Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1919-03-21
Observation-Disclosures
CHAPTER xxii-continued.
COPYRIGHT ipis, by Reilly and RrItton CO., Througl

10
The day we were transferred to the
regular prison barracks four hundred
Russians and Belgians were buried.
Most of them had died from cholera,
typhoid and NEGOTIATIONS. 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 wes 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 inocuiated
and had died within nine hours. Which
shows how foolish 1t is to believe a
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
fyphus among US. This was nothing
more nor less than q bluff. for not one
iof US had typhus, but they put up the
wire, nevertheless. and we were not
allowed to 20 out.
One day when / was loafing around
our barracks door and not having any
thing particularly important TO do, /
packed a nice hard SNOWFALL and land
led It neatly behind the ear of little
sentry not far away. When he looked
iaround he did not blow his whistle but
began hunting for the thrower. This
twas strange In a German sentry and /
thought he must be pretty good stuff.
When he looked around. however, all
ne saw was a man staggering around
as IL he were drunk. The man was
the one who had done the throwing, all
right but the sentry could not be sure
out in the open and invite accidents
Bike that. But still. who had done 1t?
So just kept staggering around.
and the sentry came up to me and
Hooked me over pretty hard. Then i
Thought for the first time that things
might go hard on me. but 1 figured
that If quit the play acting 1t would
be all over. So staggered right up
to the sentry and looked at him drunk
'enly. expecting every moment to get.
lone from the bay0net.
But he was SO surprised that all he
iceuld do was stare. So stared back,
ipretending that l saw two of him. and
lotherwise acting foolish. Then guess
he realized for the first time that the
chances of anybody being drunk in
THAT camp were smalI-at least for the
prisoners. He was rubbing his ear
sRil the time. but finally the thought
'seeped through the ivory and he began
Ito laugh. laughed, too, and the first
thing you know he had me doing it
again-that Is. the imitation. One
snowfall was enough. figured.
used to talk to him quite often
after that. We had no particular
Hove for each other. but he was gamer
than the other sentrles, and he did not
call me schweinhund every time he saw
lme, SO we got on very well together.
Ills name must have been Schwartz, /
iguess. but it sounded like "Swatts" to
ime. SO Swatts he was. and I was
i''Chink" to him. as everybody else
called me that.
One day he asked me If could
speak French. and said yes. Italian:
Ives. Russian: yes. No matter what
Language he might have mentioned I
would have said yes, because could
kmel' something in the wind. and /
was curious. Then he told me that if
went to the hospital and worked
there. might get better meals and
would not have to go so far for them.
and that my knowing all the languages
l said / did would help me a great
ways toward getting the job.
Evidently he had been told to get a
man for the place. because he ap-
pointed me to 1t then and there. He
put me to work right away. We went
over to one of the barracks, where
case of sickness had been reported.
and found that the invalid was a big
Barbados negro named Jim, a fire.
man from the Voltaire. At one time
Jim must have weighed $50 pounds,
but by this time he was about two
pounds lighter than a straw hat, but
still black and full Of pep. Light as
he was. was no ''white hope" and it
was all could do to carry him to the
hospital. Swatts kept right along be-
hind me. and every time would stop
to rest, he would poke me with a
broom-the only broom saw In Ger
maryland laugh and point to his ear.
Then thought 1t was frame-up
md that he was getting even with me.
but l was In for it then, and the best
/ could do was to go through with it.
But l was all In when we reached the
hospital. The first thing saw when
we got In the door was another negro,
also from Barbados. and as tall and
thin as Jim had once been short and
fat. This black boy and made a
great team. but never knew what
his name was. always called him