The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1940-04-08
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Diary Of Death -"

fishing again today. No luck. !
haven't been out of bed for four
days.
FEB. % (Ryckman starts writ
ing)-Rained all day. Lloyd is
still in bed. / caught seven ca
naries this morning. That is all
we had to eat today. My legs are
badly swollen to my hips.
FEB. 29.-Last day of the
month. Rained in spells all night.
I caught ten canaries with salt on
doorstep. Cleaned and boiled
them and We had them at 1890
noon. My legs are still badly
swollen from feet to hips.
MAR. 1-Rained all day. Caught
Is canaries today and cleaned and
ate 10 of them. Lloyd is no better.
We are starving to death slowly.
No fish today. Ny legs are still
swollen badly.
MAR. 2-No rain today. I went
up the lake fishing two miles and
crossed over, came back on other
side. Lifted eight traps but did
not get fish. Lloyd caught six
canaries and I got IS. After I
came back we had them at five
p. m.-the first and only meal
today.
MAR. S-Rained all day. Not
able to go out in boat to fish. Legs
swollen to hips badly. Hard time
to get enough wood to burn.
Caught five canaries today. That
is all we had to eat today. Lloyd
Is no better.
MAR. NO rain today. Little
sunshine. Caught 81 canaries.
Lloyd was up for two hours today,
first since over a week. My legs
getting worse all the time-just
strength enough left to gather
chips for fire.
MAR. g No rain till night.
Caught 3S cannaries today. They
are the only things that are keep
ing us alive. Lloyd is a lot worse
today and my legs are badly
swollen to the hips. If the ship
don't come in by the tenth or
twelfth by the latest We are done
for. Just salt left and four matches.
MAR. Caught three canaries
today and one small trout. That
is all we have had to eat. Rained
all day a fine rain. Lloyd is still
in bed. His head is very bad. I
am getting weaker daily. My
knees are shaking now.
MAR. 8-Clear all day-caught
IS canaries. Tasted good after
gaunt day. Neither one hardly had
the strength to get them clean.
MAR. 9-Showering. Caught IL
canaries today. / had to crawl out
for water today. No strength left
to get wood. Burning moss off
the bunk. Starvation is the most
suffering on earth. Oh God please
send q plane.
SUNDAY, MAR. 10 (Coombs
writing). / was in bed. Jim too
tired to write. Monday I was in
bed.
MONDAY - was in bed. Jim
took sick in the stomach-canary
bone.
TUESDAY, was in bed. Moth
ing at all to eat. Jim still awfully
sick.
WEDNESDAY Il was in bed.
Jim still sick. Caught a couple Of
canaries.
THURSDAY was in bed-so
was Jim.
FRIDAY got up for a while
today. Crswled around and got a
fire on-how ! don't know. Caught
some cansries. Can't think straight
enough to count them any more.
Jim can hardly move and ! can't
help him. He had no power OF
his bowels at all. This is the
worst hell either one of US has
} gone through I don't know how
much longer we can stick IL
got some rain water under the
drip so that will help. I'm sure
God helped me get up today and
gave me a little strength. ] don't
know many prayers, but we both
do nothing day and night but pray.
SAT-, MAR. I6-Jim 1corse
today-nothiRg but skin and
bones. I got some more ca
Hdries. / can hardly move
arogad-so may the lord hare
mercy on our souls IL ice
don't get out Within a couple
of days. Dear mother - ace
hare nobody else TO blame but
ourselves. But IRE been pray
ling ollCdys for yoG to send a