The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-04-16
Man Who Did Wonderful Work for
American Soldiers Captured in
Front, Including Two
from keokuk.
SAVED LIVES OF MANY
Bucked Hun Savasery Until He Got
Some SembIance Of Clviliza-
tIon at Camp of Pech-
stein and Fabcr.

told OF the better treatment gwen
by the Huns at Rastatt to American
prisoners, due to their own COM
mandant Sergeant Halyburton, who
Is one Of the immortal heroes Of the
world war.
Sergeant Halyburton is an Ameft
can regular of the 10th regiment.
once commanded by the then Colonel
William Tecumseh Sherman. who
went into the army from Stony Point,
N. c.. and is to be given commits
sion in the regular army soon.
Colonel Godson, military attache
of the American legation at Berne,
has written Sergeant Halyburton a
letter which praises him for much
good work. and among many other
things says:
High Praise From High Source.
"In Tuchel your conduct saved
your comrades the worst that that
filthy hole inflicted. You organized
them and controlled them under
great difficulties, and you even sue
ceeded in forcing recognition from
the German authorities.
This letter Is based on my per-
suffered as well as the universal re-
ports made to me by all who have
knowledge of the facts"
That the two Keokuk men taken
prisoner by the Huns were In luck
in getting captured after Halybur-
ton had things well organized at
Rastatt, and after the Huns had be
come more lenient as they saw the
handwriting growing palmer on the
wall, is proved by the experiences of
Sergeant Halyburton himself before
he had become master of the situa-
ton.
savagery Of tho Huns.
At the prison camp of Tpchel, he
and his comrades were hitched to
wagons like horses and compelled to
draw wood all day. That winter they
plowed through snow above their
knees with wooden shoes and cloth
wrapped around their legs in lieu OF
socks The food was rotten.
At Metz he and his comrades were
fed twice a day on soup made from
vegetable peelings, and marched
around all afternoon to keep them
weakened.
Then they were sent to Giessen,
where the food was a little better,
but not enough to sustain life.
At Tuchel, Sergeant Halyburton
called the American prisoners to-
gether and urged them to keep a
stiff backbone, but out Of eighteen
men only Halyburton and one other
survived the rest going to the hos
pitfalls.
Living Through Heii.
1T was hell said Halyburton, Shut
we wouldn't stoop an inch for them.
told the commanding officer Of the
camp he would have to kill US or
give us better treatm ent. His hounds
finally eased up bit when they saw
they could not break US.
Although I had written to the
American Red Cross, giving our
names and units, from each place we
stopped, it was not until four months
after we reached Tuchel that any re-
ply was received.
Then parcels began to arrive with
eatables. These Red Cross contribu-
tons saved our lives.
THE work, the poor food and the
harsh treatment had made physical
wrecks of us.
VIII Never Cease Hating Them.
when we were sent from Tuchel,
the German lieutenant appeared and
made US a speech in which he said
we had proved good soldiers and he
hoped to meet us in the states after
the war. He had not better look any
of us up, for there is hatred in our
hearts for everything German, that
even miracle could not quench."
When Halyburton reached Rastatt
there were $50 Americans in that
prison camp. He appointed himself
the leader of block and soon he
was elected by all there, commandant
of all the American prisoners.
The first thing he did was to or
ganize an intelligence corps to fight
the Hun propagandists. The pro-
Germans and suspected pro-Germans
were told some things that would
happen If they were caught giving
any assistance to the Hun propaganda
lists who were busy in the camp. Ser
geant Halyburton says:
Countering Hun Propaganda.
Every letter written by a prisoner
was censored by my orders, and any
man who praised the treatment given
him was summoned before our tri-
bunal and questioned as a suspect,
and his letter was destroyed.
Captain Won Tauscher, implicated
in an attempt to blow up a bridge at
Detroit, was sent to Rastatt to d.
rect the propaganda. told him l
was working for my own government
first and would not permit him to
circulate his propaganda newspapers
among the American prisoners. We
fought him and beat him at his own
game by instituting a propaganda Of
our own among the German guards.
| I'VE impressed every young Hun