Evening star., 1942-08-29
Hong Kong Prisoners
Not Too Badly Treated,
Says Missionary
n. n. Morse, Bock in
Tokomo Park, Sow
No Atroeib by Jops

Except for the food situation
Americans. British and other Euro
pean nationals were not treated tot
badly while being held prisoners a
Stanley Prison on Hong Kong Is
land, an American missionary whit
disembarked from the Swedish linel
Gripsholm, said today.
Harry H. Morse. secretary treas
urer OF the South China Union Mis-
sion of Seventh-Day Adventists al
Hong Kong, has returned to Takoms
Park, Md. after being interned by
the Japanese for more than five
months.
The mission official said that dur
ing the entire period of his i'm
prisonment from January rs to june
30, along with 400 other Americans
and about 2,4o0 British subjects, he
Gid not personally witness one
"atrocity" by his captives.
Saw No Slappings.
'I have no doubt that some OF the
stories that reached us by way of the
grape vine were true" he said, but
not once did I see brutal lncloent
or face slapped"
Except for four British subjects
who repeatedly attempted to escape,
none of the white prisoners was kept
in Stanley Prison itself, which Mr.
Morse described as modern. Indian
guards on duty in the prison con-
tinued their duties after the Jap
enese took over, he said.
The Americans were assigned q
group of four apartment buildings
on the prison grounds. formerly the
living quarters of prison officials
From four to eight persons occu-
MED each room of an apartment
whether it was living room, dining
room or bedroom.
Three married couples occupied
one room together in one OF the
apartments.
The British were not as fortunate
as the Americans in more. ways
than one. Some of them were
crowded into eight apartment build
ings formerly used by the Indian
guards and devoid of furniture.
Those who couldn't get cots slept
on the floor.
Some Had Coffee, Cigarettes.
During the latter part of the i'm
prisonment period cigarettes and
coffee were brought into the reser-
vation and it was the Americans
who were able to obtain these luxu-
ries more than any other group.
How they did 1t, I don't know.
But we were amused when we saw
sone of the British subjects walk
bv the Americans quarters and fur
lively pick up cigarette butts which
they found lying around
Many other British subjects were
uuartered in a preparatory school
adjacent to the prison grounds.
After eight prisoners escaped and
four more tried unsuccessfully, the
prison and school grounds were sur
rounded with barbed-wire entangle-
ments and some of the privileges
were revoked. Even at that, all OF
the inmates were free to roam over
several acres of grounds during day
light hours. -
A prison hospital was included in
the area and although there were
some outbreaks of bert beri and
dysentery, the cases were treated at
the hospital, which was kept supplied
with medicine by six Red Cross truck
drivers who were free to travel into
Hong Kong City.
Lost 20 Pounds.
All of the prisoners lost weight.
One reduced 100 pounds which
probably did not hurt him. He
dropped from 416 pounds to 296
pounds. While Mr.. Morse lost 20
pounds because of his prison fare,
the average loss among one group OF
SO persons was 34.6 pounds while an
other group lost from 80 to so
pounds.
The japanese allowed their prison.
ers basic ration measured in cat
ties" one of which amounts to about
Ia pounds. During the five months
imprisonment, the average basic al
lotment was 1894 catties of rice,
3l2 of sugar, 236 Of salt, 1929 OF
flour, 1.52 Of peanut oil and 155 of
soybeans. During the latter months
it was possible to augment this ra-
tion by purchases from a canteen set
up in the camp.
Mr.. Morse sent his wife home last
August. He did not know Japan had
declared war until told by friend
On December 8, he said, he looked
from the window of his house over
looking Hong Kong Bay and saw
what he found out later was a Japa-
nese attack on kai TAX Airport
When he saw flames coming up from
the flying field, he thought:
MY, but that is realistic practic-
ing"
Consular Staff Guarded.
Mr.. Morse said the American con.
kular staff was confined to quarters
much smaller than those of the
average American subject. They
were placed inside building across
a road from the prison grounds ane
shoulder high wall was erected
around the building. The consular
officials were not allowed communi-
cation with American nationals
across the road and were guarded
closely within their small inclosure
he said.
Mr.. Morse was graduated from
the Washington Missionary College
In 1925 and was dean of men from
1925 TO 1927, part of the time while
q student. He plans to leave fol
mission work in California mex
week.
0Dh Dnrmits prirn Inrrna<f