Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-01
CONTINUED From Yesterday

sonetnlnS 10 eat. tried 10 sleep Dut
1t was no go. There were too many
~"cooties." and they did not seem a bit
tired. although every bit as hungry as
1 was. In fact about that time 1 was
willing to agree with the American SOL
dier who said he knew now why all
the pictures show Napoleon with his
hand inside his shirt
Since 1 couldn't sleep hunted
| 'cooties," and the hunt was so sue
cessful that my undershirt was bloody
from the kill. The guard found me at
this interesting occupation when he
came in to make the fire-yes. 1 had n
small stove in my cell. and was given
coal to burn In it too.
When the fire got red hot I remem-
bered the quail in my sack. so pretty
, soon that juicy bird was sizzling over
the fire. The entrance of the guard
again stopped this mountaineering oc-
cupation, for fearing he would take It,.
I quickly hid the half-done bird in my
| sack. They had left me keep that,
for a wonder. and 1t had some bread in
too. This time the guard brought a
bowl of soup and their acorn coffee.
After he left finished cooking the bird
and made a wonderful meal. killing a
few more "cooties" afterwards who
were getting too active for comfort.
And then the guard came back again.
He sure seemed awful attentive, didn't
he? This time he brought a mattress
stuffed with shavings. the climax to
all the surprises that prison had handed
out to me that day, for L had been
given a mattress in camp-minus the
, shavings, "Golly!" thinks !. 'if this
is the punishment for escaping, give
me prison" 1 did not even have to
walk after my own soup here. 1t was
brought to me. I had n room to my
self, 1t was heated also, and 1 had a
soft bed. What more could a tired
prisoner ask? And so having eaten
we'll and having killed the biggest
"cooties" promenading over my person
1 slept well that night.
Short on French
Early the next day l was put in
charge of another guard who was or
dered to put me in the camp 1 had
left. OF course, he could not find it.
for the camp had moved. I had tried
to tell them so. but my French must
have been unequal to the task, for that
guard tried his best to find it. The sad
part of 1t was that l had to go along
while he hunted. and 1 was still pretty
much all in from walking all the night
before. Tired as 1 was though, 1 could
not help but be amused at the pride
he took in having me In charge, for he
would tell every comrade he met along
the road, and he met lot of them,
that 1 was an American. and flyer,
and he said it with all the pride of
boy exhibiting a brand new pocket
knife, and then the Bocke would look
at me in awed wonder and say, "so!"
I am still wondering which fact
caused the most curiosity, my being an
American or a flyer? i know the COM
bination made me a curiosity every
where 1 was sent, but that did not pre-
vent me from suffering from hunger
and cold like all the other prisoners.
But just at this particular time to
the hunger and cold was added weari-
ness of feet and body oh yes, the
guard found my original camp, but no
one was there of course, so he trots to
another camp nearby to hunt informa-
ton. While he was hunting where the
camp 1 was attached to had gone, 1
sat down on bench. so tired and hun
cry that promptly fell asleep. Seeing
how all in was a French interpreter
sent the Eoche guard back to head
quarters while he gave me some coffee
to wake me up. By the time the Boche
had returned to take me back to my
CELL L ISlI bcNlSI 4Ol blC
rest. Another night in that prison and
1 was sent on the track of my COM
rades in misery, which was about 10
miles distant.
1t was raining and the roads were
nothing but a mass of mud, but we,
the guard and I. were sent on our
way just the same, which did not add
any joy to life 1 can tell you. The
guard did not like 1t any better than I
did, and knowing a few French words
he endeavored to MAKE conversation by
telling me he had a brother in New
York, and when the war was finished
he was going to America himself. 1
didn't say anything to this astonish-
ing information, but 1 thought a lot.
Either he was blissfully ignorant of
Americas feelings toward a German or
he was as dense as the Boche nation
is supposed to be-and is. What did
he think he was going to do over there
anyway? Nobody would give him work
even If he was lucky enough to get in
the country, and II some ill-treated
American prisoner discovered no had
once been in the German ArmY-Oh
boy! Both a cop and ambulance would
be necessary, and yet l hearl many
Boche soldiers voice the same ambition.
America to them was still the land of
promise, and even though they were
killing Off some of the best men, they
still seemed to think America would
welcome them with open arms. Such
reasoning 1 never did see
and 1t amused me every time / heard
one voice this ambition to think of what
would happen to him once he hit New
York-if he got that far. Personally,
1 would help chuck any one of them
overheard on the way over.
I let them rave on though, for the
longer they anticipated the joy of this
dream the greater would be their suf-
fering when they woke up. And from
what was suffering then and later,
they could never be made to pay for
all they made I and my comrades suf
fer. And to think that to-day 1 read
in the paper that they hope for q "hu-
name and just peace" Just 1t will lie,
but hope not humane. They don't de-
serve 1t.
Luck mt Last
Thus my guard talked as we trudged
along in the mud and rain. Once he
got real personal, calling me a fool for
running away when peace was SO close.
True they were talking about an armis-
tice then. but the talk was not getting