Evening star., 1944-02-14

Old Bilibid Prison, back in Manila.
There were chocolate bars, there was
cheese, there were crackers and
cookies, there were timed meats
and sardines, there were cigarettes,
and there was portion each of tea,
cocoa, salt, pepper and sugar. Best
of all there were sulfa drugs and
precious quinine!
Received Canned Meat.
In addition to the two boxes re-
ceived by each prisoner, each of us
received Is cans of corned beef or
meat-and-vegetable stew. This was
rationed to us by the japanese at
the rate of two cans week, and
therefore lasted us eight weeks. The
food during that time was the best
and most nourishing I received in
all the IL months of my imprison-
ment.
But our belated Christmas rejoic-
ings had a dark side, too. In the
first place, we learned that our
precious Red Cross supplies arrived
in Japan on diplomatic ship back
in June, 1912. We never learned
why it took them seven months to
reach us. More catastrophe was the
fact that as soon as our boxes were
received the Japanese promptly dis
continued our meager ration of vege-
tables. And when each man had
eaten the last of his Is cans of
meat the vegetables still were with
held.
In short, we were back on the
same rations we had received in
Cabanatuan-lugao in the morning,
and rice with a half-canteen cup
full of watery camote-top soup for
the other two meals.
This was in March, 1943, ead by
that time our plans for escape had
gone we'll forward, with myself as
senior officer and with Mellnik as
executive.
How far is it to Australia from
here, Commander" Sergt. Marshall
asked me one day, while We were
out on the coffee detail.
About 1000 miles to one of the
nearest points," I answered. Mel
Vile, IOT instance.
"And you mean, if we can find a
sailboat, you can take up there?"
Within 10 or Is miles of any place
on the map. Provided, of course,
that we can rig up some halfway
decent navigating equipment"
Col. Mellnik:
Mccoy, as senior officer, was to
lead our escape group, and was to
do the navigating once we were able
to steal boat. 1 was doing much |
of the planning and was responsible
for executing most of the prepara-
tory detail.
The first step decided upon was to
put ourselves in as good physical
condition as possible. Sergt. Spiel
man had earned reputation as a
food thief de luxe, so he and Mccoy
and I now turned our combined tai
ents and attention to the chicken
farm kept by the japanese for their
own exclusive use-they thought. |
There were some 1900 of these
chickens, and We made it a point |
of honor never to take less than two
on single raid, and including as
many eggs as could be safely car
ried. BY an elaborate system, Nc
Coy and Spielman and I relieved thet
Japs of a total of 1873 birds over
period of three months.
After we had stolen rs the jap
anese noted their losses. Thereafter
we had to work with infinitely more
guile, for We knew that, if caught,
We would be punished with sever
ty ranging from a mere fogging to
death by torture.
Some of these chickens we ate at
the noon meal we cooked for our
selves while working in the coffee
dividing them with the
older officers in our work party.
Others we traded for almost non
existent quinine, sulfa drugs and
any other article which We con-
sidered might be useful on our trip
through the jungle and onward to
Australia
Tomorrow: Escape Delayed.
Copyright. 1914, by Bell Syndicate, Inc.) |