The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-01-29
How Yankee Prisoners Made Their
Hun captors be Good With
out Firing single
Shot
MADE MODEL PRISON
Id to Fight Propaganda as Well as
Harsh Treatment, But Perse-
verance Won the
10 Victory.
IBy United Press.]

JBy United Press.]
RERNF1. Dec. 29.-(by mail)-Al
American army whipped the Germans
right in their own backyard, long be
fore the armistice was signed.
This army wasn't big, as armies go
and it didn't have a rifle, or cannon
or any of the other usual implements
Rut 1t had morale to burn; and morale
won.
ers. There were eventually about
2. 500 of them.
The story OF how these men won
their battle at the Rastatt prison
camp became known only when the
American prisoners came out OF Ger
many. Edgar NJ. Halyburton OF South
Carolina was responsible for Young
America In Germany" He is an army
sergeant of eight years service. II
was his bad luck to be one Of the first
Americans captured by the Germans
back in October, 1917. He belonged
TO the 1st division He is tall, lean
chap. TWENTY-FIVE pounds underweight
now because of German treatment
and his tireless work
Ha1yburton unanimously was elect
ed commander of Young America in
Germany" by his associates. He Sc
lected as his aide-de-camp Charles
Geohegan, private from New York.
Shortly after Halyburton was TAX
en- to prison camp he was Joined by
half 2 dozen other Americans, cap
tured in the first few days OF Amerf-
cas- fighting. He and his companions
were hitched to wagon with sixteen
Russians and made to haul wood from
forest seven miles from the camp.
Their shoes gave out and they tied
rags to their feet. The snow often
was up to their knees and the weather
was bitterly cold. Their food con-
s,isted OF a piece of prison bread In
the morning and soup SO thin you
could see the bottom OF the pail" at
night
The Americans stood It several
weeks, growing weaker and weaker,
but studying their German captors.
Soon another group of captured
Americans arrived, making the total
about twenty. Then they decided to
demand better treatment. They had
noticed that the Germans had a dis
tinct treatment for prisoners of each
nationality. Russians and Ruman-
ians were treated as dogs. or worse.
and Were being slowly starved. Brit
ish were treated somewhat better, and
the French best of all.
Americans were new in Germany,
and no standard of treatment had
been established for them The Ger
mans had started tie first Americans
on the same Plan as the Russians.
Halyburton md his pals began estab-
Fishing an Ar erican standard. They
made him leadcr End agreed to stick
by him ttrou2h anything. They
summed UP their position thus:
well soon die o.. this anyway: we
should have died ~ he front, and. we
can't die better Than by demanding
that we be treated as Americans"
Halyburton frst ordered them to
Clean UP as best they could Then he
demanded, in the best military way.
70 see the camp commander. He saw
nim. and declared that the Americans
must be treated and fed better, and
FefIIsed for them to do further wood
hauling. He told the Prussian he
could either line the Americans up
md shoot them, or comply with their
demands.
The commander was furious. but
ne Americans hauled no more wood.
Ihey were moved to Rastatt. and
ne1r food improved. Red Cross pack
ges and clothing arrived and were
distributed evenly. Ultimatums and
Demands were made in a sofdierly
Fay with increasing force as the
americans established their standing
me Americans were careful to be
u.s. and diplomatic in their demands
Iheir camp became model. Haly-
purton had commander OF each
barracks to see that every Am erican
ept his clothes clean and his shoes
acked. Every salute had to be
haFpy and correct The Americans
aimed special barracks by demand
ng them. Under Halyburton's orders
hese We're cleaned twice a day. They
Fere better than those of the German
guards.
lnen came the fight against German
The Germans were pub
lsnlng a Propaganda paper In Berlin
allea America in Europe" 1t was
us trlbuted in the prisons and over
niellcan lines. The sheet was writ
oy Germans who had lived many
ers IN America and who could use
ner1can slang. When the first issue
pleared' the editor came to Rastatt
mu interviewed Halyburton, repre-
snung himself as appointed to look
r americans because of his SYM
lilies for them. Halyburton told
iI ehe Paper would be welcome If
cut out the propaganda and printed