Norwich bulletin., 1919-03-13
DANTELSON

Continuing his narrative Of nearly e4ght months experience as 9 prison- CT in the hands of the Germans. Fri vate Adelard Barbeau says:
 Arrived ii! the German trenches, after our Carture, we looked about us and many in cur group were tractica1- iy without nope. We had teen school cd to understand that lhe Germans were rlerciless with prisoners and that only slight infraction If their rules might mean the death penalty. Most of US were wounded ana all soaked to the skin. We were, for the most part thoroughly disc"ura"ed lot, but ttere were some brave spirits among Us.
 Awaiting whatever disposition might he made of uS. we had little to do but think and curse our luck. Then some S s'out- hearted boy passed the word to Cheer up. We had noCn through a lot that morning-and were still alive so why cross any streams until we came to them? That view of the sftua- tion helped some of Us. and we wait ed about for the further orders of our caDtors.
 After a time we were ordered for ward and passed back trroumh the German communication trcnches-on Cur way to tAeir first aid fled dressing station. where we arrived at about ' a. m., Saturday, April 2G
 No attention or sympathy was wasted OH our party. We stood around ill the rain and cold awaiting our tIIn to be fixed up bv inc German surgeons. who were busy attending exclusively to their own wounded. The wounded Germans were coming back iH streams. Well we naIicd q bunch of them, anyway one of our boys re- marked as ne waited there for our turn.
 "The first cid station vas kind oi hake shift affair in wllich q tent was included. and it was all open so that we could see what was golD2 on. Lit 'er after litter was bourne li hy Ger lnan stretchpr bearers and or each lit ter lay q HuE. Some of these-tht ren who had been in front Of our DO sition-were badly managed. Tht doctors worked without using anes- l thetics of any kind. I saw them Ia! 1 their wounded on the operating tabl1 and amputate, without ceremony, al l arm or q ieg-and they threw these | in . big box that was handy, much the same as butchers throw aside thu 1 trimmings in market. The stump oi arms and legs they bound up witt ! paper bandases. the paper of about tn same quality one sees in napkins st | common in tiis country. There didn' ] seem to be a yard of sterilized gauz l ahout the place. Wn watched theS ] operations hour aftor hour-and can't say that we felt any pity or sym 1 pathN that we might have Cxperience' under normal circumstances. We wer too desperate over our own plight an' neglect to waste any feeling oyer ou enemies.
 Lying on the ground near me wa
 a mortallv wounded Amec clean. H was shot through the stoTna'h and die
 later. He had no coat at all. an
 had off as I was myself, wounded an
 harefooted anjs chilled to the bone.
 knew that it Was only my commo
 duty to give him my 0gerCcat. gwhic I did, covering him with it 10 protec
 him a little rom She rain and cold.
 Tate in the afternoon the German
 turned their attention to our wounded The surgeons were efficient and we gc as good cara as did the Germa wounded, which isn't Saying mucl for the surgeons had little beside thei instruments to work witd. Some ( :hc Americans were far more badl wounded than I. Eventually we wei ali dolfed up with our paper bandage gre ready for the next stage of th journey that we knew was coming 1 Ls We knew that we were going GArnany-as prisoners Of war, not 2 we had hopei to go. with the victor ous fighting forces of Urele Sam. Before wn left the first cid static at about ) l.. m. we. were 1noculate against lockiaW. Our guards starte to elike us back deep into French terr tory held by the Huns and during u 7 evening we arrived at big cave. W
 were kept there for q time and the
 started on down the famous St. Mini
 sector. where later our own regimel fgured in a sensational defeat of u ] Huns. of which victory we read vii ldejight months later while we we
 working at Russelsheim. Finally V reached Thiercourt, where we were pl
 aboard a rain bound for the Il RTiey section. in Lorraine, where V
 arrived at , D. m. Sunday night ar
 were sent to a hospital.
 The Germans weren't strainiI
 themselves any to feed US. Elxcepti1
 for two tiny slices of black brea
 sneared with a film Of honey. giv'
 us Sunday morning, I hadn't eaten . bite since Friday afternoon at 1 ( { clock. That Sunday night we were n
 fed and we threw ourselves on u
 cots at the hospital, which was
 charge of the German Re1 Cross. "
 hospital was exceedingly neat and t
 beds clean as at home. We had whi
 sheets to sleep betweerl---and betwe
 them we c"awled-exhausted hung
 and in despair Even :hon I slept E sleep akin to death. TEfcro seeming
 was not an ounce of strength left \ me.