Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1919-01-17

SeVeTdl VI the DOHS SOllC NCoI
and we could not figure out why, a
man told us he thought the water was
poisoned. and a Russian doctor, who
was a p sOner, slipped us word about
it also. so, after that very few Of
us drank water from the hydrant.
was scarce stiff at first, because l had
had some Of the water. but after that
I did not touch hydrant water.
# was a good thing for us that
there was always plenty Of snow in
Germany, and even luckier that the
Huns did not shoot us for eating it.
1t was about the only thing they did
not deprive us Oft was not verbOten.
I thought knew what tough coolies
were, in the trenches, but they were
/ regular mOllycoddles compared to the
1 pets we had in the prison camps. After
we boiled our clothes we would be
free from them for not more than two
hours, and then they would come
back, with re-enforcements, th1fsting
for vengeance.
The camp at Neustrelitz was sur
rounded by big dogs, which were kept
! w
them going all the time Every once
in a while, some fellow would make
an awful racket, and the next thing
we knew, there was Fritz coming like
shot, with musket at his hip, just
rs they carry them in a charge, and
blowing whistles at each other until
they were blue in the face. When
ever they thought some one was es-
Gaping, they ran twice as fast as I
ever saw them run, except when the
Foreign Legion was on their heels
ut DiXmude.
When they got up to the dogs, they
! would first talk to them and then kick
/ them, and after that, they would rest
+ their rifles on the wire and yell
| "Zuruck." at us. We all enjoyed this
, innocent pastime very much, and we
l We're glad they had the dogs.
t There were some things the Huns
;, did that you just could not explain.
E For instance, one Of the Russians
: walked out of the kuche, as we were
9 passing, and we heard a bang. and
r the Russian keeled over and went
:, west. Now, we had not done anything
0 and the other Russians said he had
d behaved himself, worked hard and had
It never had any trouble. They just
killed him, and that is all there was to
It it. But not one Of us could figure
i out why.
p After we had been at Neustrelitz
) for three weeks, they drilled US out of
q the camp to railway station, and
e stood us In the snow for four hours
e waiting for the train. We were ex-
2, hausted and began falling, one by
It one, and each time one Of US fell, the
y sentries would YELL ''Nicht krank !"
d and give US the rifle butt. We had
d our choice Of standing up and dying
le or falling down and being killed, and
~ it was fine choice to have to make.
n The cars finally pulled in, and as
y. usual, the windows We're smashed, the
III doors open, anlthe compartments JUS
he packed with snow. When we saw this
IL We knew we were going to get worse
III treatment, even, than we had beer
ec getting, and many Of us wanted to die
ld It had not been unusual for some O.
IN the men to tell the Germans to shoe
I'D was always a man who wanted to liv
IL who did get it and went west.
10 However, all Of us nearly got kille'
o' when we reached Wittenberg. Whel
the train stopped there, we saw bi
I'LL wagOnload of sliced bread on the sta
ue ton platform and we all stared at ii
We stood it as long as we could, an
81 then we made rush for it. But whe
y we got nearer, we saw that there wer
n four sentries guarding it and fou
81 women issuing 1t out to the Germa
81 soldiers They would not give us an!
81 Of course.
81 So we stood around and watched tn
M Huns eat it, while they and the wome
M laughed at us, and pretended thu
tS4 they were starving and would grOa
and rub their stOmachs and sd,
"Nichts Zu essen" to each other, an
then grab a big hunk of bread an
eat it. What we did not say to the
- was very little indeed. We were &c
tPinly wild if any men ever were.
NJ Then some Of us said we were g
NM ing to get some of that bread if v
81 went west for it. SO we started
. fight, and While they were attending
some of us, the others grabbed and h
all the bread they could They roust,
us back into the cars and we we
just starting to divide up the bre,
81 when they caught us with it and to-
: it away. We We're wilder than ev
g then, but we could not do anything
III 1t got colder after we left White
berg, and the snow blew into the ca
II, through the windows and doors I'm
a.. we were afraid to sleep for fear
freezing. It was the worst night
have ever seen, and the coal bunke
ugh on the YarrOwdale seemed like a D
the ace compared to the compartment
thew hpcaIlSp we cnnld at Loo ST 1,nnro q rn,,