Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-09-26

whereupon he told his questioners they
could go to hell. y
Unable to obtain any information
from Roberts, the Germans put him in
All ambulance and conducted him to
Guerney, on the French German Dor
der, and without any further question
ing or threats and without being adj
Iyised of their intentions, he was placed
under an anaesthetic and his sight de-
stroyed.
Roberts says the last persons he saw
as he was going under was German
surgeon and two nurses. He was kept
under an anaesthetic for eight days and
when he regained his senses, February
10, his sight was gone.
His right eye was removed from it's
socket while a cross was scratched
upon the cornea of the left eye, pre-
sumably by a needle Roberts says his
eyes were in the best Of condition when
he was taken captive and that no ex-
PLANTATION was ever given him as to why
he was so mutilated, but that he has
always been satisfied that the cruel
act was performed as punishment for
his refusal to furnish information.
From Guerney he was removed to
the prison camp at Teifen and later to
Darmstadt where he remained until
June ID, 1918, from where he was
taken to Munster, ON the Holland Dor
to camp in Russia, which Roberts
says was the worst prison maintained
by the Germans, and which he de-
scribes as living hell"
No Protection.
hn
with no barracks, and only holes in
the ground covered with tin as protec-
ton for the prisoners. Here he was
starved almost to death, becoming so
weak he could hardly lift his head.
The food consisted mainly of soup, cot
fee made Of acorns and apple seeds
ground up, occasionally a chunk of
horse meat, with a miserable bread
made out of potato Feelings, rye,
straw and almost anything that could
be gathered up which would contribute
Il substitute for wheat bread.
He remained III this camp three
weeks. when he was taken on Septem
Der % 1918, to Berlin and from there
to Roslot, about Ia kilometers out Of
Baden Baden, short distance out of
the Blac forest.
There. for the first time, he en-
countered American Red Cross relief,
receiving food, new clothing and bed
ding. There he remained until after
the signing Of the armistice, and on
November %, 1913, he came out Of
Germany, accompanied by a Mr.. Hoff-
man, Y. W. c. A. secretary, who con-
Quoted him to Berne, Switzerland.
When captured by the Germans Rob
erts weighed 2O6 pounds but when he
came out of Germany he was down to
146.
After two weeks in Switzerland Rob
erts was taken to Paris and sailed from
Brest, December q, 1918, for New
York. where he entered the Grand Cen
tral hospital, later being transferred to
the Evergreen hospital for blind at
Baltimore, Md.
Married Helena Girl.
On January u, 1920, Roberts came
out to Helena. where he married a
Helena girl, who is now with him, and
the family has increased since to three,
there being q daughter. now 6 months
old.
Last January Roberts took up vo-
cational training in Seattle, taking up
the work of masseur. but he has decid-
ed to take up osteopathy and is now on
his way to Minneapolis to begin
course of study which will require
about four years. time, after which he
expects to return to Montana to locate.
Although Roberts cannot distinguish
objects he can distinguish the light
from an electric bulb, window, the
sunrise or lighted match.
Speaking of his infirmity, he said:
My blindness does not bother me
any. / have a visualizing mind and
frequently travel alone"
He is able to operate a typewriter
with considerable speed.
Roberts takes cons iderable pride in
a silver-cased Swiss watch. made for
the blind, which was presented to him
BY the Swiss government upon his ar
rival in Berne as the first American
who had lost his eyesight in the war.
This watch bears the inscription, "Hon-
neur aux heroes Pour lie Droit, 1911
1915 which he interprets as meaning,
Honor to heroes for the right"