Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-03

ny the little they had given me.
True, had half loaf of bread in my
sack. but Just let those two hungry
birds see that and would have none.
1t was, case of water all around
but not q drop to drink, and GER
tainly was not going to offer to
divide that bread with them. Not
while I knew 1t. by golly. for I had
been hungry enough at times since
being in the hands of the Boches to
know the necessity of hanging onto
any eats one could get. So car
rfed the bread in my sack while l
got more hungry and more hungry
every step.
The guards seemed to be as tired
of marching as was and soon
stopped for rest and refreshment at
a cheesery. Here I was given all
the bitter milk I cared to drink, and
was even given a pound block of
cheese to take with me. The guards
each had three. which probably was
why I was allowed to keep mine.
Besides the man who made the
cheese was French and he had no
more business giving cheese to
Boche than to me. but the Boche
had bribed him with gifts of cigarets
and cigars. and he fell hard. as you
can see.
Late in the afternoon we arrived
at camp where on being brought be-
fore the commanding officers. I was
ordered to remove my aviators boots.
Not complying with the command
right away I was threatened with
club. This was a case where dis
cretion was the s5etter part of valor,
for definance oniS meant that'I would
be beaten and knocked around a lot
and then compelled to march along
with the rest. and well 1 knew that
my vitality was low enough then
without the Boche lowering it any
more with a dubbed rife, so I re-
moved the boots and was given a
pair of wooden shoes in exchange.
Some bargain for the Boche, as the
boots had cost me some $40 in Paris.
Through an interpreter 1 explained
this to him. saying that that was nv
property and not the French govern
ment. To this the Hun responded that
the boots were merely taken from
me to prevent my running away
again, and would be given back
when the camp went on the march
1 had little faith in the promise, but
what could I do? oh, they were
clever thieves, all right, for 1T sure
was an impossibility to escape with
the shoes they had given me. They
were not only wooden, but three
sizes too large also. And say, did
you ever try to walk in wooden
shoes? top it off I was sent to
bed without supper. for the COM
mander thought I had not suffered
sufficiently for my "sins" But be-
fore I left his August(?) presence
he wanted to know why l had es-
capped, and through the interpreter
he told me to be quite free about
what I said. I was more than that,
was incoherent, for the insolence
to the question made me sore. To
hear him talk 1t was an honor to be
prisoner under him. Yes ! was
quite free in telling why I wanted
to leave his camp so quickly. and all
he did was laugh at my reference
to "cooties" which was my biggest
kick: and only smiled whep spoke
of the insufficiency of food and
blankets. I haven't forgotten that
laugh, nor the smile. and If I ever
catch said Boche after the wSr.
Well he better carry something
bigger than p bayonet and a spiked
helmet. Instead of curing me of
the escaping fevSr. he only made 1t
worse. Gollyi what wouldn't I have
given to be aboard my spad, coming
down on him with both guns work
ing. oh boy! I used to dream of the
pleasure that would give me!
Such dreams as this made life
easier in this camp, for 1t sure was
one sad place. Being only some 100
yards square. with merely a big barn
for shelter, you can imagine 1000
men were somewhat crowded there.
Not only that, but there was no fire,
it rained nearly every day, and
many were compelled to sleep out
side. Many died from exposure alone,
and every morning there were a long
list of sick. Only the worst cases
were sent to the hospital. and they
were SO bad that even in the hos
pitals they rarely rallied. AS for the
others who had to stay in the camp,
they naturally got worse.
bon Moment
1t seemed I had arrived at 'bon
moment" as the Frenchmen put 1t.
for they were just beginning to get
things to eat at the camp. During
the five days I had been away it
had been very bad indeed. They
never got soup and sometimes not
even the awful coffee. so you begin
to see that my little vacation" had
come in at the right moment The
camp alone was enough to give one
the "willys," for the ground. walked
over day by day by thousands of
feet was soon one mass of mud. Ac-
tuaIly 1t was up to ones knees, and
then the commander wanted to know
why we would persist in running
away! With this state of affairs,
there were prisoners missing every
day, and among the first to escape
were the two English aviators, but
unfortunately, they were caught two
days later only miles from the Bel
gian border. To prevent any more
escaping the Boches doubled the
guards, built. another bobwire fence
around the enclosure and increased
the rollcalls from two a day to six.
Thus, when L got into camp about
all L did was answer rollcalls. Be-
tween times I walked around through
the mud, watching the prisoners
making their little fires and cooking
up some of the worst concoctions
under the sun. Twas nothing strange
to see one with kettle full of po-
tato, carrot and turnip peelings,
watching it hungerly as it cooked
slowly over the fire. Wood was
nearly as scarce as food, and when
one found a piece he slept on 1t till
he needed 1t. else 1T would surely
be stolen. The same with food for
the prisoners were so hungry by this
time they would steal from each
other. One slept on his eats. what