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

. fore the German intelligence officers
and questioned.
Questions on the submarine routes
of the allies and on the. American
forces in France were asked the
American prisoners, all of whom re-
fused to answer. No threats were
made to them after they refused to
volunteer their knowledge for use by
the German high command. AT this
juncture all American prisoners were
informed that the world was trying
to starve Germany, that the women
and children of Germany were under
nourished, all apparently in justifica-
tion of the German submarine policy.
While at Carlsruhe the American
and French prisoners had the pleas
ure of seeing the boche run for cover
on several occasions when the town
was bombed by English and French
flyers.
To Russian Camp.
From there the party went to a
Russian officers prison camp at VIII
lingen. Besides the many Russian Of
ficers, who were there, some of them
for four. years, there were twelve
more American doctors, all of whom
had been taken while serving with
the British. Many of the Russians
were-so weak and hungry from lack
OF food that they were unable to
walk about the prison yard during
the day, DIR. Gallagher declared.
Describing typical day behind the
prison walls Of German camp, Lieut..
Gallagher told that breakfast was
considered unnecessary. On every
second morning. however, each man
was given 500 gram piece of Ger
man war bread. which was intended
to suffice for two days. At neon there
was soup, consisting of hot water and
a substance most accurately describ-
cd by it's resemblance to bird seed.
Then there was the inevitable cab
bage and carrots course, with pota-
toes occasionally, and a small piece
of meat about the size of an egg twice
week, except ON the 'meatless
weeks, for Germany also had its
Hoover. The meatless weeks came
about every second week. An occas-
iopal parcel from the Red Cross in
Switzerland served to keep the men
on their feet. all of whom were weak
with hunger.
During the eight months he was in
prison Lieut. Gallagher was never
handled roughly, nor threatened with
violence None of the prisoners did
any work, and all were allowed to
mingle and walk about the yard,
which was enclosed by high barbed
wire fence and guarded inside and
out by sentries. Twice a week the
men were allowed to go outside the
gates, accompanied by guards and a
German officer, and view the German
scenery. On these occasions they
talked with the officer who went with
them on all topics except the war,
inasmuch as their knwledge of the
language would permit.
Had German Papers.
German newspapers containing the
allied communications with the ac-
companying camoufiaged editorial
comment to explain them away, were
furnished them for reading matter.
AS time went on and the German
Ireverses became more severe, the
newspaper comment began to turn.
Ludendorf seemed to be the chief
center of attack by the more fearless
of the German writer's, and the opfn-
ion seemed general in Germany that
their cause was beaten.
At no time during his contact with
them, was he ever witness to any
Of tie so-cailed atrocities, nor did he
ever talk with anyone who had ever
witnessed them. The arrogance of
the Germans, however. during the
time of their spring successes in 1918,
was anything but desirable, and tbs
treatment accorded them, although
neither brutal nor torturous, was not
the kind which appealed to the blood
of the Americans within the walls.
His observations in his eight months
stay with them was that the French
and American prisoners had little to
say of the sportsmanship of the Ger
man soldiers.
Germans liked EN-.
Two weeks after the armistice was
signed the men at Villingen were
gathered together for a farewell
speech by the commandant of the
camp, before being sent to Switzer-
land and their freedom, Urging
them to go back to America with no
ill feeling ca for Germany, the COM
mandiRg officer told that Germans
had no hatred for America. The gist
of his speech was careful apology
for the whole thing. and was but one
more instance of that clever German
propaganda which was SD strikingly
effective throughout the war, His
parting word was absorbed with in
terest by the Americans.
From there they were taken to the
Swiss border and later transferred
to Paris. By strange irony of fate
DIR. Gallagher was sent to Base Hos
pital No 26 in Paris, unit com<
posed of medical men from the Uni
versity of Minnesota, all of them
former friends and classmates of his
After receiving his orders to proceed
to England. on the first lap of his re-
turn to America, he was taken iii
with influenza and was delayed sew :
earl weeks.
4 Before sailing for America DR.
Gallagher, in company with another
American. took flying trip through
the British Isles. A visit to Ireland
brought him the experience of view
ling Sim Fein parade in Dublin. and
another in Edinburgh the pleasure OF
reading many of the original manu-
scripts OF Robert Burns and Walter
. Scott, famous Scotct poets.