Evening star., 1928-01-08
ny BENNETT J. InTY.

ia Champa -ne, not far from the f,n
mer A. +. +, headquarters at Chau
mont. The main building is an oid
monastery. seat of the famous Ecl
nard de Clairvaux.
We were taken from Albertville a.
ClairvauN in prison trains. The cars
are cut into tiny cells fitted With y
hard bench, so small tall man can
not stand in them. / had to sit bolt
upright - hours. We were stiti
when we reached Auhe.
At the prison l received new
uniform, collarless coat. short
nair of trousers and sabots. but n.
socks. 1t rained daily and i'm the
morning there were bitter fruSts
Without socks | was blue with colo
and | had trouble managing my Sa-
bots. They had no straps. When
ever / went upstairs | had tn carry
mine in my hands and walk In my
bare feet.
Given No Coffee.
We arose at o'clock, cleaned ou
cells and filed down to the dining
room. We got large chunk of black
prison bread. IL you had money you
could get coffee. The prison fur
nished no coffee. wine or tobacco.
Tobacco was taboo. Some OF the
guards hootiecSed little. but smok'
ing was against the rules. Woe To
the man found doing 1t. Eight days
on bread alone or confinement to
punishment cell resulted.
We stayed in the dining room an
hour. Then we marched into the
court for exercise. This was the rou-
tine throughout the day. An hour in
side an hour out. There were l.ene
men i'm The prison, divided into sec
tons Of 81. The sections were organ
iEed alpha betically. the prisoners ac-
rording to number. We wore our
numbers on our sleeves
The first half hour of the first out.
side period we washed at faucets.
Then We exercised half hour. march
ing according TO our alphabetical or.
der. under surveillance ali the time.
No one was allowed 10 speak while ex.
ercising or while inside.
The second half hour of the outside
period we sat on benches. stiil i'm al.
phabetfcai order. During these rest
periods we could talk. but not break
ranks. Hence man could talk only
with neighbors chance assigned him.
Harvey. Weisser and Lass. my fellow
deserters. and men / had known at
Aibertvilie Prison, were transferred
with me. but days would pass when /
had no chance for word with them.
Thieves and Murderers.
Ny nearest neighbor was soldier
named Bouef. doing five years for
striking sergeant. Another was
DAWN. serving FIVE years for attack
ing corporal. The attack had con-
sisted OF seizing the corporal by the
shoulders and shaking him.
We had Aigerians. Tunisians. Mo.
Iveg OF French colonies who had
taken service under the French flag.
We had thieves and murierers an well
as men confined for purely military
ofanses
Every article worn by the prisoners
fs made at ciairvaux and the cell
houses proper are surrounded with
workshops. When l was thsre times
mere slack and no work was done.
With nothing 10 do. scanty food. cold
weather and brutal guards the men
were sullen. resentfui and touchy. The
greatest hardship al first was the lack
uf tobacco.
Shortly after 10 o'clock we had our
FIRST real meal of the day. This con.
sisted of soup. warm water with
rome bread I'm IL and vegetable.
measured the vegetable one day. We
we're getting eight feaspooais os
beans. ientils or peas. Thisrsdays
and Sundays we got piece of
stringy beef, half the size of my
hand.
At $50 we had similar meal. 4
half hour after dinner we were
marched 80 the eeiIroom. lined up.
searched. then locked up. There was
no heat and we were glad 10 get into
cur hunks.
The cells were comparatively cIean.
They were not cells In the American
sense. but wire cages Just bi- enough
for q man 70 lie down and turn
around in.
Talking Forbidden.
Each section of 30 men was under
control of one of the inmates. pro.
yogT In his cell was a pushbutton.
Taking was forbidden. IL man
talked a provost pushed the button.
which summoned the guard. The
guard stood in front of the provost .
eeil repeating the names 0f the men
In the sect ion. At the mention Of the
guilty one. the provost nodded and
the cnlprit Was haied before the
prisoners court next day for punish
rnent+ Thus the prisoner never aetn.
ally heard the provost report him.
The man Mas put on eight days'
bread and water. or for more severe
fffenses sent for 30 ~ 40 days 10 the
/. ~csehoi." The "eaeh9's' were sub.
ferfB mean vaults. They said 81 clak
sauz that man who put In 80 days
IN one was always taken IN The hoK.
D.tsi afferwafa The severity of the
t3fe made E3aifsaux very unheaithtDi.
6sat of 200 men. an average of 40
Iisd every year.
I'm the yard, man wss sent 90 his
cell for the most nsinor infraesiens NJ
fhs fsiieE. We all knew what that
meant The cofsicsn keepers fell
Bpon him end beat him numerically
before locking him up.
The other most dreaded form Of dir,
eipfsnA Ut cisiryaHx was the "spa.
dsfB1e." A prisoner wss taken Lo n
BONG room, forced 10 exchange his
t1b1ts for q pair II rope shoes. and
then put ~ marching round and
sGuf1G the room He WAS eofaustisd
80 d. this sIi day. receiving TWO sssansy
meals during that Tins. He generally
on sD}ss' 80 kiIometers. ~ the end III
~hkh his feet ~etss biis.eref aGd
bleeding.
TyfssBiest Guards.
TIE most CALLING thing about Clair
shHf "sE the noIDplsie fyraunS If The
GUARDS tfisoners had 10 stand nm
covered before them and receive
klehs. 'afk saa torrents NJ siissl
6bShe II they made move, punish,
snsht we immediate auf segefe
" peh fbs dif.'fseg appeared Ia the
abfa everyone unsos cred and stood
81 stAen'ipbs fatn ~ shine.
a EusFd neYeF had IN appear asws inst
shs prisoner 1T the prison eour All
ySsekssaTy mas his report, The CA
Ass reviewed and punishment ~
f9@nsa, The prisoner had no psri In
tbe DioeasdinRk and sng attempt a.
kpeah Tor himself aafnsd him wares
penalty.
Lma a.ax. = a..s4s x