The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-01-18

Lad q stove in the center, q good stove
and a big one, but at first it was Of
no use to us, because the Germans
would not give us coal or wood for it.
But after shivering for while, we be-
gan ripping the boards out of the bar
racks, and taking the dividing boards
from the benches that we used for
beds.
Later, they gave each Of us mat
tress filled with wood shavings. and a
blanket that was about as warm as a
pane of glass. The mattresses were
placed on the ground in the barracks,
which were very damp, and after three
or four days, the shavings would be-
gin to rot and the mattresses to smell.
In order to keep warm we slept as
close together as we could, which
caused our various diseases to spread
rapidly.
When we were receiving our rations,
the sentries would offer us an extra
ration if we would take lash from
their belts. We were so hungry that
many and many a man would go up
and take swat in any part Of his
body from the heavy leather belts
with brass tongue and buckle, just to
get q little more shadow" soup or
barley coffee or mud bread.
One morning the sentries picked out
ten men from our barracks, Of which
was one, and drilled us over field
near the kuche. There was a large
tank in the field and we had to pump
water into it. 1t was very cold, and
we were weak and sick, so we would
fall one after another, not caring
whether We ever got up or not. Fritz
would smash those who fell with his
rifle butt. We asked for gloves, be-
cause our hands were freezing, but all
we got was "Nichts."
After we had been there for about
an hour and half, one of our men
became very sick, so that I thought
he was going to die, and when he fell
over, ! reported it to a sentry. The
sentry c; over, saw him lying II
the snow, yelled, "Schwein, nicht
krank" grabbed him by the shoulder
and pulled him all the way across the
field to the Office of the camp com
mander. Then he was placed in thC
guard house, where he remained fol
two days. The next thing we knew
the Russians had been ordered Il
make box, and were being marched
to the guard house to put him in |
and bury him.
Another thing at Neustreiitz, tina
was pretty hard to stand, was the pref
~ habit the Huns had of coming ~
to the barbed wire and teasing US a.
though we were wild animals In :
cage. Sometimes there would b.
crowds of people lined along the wire
throwing things at us, and splitting
and having a great time generally. /
was harder than ever when a famil.
party would arrive. with water ant
mutter, and maybe grosvater ant
grosmutter, and all the little BochC
kinder, because, as you probabl,
know, the Germans take food will
them whenever they go on a party
no matter what kind, and they woul'
stand there and stare at US like rh'
boobs they were, eating oil the tim,
and we so hungry that we coul'
have eaten ourselves, almost. Atte
they had stared a while, they woult
begin to feel more at home. AMI thel
would start the throwing and spittini
and the "schweinhund" sangerfest, ant
they would have great time general
ly. Probably, when they got home
they would strike off q medal 70
themselves in honor of the visit.
Then, too, there were always HUI
soldiers on leave or off duty, who mad