The Dermott news., 1919-01-16


 several of the boys had gone west and we could hot figure out why, Ii man told Us he thought the water was poisoned, and q Russian doctor, who was prisoner. slipped Us word about it nlso. So, after that. very few of us drank water from the hyarant. was scared stlT at first. because I had had some of the water. but after that I did not touch IE,lraat water.
 It was Eoad thing for us that there was always plenty of snow in Germany. and even luekIer that the Huns did not shoot us for eating it. II was about the only thing thcy did not deprive us of--it WAS not yerbOten.
 thought I knew what tough cootIes were, in the trenches. but they were regular mollycodllcs compared to the pets we had in tho prison camps. After We boiled our clothes we would be free from them for hot more than two hours. and then they would come back, with re-enforcements, thirStIng for vengeance.
 The camp at Neustrslifz WAS sur- rounded by tIE dos, which We're kept just outside the harbed wire. We had them going ull the tme Every once in while, some fellow would make aa awful racket. and fae ueXt tHGg we knew, there WIS Fritz coming like shot, with mH~1et tt his H5H lHzt aa they carry tA.a- -ia q clEr-a. and blowing whistles at eaeb other uat# thpy We're h'8e in tta face. NheH- eEl~ they tHaasht sH#a one Was ez- eau.az. they I'm ta=as a~ fat as l eear saw thesa rnn eNapt #hau the Taro5sa Lrsiaa "5s aa th#3r heeis at I..as,..
 NE#4 fs.v r#t- -n##5 #t,.'.aass. thas z=Ha'l tG-. .a#s t7 t'aszt sd s=-#I E.=.- e.."a a#4 ass## t..... H'..y eesl rsz# f.=ztr r5ae~ ea t## strc a3 E ezHrge5ss" ut#us. Naa al ,.azsI sl is=aaee#t la sfzs '-HH Hae#. Had We e#eee sad t.5es l4sl ta=-3o-v.
 TLEse wore slae= =Gzz9-s the Huns cd tAat yYa 5ezt ee4.d hot eNulaa. Tor instance. eae ef the ka~>.aas walked oa, of tta' kaehe, as We We're passing. a:l We Ae.asd baa=,' cd tae Russian kcelyd over and Went west. NeF. We had rat duae aaSttAs and tAe other Russians sd h. lad behaved himself. worked hara aui haa never had my trouble They just killed him. and that k ell th.re Was ta it. But not one of us could figure out why.
 After we had been at Neus,rclitz for three weeks. they drilled us out of the camp to q railway station. aud stood Us Tn tie snow fer faHr huas- Waiting for the train. We Wore oN- hauSted and began fa,iias, enc hE one. and each time oue of Us fgtl. tlse s7utrteS would yell M nc kraul ?" and give Us the rl}e5lajt. Ne had our choice If standing ID aad dying or falling down and he.ac hstlel. and 1t was fine choice to have to make.
 The cars finally pulled in. and as usual. the windows Wele smashed the doors eHeu. and the compartments Just packed with snow. When We saw thiS, We knew We We're e8ias to Eet worse treatment. even, than We had been getting and many of us wanted to de l. had net been unusual for semN ef the men to tell the Germans to shoot them teo, and l. seems as though t was always man who wanted to live who dId get It aHd Went west.
 However. nil of Us nearly got killed when We reached Wltteahcrc. When the train stopped there. We saw hls Wagoulaal of sliced bread ou the stas ton platform anl We all stared it. Ne stood it as lorE as We couid and then Ne Hale Il ru-h far it lHt when Ne ea5 near-r. ee saw#fA#t there were fear srHte.ys eaa ar.tar t agd taHr Wa.ya i>suins f. outta the =Germaa soldiers They would nat elYe as auy. ef course.
 So We stood around aul watched The Huns eat II, while ta.} sal -'a=Woua laughed at Us. aud Irete3ed that thty We're starving and would ercaa and rub thelr stumaehs aal Soy, "Nichts zu essen to eueh other, and then crah ts hunk ef bread and eat f.. What we did net say ta them Nd NffN tEiAAf it4A4'tI " N tt v ' ''-l- mIHly Wild if any men ever Were.
 Then eomc of Us said We vcre co- inr to get some of that bread it We Went wrst for f. So Me startai I Grht. aud while they were attending ta Saug of uS, the others grabbed aai hiI ail the bread they coui1 They rou~tsd us back Into the ears and Me Were inst starting to divide Hp the bread when they cautht us with 1T and took fl awoy We Were wilder than evtr then Wt#Vo could not do anything
 II got colder after We loft Wittan- hore and the saav blew into the ears through the windows and doors uuta We were afraid to sleep for fear of freezing It was the worst night have ever seen. and the coal buukers E on the YarroWdale seemed like pal ace compared to the compartments, because We could at least move around E in the ship, while In the train We could not move at all and were packed so