The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-18

| morning broke and cast It's rays
through the narrow window or our
prison cell. found that / was sleep
| ing between two negroes from away
down south, possibly from Alabama
philip, 1t has come to this!"
Morning. white man." said one OF
them. "Old Uncle" (meaning the
government) mas sho' got us down."
"You tell H." I replied, with a
down hill pull"
My buddy sat shivering on an
empty cracker box. We were soon
ordered out into the narrow court OF
the prison. where our breakfast was
| steaming over a fire. / went up TO
warm. as 1t was damp and cold, and
the guard ran me away with a bayo-
net.
Among one of the prisoners was a
young fellow in tears, noncommis-
stoned officer, who had been caught
the night before impersonating a
French soldier. He had thought the
matter nothing more serious than
joke which his comrades had put
| him up to. For an offense like that
he would get the limit.
After breakfast l began to meet
the prisoners and to learn the rules
of this particular Jail. You got fve
| days solitary confinement, bread and
water, for smoking a cigarette or
reading a paper! The prison officer
and summary court officer had rep
utation of being hard boiled" moth
ing less than three months and two
thirds pay. A pleasant prospect for
a night in town! Three months in
this hell, with the lice and coolies as
| big as dromedaries. go. ,t,
One of the prisoners, man of
about forty, attracted my attention
by the complacent way in which he
took his confinement. How long
have you been in here?" I inquired.
Eleven months" he said. Great
God! What did you do, wigwag the
kaiser?" mo. told a sergeant to
go to hell" For this offense. under
the articles of war. he could have
been shot. Eleven long months and
another to do for losing his temper
Gazed at Sky.
The newcomers all passed UP and
down, gazing at the sky overhead.
"the little tent of blue" the prisoners
call the sky. One who has never
been in Jail can imagine the agony
of suspense and hope with which
those within await the news from
without. At each tinkle of the bell
we would rush towards the door.
only to see the prison officer, the
provost sergeant or some member of
the guard walk indifferently by. 1t
looked like ninety days for u.s. sure.
At each end of the court were small
/ cells. looking like vaults. In one of
them, it was whispered, a man had
been for sixty days. 1t was Sunday,
| SO we did not go out, only the old
timers doing the necessary prisoners
work on the Honey wagon"
y~I hak
Of the prisoners who had come in
would be released on account Of the
crowded condition of the jail. We
were in a fever of anxiety in fear
that we would not be among the ones
released.
At last the fatal hour arrived and
a big sergeant read out the names of
those to be released. Our names were
among the first. How wonderful 1t
seemed to be free again, and we had
only been in since midnight of the
night before. The young fellow who
1 has worn the frog" uniform was
left in. He may be doing time still.
See Paree and Die.
We debated whether or not to, con-
tinue our journey, "see Paree and
die" or go back to camp and report.
l made an eloquent plea in behalf of
the latter. 1.-THE dungeons of the Due
of Terrene" were enough for me.
stone walls do not a prison make,
nor iron bars a cage."-They do for
me; and fatal tales and rumors were
circulating through the A. E. F. of
the bastile at "Paree" and the guard
of the Thirtieth marines. Our liberty
was of short duration, for immed-
lately on returning to camp we were
placed under arrest to await trial.
Our trial was farce as far as trials
! go. 1t was all cut and dried.
The captain conferred with the
! summary court officer as to our SEN
| fences. There were five of us tried at
the same time, including the two
cooks, this being their third offense.
AS they were needed in the kitchen,
they were only fined. l got ten days
and my buddy fifteen days. Under the
articles Of war we could have drawn
anything but death. l have known
| men to get as high as ten years for
no more.
The summary court officer. a long,
lank fellow, mumbled out our charges
in an Indifferent manner. I could not
hear what he said 1t was as If he
were talking in his sleeve. The sem
fences in these courts depend upon
ficer, who generally prefers charges,
and If he happens to dislike you, he
can put you away for keeps. I have
talked to several officers since my
discharge from the army, personal
and school friends of mine, who said
they generously gave them the limit,
and got through with it as soon as
possible. This possibly is exagger-
ated.
We were put in our new jail the
day after Christmas and here l met
Blake, and two other top sergeants
! and an ex-lieutenant who had given
up his commission in the ordnance to
go over with the tank corps, which
was recruited under the supposition
that it was the flower of the army.
Best Soldiers of Legion.
In the. guard house 1 met some of
the best soldiers in France | make
this statement, not because | was in
there myself, and wish to palliate the
approbium Of the prison, but it is a
well known fact in the army that
some of the best fighters are also of
the most adventurous spirits; and the
same reasons that would make them
cross the sea, would cause them to
run off to see "Paree'' after the war
! was over. One of the boys had gone
to hunt his brothers grave in Fland-
| ers.
Most of the inmates were travel
| ing men," and few for fighting; but
| not a real criminal among them. We
! were worked like galley slaves
worse than any prisoners Of war l
| have yet read of-at night in the
worst of weather.
In my estimation, the colonel, IL he
had tried, could not have done
/ worse service to his country. That