of US had any doubt
but what the serum was poisonous.
The second day that we were in the
regular camp the Germans strung
barbed wire all around our barracks.
They told us we had case of black
typhus among us. This was nothing
more nor less than bluff, for not one
Of us had typhus, but they put up the
wire, nevertheless, and we were not
allowed to go out.
One day when was loafing around
our barracks door and not having any
thing particularly important to do, l
packed q nice hard SNOWFALL and land
ed it neatly behind the ear Of a little
sentry not far away. When he looked
10 1ok hts yIyhfctlo hI1t
began hunting for the thrower. This
was strange in a German sentry and
thought he must be pretty good stuff
When he looked around, however, all
he saw was man staggering arounC
as If he were drunk. The man was
the one who had done the throwing, al
right, but the sentry could not be SURE
of it, for surely no man would stay
out in the open and invite accident:
like that. But still, who had done 1t
So I just kept staggering around
and the sentry came up to me ant
looked me over pretty hard. Then
thought for the first time that thing
might go hard on me, but figuret
that If quit the play acting 1t woul'
be all over. So staggered right VI
Ito the sentry and looked at him drunk
enly, expecting every moment to ge
one from the bayOnet.
But he was so surprised that all h
could do was stare. So stared bach
pretending that saw two of him, an
otherwise acting foolish. Then l CUES
he realized for the first time that tn
chances Of anybody being drunk Il
that camp were small-at least for tn
prisoners. He was rubbing his ca
all the time, but finally the though
seeped through the ivory and he bega
to laugh. laughed, too, and the frs
thing yod know he had me doing
again-that is, the imitation. On
SNOWFALL was enough, figured.
used to talk to him quite ofte
after that. We had no particula
love for each other, but he was game
than the other sentries, and he did nc
call me schweinhund every time he say
me, so we got on very well together
His name must have been Schwartz,
guess, but it sounded like "Swatts" t
me, so Swatts he was, and l wa
"Chink" to him, as everybody els
called me that.
One day he asked me If coul
speak French, and said yes, Italian
yes. Russian; yes. No matter whi
language he might have mentioned
would have said yes, because I cou
smell something in the wind, and
was curious. Then he told me that
I went to the hospital and workt
there, l might get better meals al
would not have to go so far for theI
and that my knowing all the languag
/ said / did would help me gre
ways toward getting the job.
Evidently he had been told to get
man for the place, because he q
pointed me to it then and there.
put me to work right away. We we
over to one of the barracks, where
case of sickness had been reportt
end found that the invalid was
Barbados negro named Jim, a fl
man from the Voltaire. At one til
Jim must have weighed 250 poun'
but by this time he was about t
pounds lighter than straw hat, !
still black and full Of pep. Light
he was, was no "white hope" and
was all I could do to carry him to [
hospital. Swatts kept right along
hind me, and every time would 81
to rest, he would poke me with
broom--the only broom saw in G
maryland laugh and point to his e
Then I thought 1t was a frame
and that he was getting even with
but / was in for it then, and the b
could do was to go through with
But was all in when we reached
hospital. The first thing / saw wi
we got in the door was another neg
also from Barbadoes, and as tall {
thin as Jim had once been short I
fat. This black boy and made
great team, but I never knew W
his name was. always called
Kate, because night and day he '
whistling the old song, "Kate, Ki
Meet Me at the Garden Gate" or wo
to that effect. ]. have walked up mi
3 night and heard that whistle (.
about at the same place as when /
fallen asleep. II would not have b
20 had IL he had known all of II.