Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-18

communications ID q [ Ween
prisoners in different halls
were forbidden, and severely
punished by the prison admin
iStration. But the method we
used TO convey messages was
nearly fool-proof: printed on
tiny piece of paper. the mes
sage was glued 10 the bottom
of a soup pail and delivered at
noon, together with the soup,
while the guard on duty
looked on unsuSpectingly.
Several days later the cen
trial committee sent back
instructions that I should pre-
pare for my transfer 10 Hall
Il. which We jocularly called
the "Kremlin of the Hamburg
Big House
How the devil can ] get
To Hall II? l asked Salo-
mon. who was the political
leader Of Hall 9
'DO nothing" he SAID.
Leave Ii To Tonic"
POLITICAL CHIEF
Tonic was the political
chief of the whole prison.
had met him long before my
arrest. He was a powerfully
built man Of 81, light-hared
and bluc-cNcd, and as daunt-
less as he was cheerful
RcSourcelul and just. he had
a driving personality. but, like
Michael Avatin, he never de-
manded ANYTHING of h @ r
comrades which he would not
do himself Tonic was leu
tonic image of Avatin.
He had been one of the
Cominterns experts for the
mining industries. and after
the arrest of Walter Duddins.
he had become the party chief
of the North Sea districts
the office in which Wollweber
had planned TO install John
SCheer.
Seized by the G. @ po,
Tonic had been sentenced for
high treason. His young wife
had subsequently been sent 10
the Lenin School in Moscow
for special training ! soon
came 10 feel Tonio's power
and ability even in a Nazi
prison.
An elderly guard summoned
me out on the corridor.
Would YOU like to be shifted
to Hall H." he asked.
Eyes, Sir" l replied smartly.
"Al right. Roll up your
blankets"
Five minutes later l was in
Hall Il. The guard was one
of the older prison officials,
who had been members of the
Social Democratic Party be-
fore the advent of Hitler.
When Hitler came to power,
they had to save their Jobs
and their pensions Joined the
Nazi Party in a great hurry.
COWED BY THREAT
Usually they "IIeil-Hitlcred'
louder and fiercer than any of
the genuine storm troopers.
But the arrival of Communists
in the prisons plunged these
former Socialists into a dire
dilemma.
The Communist ConVlctS
often knew of the MarXist
anaSt Of their lailers, and the
threat of dcnouncing them 10
the GeStapo for having entered
the Nazi Party fraudulently
turned these prison guards
into helpless pawns in the
bands OF their Communist
charges.
There were six or seven of
them I'm the Hamburg prison.
\ single command from Tonic
could make them jump like
frightened bcll-boyS. II was a
grim business. But all prisons
are grim, and HitlerS prisons
are the grimmeSt of all.
When Tonic saw me. he
pranccd across the hall llio
an cXuberant colt His rough
playfulncSS was tho best pos
Sibie Camouflagc for the un-
thnching and ruthless Gcicrmi-
nation which had its home
behind Tonio'S flashing eyes.
lie and three OF his aiGcS
grabbed me and carried me 10
the laVatOry i'm a corner OF
Hall H. / received a thorough
dousrng with cold water. Tonic
made a speech which drew
laughter oven from the most
Su'lcn criminals IN our midst
received a name Long
spice % After the noisy nitro
ducilon he drew me aside.
we need YOU in the Spit
Zengruppc. he said. THE
third man j. Frederic, young
teacher. One thing YOU must
always remember; We are the
party behind these walls. We
must transform this iailhouSc
into "A university of revolution.
BY that we turn the purpose
of this prison into it, opposite.
our attention must not over
look the most obscure COM
radeS. The Gestapo puts them
here 10 he broken. We are
here to make them stranger
and more loyal TO the cause.
SaVVN ."
"SaNXN