The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-01-30
CHAPTER XXI.
~Ths He'll HoIe Of csrm,nxs

SN%PseH \Atts
"Ths He'll Hole Of Germany
On arriving at Brandenburg we were
marched the three Or four miles north
west to the camp. While we were be-
Ing marched through the streets q
woman walked alongside of US for
quite way, talking to the boys in
English and asking them about the
war. She said she did not believe
anything the German papers printed.
She said she was an Englishwoman
from Liverpool and that at the out
break Of the war not being able to
get out Of Germany. she and her chill
dren had been put In prison and that
every day for over a week they had
put her through the third degree; that
her children had been separated from
her and that she did not know where
they were.
She walked along with us for several
blocks until sentry heard her say
something not very complimentary to
the Germans and chased her away.
When we arrived at the camp we were
put into the receiving barracks and
kept there six days. The condition of
these barracks was not such that you
could describe It. The floors were ac-
tually nothing but filth. Very few of
the hunks remained; the rest had been
torn down-for fuel: suppose.
The day we were transferred to the
regular prison barracks four hundred
Russians and Belgians were buried.
Most OF them had died from cholera,
typhoid and inoculations. We heard
from the prisoners there before us TINT
the Germans had come through the
camps with word that there was an
epidemic Of black typhus and cholera
and that the only thing for the men to
do was to take the serum treatment to
avoid catching these diseases. Most Of
the four hundred men had died from
the inoculations. They had taken the
Germans word, had been inoculateo
and had died within nine hours. Which
shows how foolish 1t Is to believe a
German. None of us had any doubt
but what the serum was poisonous.
The second day that we were In the
regular camp the Germans strung
barbed wire all around our barracks.
They told us we had a case of black
typhus among US. This was nothing
more nor less than a blum, for not one
Of us had typhus. but they put up the
wire, nevertheless, and we were not
allowed to 60 out.
One day when I was loaflng around
our barracks door and not having any
thing particularly importap- to do,
packed a nice hard snowbaIi and land
ed 1t neatly behind the ear Of a little
sentry not far away. When he looked
around he did not blow his whistle but
began hunting for the thrower. This
was strange In a German sentry and I
thought he must be pretty good stuff.
When he looked around, however, all
he saw was a man staggering around
as II he were drunk. The man was
the one who had done the throwing, all
right, but the sentry could not be sure
OF 1t. for surely no man would stay
out In the open and invite accidents
like that. But still. who had done It?
SO I just kept staggering around,
and the sentry came up to me and
looked me over pretty hard. Then
thought for the first time that things
might go hard on me. but I figured
that II quit the play acting 1t would
be all over. So I staggered right up
to the sentry and looked at him drunk
enly. expecting every moment to get
one from the bayonet.
But ne was 90 surprised that all he
could do was stare. SO stared back,
pretending that saw two Of him, and
otherwise acting foolish. Then guess
he realized for the first time that the
chances OF anybody being drunk In
that camp were small-at least for the
prisoners. He was rubbing his ear
all the time, but finally the thought
seeped through the ivory and he began
to laugh. 1 laughed, too. and the first
thing you know he had me doing II
| again-that Is. the imitation. One
SNOWFALL was enough, figured.
used to talk to him quite often
after that. We had no particular
love for each other. but he was gamer
than the other sentries. and he did not
call me schweinhund every time he saw
me. 30 we got on very well together.
His name must have been Schwartz,
| guess. but It sounded like "Swatts" to
me. 90 Swatts he was. and was
"Chink" to him. as everybody else
called me that.
One day he asked me II could
speak French, and I said yes. Italian {;
yes. Russian; yes. No matter what
language he might have mentioned I
would have said yes. because I could
smell something In the wind. and I
was curious. Then he told me that II
1 went to tho hospital and worked
there, I might get better meals and
would not have to 60 SO far for them,
and that my knowing all the languages
I said ! did would help me a great
ways toward getting the Job.
Evidently he had been told to get q
man for the place. because he ap-
pointed me to II then and there. He
put me to work right away. We went
over "a. ono Of tia barrac1rr. WHARF n