Williston graphic., 1919-02-06


from any wood we could 1nd. SO It
was not long before We were using the
dividing boards from our hunks, pieces
Of flooring and. In fact, the walls Of
the barracks. The officers were quar-.
tered In corrugated iron barracks, 20
they had to borrow wood from ~ for
their codhns. We would make the box
and put the body In it, give It as much
service 40 we could, in the way Of
prayers and hymns, and put It away In
hole near the barracks. There was
SO much Of 1t that . single death.
passed unnoticed.
One morning the German sentries
came to our barracks-they never
came singly-and told us that an ON.
Ger was going to review the prisoners
and ordered 10 to muster up. which We
did. was the ::st man out Of the bar.
racks and on account of my wounds I
was slower than the rest.
You understand had had no medical
treatment except crepe-paper BAN
dages and water; my wounds had been
opened by swimming from the Georgic
to the Moewe and they had been put
In terrible shape In the coal bunkers.
On account Of the poor food and lack
Of treatment they had not even started
to heal. Incidentally. the only cloth
bandages that any Of US had were what
we would tear from our clothes and I
have seen men pick up an old dirty
rag that someone else had had around
his wound for a long time and bandage
his own wounds with It.
So it was all could do to drag my
self along. The officer noticed that I
was out of line and Immediately asked
my name and nationality. When he
heard American" he could not say.
enough things about US and called me
all the swine names he could think of.
was pretty thin at this time and
getting thinner. 80 I figured I might
just as well have it out before I
starved. Besides, I thought. he ought
to know that We are not used to being
bawled out by German swine in this
country.
So l told him 50. And I said that he
should not bawl Americans out, be-
cause America was neutral. He then
said that as America supplied food and
munitions to the allies she was no bet
ter than the rest.
Then said: do you remember the
Deutschland? When she entered Bal
timore and New London she got all the
cargo she wanted, didn't She?"
"Yes."
swell, If you send over your mer-
chant marine they will get the same"
For that answer he gave me ten days
In the guardhouse. He did not like to
be reminded that their merchant ma
rine had to dive under to keep away
from the Limeys.
l admit was pretty flip to this Of
ficer, but who would not be when q
slick German swine officer bawled him
out?
1t was while was in the guardhouse
that Mr.. Gerard, the American ambas-
sadOr. visited the camp. He came to
this camp about every six months, as
rule. Even in the German prison
camps the men had somehow got infor-
nation about Mr.. Gerard's efforts to
improve the terrible surroundings in
which the men lived. Some of the men
Mt Dulmen had been confined In vari-
Gus other camps and they told me that
when Mr.. Gerard visited these camps
all that the men dc for a week or %
afterward was to ak. about his visit
and what he had said to them. We
knew Mr.. Gerard had got the Germans
to make conditions better In s0ne of
the worst hell-hOles in Germany and
the men were always glad when he
came around. They felt they had some
some relief from the awful misery.
Mr.. Gerard was passing through the
French barracks and man knew
there told him there was an American
there. The Germans did not want him
to see me, but he put up an argument
finally said he could interview me.
never was so glad to see anyone as
I was to see him. The picture is still
with me of him coming in the door.
We talked for about an hour and
half. I guess, and then he got up to
60 and he said would hear. from him
in about three weeks. Just think what
good news that was to me!
They let me out of the guardhouse
and celebrated by doing all the dam
age to German sentries that I could
do. The men in the camps went wild
when they learned that Ambassador
Gerard was there, for they said he was
the only man in Germany they could
tell their troubles to. The reason was
that he was strong for the men, no
matter what nationality, and put his
heart into the work. am one Of
those who cannot say enough good
things about him. Like many others,
CONTINUED next week.