Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1919-04-11
CHAPTER xxill-contlnued.

dnu 70 WITHOUT inut uuy. but ! never
saw n man hedge. or even speak Of IL.
And We aid not have any food pirates
among us either we were not captains
OF industry by any means.
There were times when some Of us
could not cnt certain ~ our rntions.
For instance, many and many n time
! wns as hungry ns anybody could be,
and ! wanted 10 ent my hrend, but II
seemed MS II I could not get II into
my mouth. Then ! would trade Il with
someone else FOR his SHADOW soup" or
his barley coffee.
We were dying every day In Bran
denburg and after each 1enth the
senior men of that barracks would de-
tail twelve Of their number 10 20 out
for half nm hour and dig the gulve.
while others mnde little crosses, on
which they wrote or carved the mans
name, when he was captured, and his
regiment or ship. In the middle Of
the cross we're always the letters,
II. |. p.-I,cst IN Peace.
one time we were ordered 10 report
20 the German doctors for n serum
treatment of some kind-tO receive nm
injection, IN other words. There was
no choice about II this time, MS we
were simply hcrdcd together TO the
hospital barracks. Now. I knew what
these things were Hike and how brutal
the German doctors were In giving an
Injection, so ! wanted to be the very
first man aud not have to witness the
other men getting theirs.
So I pushed up to the head Of the
line, with the crew OF II. NJ. s. Nomnd.
who had been captured In the Jutlnnd
battle, and by the time we got to the
hospital was the very first man In line.
but the sentry threw me bnck and
there were several men ahead OF me.
Each of them barred his chest and the
doctors slusled them across the breast
with n very thin knife, so you cnn see
that II was very painful. when II
came to my turn they slnshed me lhree
times In the shape Of n triangle Just to
one side Of the breast. And that was
MI there wns TO lt-no injection, moth
ing ON the knife that | could see.
Now. | do not know whit the Idea
was. Every nan Of us was dizzy for
the rest of the day and could not do
anything but lay around the barracks.
And hardly any of US bled n drop.
though the gashcs were deep. | do not
think we had any blood IN us 20 run.
and that Is the truth Of II. II was
just another German trick that no one
could explain.
One day n wal correspondent named
Bennett, from n Chlcngo paper, came
TO the camp and went through all the
barracks. when he came to our bar
rncks | told him | was an American
and asked for tho news. Instead OF
answering he began 10 nsk all sorts
Of questions. Finally, nfter | had told
him | had been IN the French service,
i asked him n he could help me In my
way. lie answered that ! had only my
self TO blame and that II served me
right II | had been IN one OF the allied
armies.
| did o like his looks much and he
seemed unfrlendly, hut when he began
smoking Il cigarette II almost drove me
crazy and ! could not help asking for
one. lie refused m and said | should
have stayed I'm my own country, where
] could have had plenty of cigarettes.
After n while he threw away n olga
rette stub and not only | but three or
four others who were nenr made n dive
for Il. A man named Kelley got it
a crnzy man who went around trying
to ent wood and cloth and amy thing
he could nnd.
When my three weeks wcrc up and
had not heard from Mr.. Gerard I was
Just about ready 90 go down 10 the
lake and pick ont n vncant spot and
lay down Ia Il. | really do not think
] could have lasted two weeks longer
Aud iust about TINT time. as l was
wnlkiug back 10 barracks one day. Il
F%renchmnn showed me a German
newspaper, and there IN large type on
the top OF the first page Il said that
Mr.. Gerard had left the country, OF
was getting rondy 10 leave. They had
10 drag me the rest of the way 10 tho
barracks ana throw snow on me before
! came 10.
| do not know what happened during
the mex few days.
lGunner Depow's interview with Mr
Gerard took place at the buimon prisoi
camp on or about February l. 1917, OF
February .. our state department demand
ed the release Of aiXty-twu American
captured on British vessels and held al
prisoners In Germany, on the same day
Prevalent Wilson severed diplomatic rela
tioua with Germany. Ambassador Oerar'
hit Germany exactly one week later. tn.
pewspaper that Gunner Dcpcw saw mus
Pave been ieauod after February TO- !
vas not until March {, 1917, however, tina
Gunner Depow was actually released from
0wAaAaukuWn -WNlfnRa Anta