The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-03-07


the men received some attention. we
were warned however, by an accom- :
modating German corporal, rot to use
the water from a nearby we'll for
fear that it might have been poisoned
by the English as they retreated. The
German soldier evidently believed
that Prussian army tactics were in
vogue throughout the allied armies,
but we used the water with no ILL
effects, at any rate.
1T was on Easter Sunday morning,
1918, three days afterward during
which ~ one of the party had had
any food, that ambulances finally
were brought up to carry them to a
German field hospital four miles
away. According to DR.. Gallagher
the nearest railway source of supplies
were the worst in his life. Three
thousand German wounded had pas
sed through the hospital during the
drive. They were quartered in old
French army huts. Thirty more
British wounded were there, and all
were lying on the floors, packed
against each other as tightly as pos
sible. There was no water available,
the nearest railway cource of supplies
was eighteen miles away, and there
We're but four or five doctors to care
for the wounded After the German
wounded were cared for, those who
We're able were forced to walk back
eighteen miles to the railroad to get
transportation to q base hospital.
Soup and Horse Meat.
AT this place we were given soup,
consisting of sort OF oil meal, mix
ed in with small az punt of horse
meat, twice a day." he stated. "This
was the fare for Germans, English
and Americans
Rather than being mistreated or
tortured. Lieutenant Gallagher was
considered a sort Of curiosity by the
German soldiers at this place, he said.
Many of them had relatives in Amer
lea. and all were anxious to talk with
him on Americas entrance into the
war. One of his most enlightening
experiences during hiS eight months
in Germany occurred here whenN he
listened intently to lengthy grafton
by German major, who explained in
detail how the United States had
jumped into the CONFLICT for the money
she was to make out of it.
An insight into the conditions be-
hind the enemy lines was given DIR.
Gallagher at this field hospital. at
which he stayed for three weeks.
Nearly all cases there were badly in
footed, and no alarm was evident for
any German wounded man until his
temperature became so high anu his
wound so badly infected that recov-
cry was impossible. Paper gauze was
used for dressings, and when they
were taken off the badly infected
wounds, the lice swarmed out of the
wound like bees from hive, he de-
clared. Patients were accustomed to
sleep in raincoats with the collars
tightly buttoned, whenever possible.
to prevent the coolies" from making
race track of their necks. Exper-
renee had taught them that they skid
ded on the corners, with a rubber
course, and they had thus abandoned
the idea of giving the men an oppor-
tunity to catch few hours sleep. Day
and night the hospital was bombed by
the British. and the knowledge that
they We're being shelled by their own
artillery offered little soiace 10 those
who faced the prospect of an indefi
mite stay with the Germans as prison
ers of war
Saw Crack Flyer.
While we were here we watched
Baron Won Richthoven, Germany's
most famous aviator, bring down seven
English planes in front of cur hospi-
tai one afternoon. The crack flyers
airdrome and SQUADRON was stationed
just up the field from us, and the Ba-
ron himself visited us one day. At
that time he had dropped seventy
eight allied machines, and he himself
was brought down two weeks later"
Speaking of the German state of
mind, among those he came in con-
tact with, DIR. Gallagher asserted that
their manner was extremely conf
dent and arrogant on the surface, but
that beneath il all there was wor-
ried expression among all of them.
An officer at the hospital spoke to
him on peace. The Germans wanted
peace with indemnity and the British
| fleet. the officer said.
J After three weeks the fighting at
this point subsidized and the wounded
End DR.. Gallagher were marched away
| 10 Peronne. about eighteen miles
away. Arriving there in the night. he
was quartered with some French Of
| ficers and had good NIGHTS sleep"
on a small board. Early next day he
was awakened by an orderly and told
to nike hasty toilet, for the party
/ was departing for Cambrai at eight
o'clock. Hundreds of English. Aus
tralian and French prisoners had ar !.
rived during the night, and all went
TO the station next morning They
were given a piece of German War
bread for breakfast. After waiting Mt
the station till FIVE p. M. with moth
| ing to eat. the train finally arrived
and they boarded the box cars for
| their trip to Cambrai. only few
miles away After riding All ni~ht.
they reached their destination. The
English prisoners rt"ved, on the
train, the French and Or. Gallagher.
!, the only American. Ndetrained and
were marched to little town named
! lie Cateau near the Belgian border
1 in Northern France. German army
HEADQUARTERS. Here he met an Amer
lican doctor from Baltimore, who had
/ been captured in a way similar tc
| his own case The food still consist
j, ed of more of the same" with the
addition of Teutonic sauerkraut and
L. !