Evening star., 1944-02-10

Comdr. MCCOY:
I arrived at the prison camp at
Cabanatuan on July 7, less than
two months after the camp was
formed.
My first impression was one of
utter desolation and hoplessness. I
was searched at once by japanese
guards. The only things of value
they found were two small bottles
containing quinine and sulfa drugs,
given me by a doctor friend at Old
Bilibid. The Japs confiscated them.
One of the first persons I saw was
an Army major whom had met at
Army-Navy parties in Manila.
"You look awful" I said to him,
staring at his gaunt, stricken ap-
pearance.
II was on Bataan," he said. IT
made the death march"
already had become aware of an
awful stencil about the camp, but
for the first time I noticed that,
outside of each barracks, there was
a neat row of bodies. Somehow I
knew that the bodies had been there
for some time-clouds of flies arose
from them when groups of prisoners
walkedsnearby.
Good God!"
was pointing.
Accustomed to Sight.
The Army major looked casually
at the row of bodies and said,
you'll get used to that" He was
about to say more when he suddenly
clutched at his stomach with both
hands and began to run in broken
gait, managing to fling over his
shoulder a muf1ed See you later y
I soon learned that this hurried
"see you later" was common part
ing salute at Cabanatuan from pris-
oners suffering from dystentery.
I heard the story of the death
march from Bataan from many re-
sponsible officers at Cabanatuan,
but I heard it most often from the
major. He is West Point grad
uate, ana although his name has
been supplied to military authori-
ties it will not be used here for
reasons which will become obvious.
After the fall of Bataan approx
irnateiy 10000 American and $4,000
Filipino prisoners we're marched to
San Fernando. Pampanga, a dis
tance of about 120 miles. These pris-
oners were marched in different
groups, and some were treated worse
than others. In most cases they
went for days without water. My
friend-I shall call him Maj. Gum
said he went for many days with
out food.
eve often passed running streams" I"
said Maj Gum, but the Japs sell
dom allowed us to drink A few
prisoners tried it, mostly Filipinos.
They were shot down and left dying
where they fell. If we drank from
muddy carabao wallow, though, the
Japs didn't seem to mind. That's
where so many hundreds of us got
dystentery, I suppose"
Jammed into Tin Warehouse.
During the long march these
groups Of Bataan prisoners passed
through the village of Lubao and
were kept there overnight. They
were ouartered in warehouse of
galvanized tin, with no windows but
with a few small grid openings near
the floor. First the Japanese would
herd as many prisoners INTO the
building as seemed possible, requir-
ing them to stand Then, when the
building was completely full, more
prisoners we're placed just outside
the door, and a steel cable was at
tached to one corner of the build
ing. Several guards then took the
other end of this cable and by pull
ing it taut they squeezed all these
outside into the building. The slid
ing door was then closed and Sc
cured for the night
During the night no prisoner was
allowed outside this building. There
were no sanitation facilities inside,
and several persons died each night.
On the march regular cleanup
squads of japanese followed at the
rear to dispose of the prisoners who
fel! out, both Filipinos and Amer
leans. Filipinos were bayoneted or
shot and left where they fell. but
Americans usually were taken some
distance from the road. At the end
of the day the japanese usually
dispatched those prisoners who
seemed so weakened that they would