The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-01-28
Atrocities
Continued from Page One

libCrately.
Men who once weighed 200
pounds shrank TO 90, became
human skeletons, and died by
[ h hundreds. Diarrhea and
dvscntary were almost univer-
sal, as was berlberi
FILIPINOS DISEMBOWLED
Because they asked for water,
SIX FiliplnoS were shot, one was
disemboWled and others were
baNoncttCd.
Those who survived the beS-
tiality were hcrded like cattle
into small enclosures W h / c h
reeked-With the stencil from the
dcCaying bodies Of men whom
they once knew.
In contrast to the staggering
death toll desc ibed by the three
officers, the japanese have re-
ported only 1855 Americans as
having died from disease in the
camps in the Philippines.
The Army and Navy made 1t
clear that nothing in the report |
was hearsay - that il contained
only facts which the officers
related from their own personal
experience and observations
The three officers were
Comdr Melvin H Mccoy, U.
S. n Indianapolis, now on
duty in this country; 1t. Col. S.
NJ. Mellnik, Coast Artillery,
Dunmore. Pa, now on duty in
the southwest Pacific, and the
late 1t. Col Cthen captain) Will
liam f DycSs, Air Corps, AL
bany, Tex, who was killed re-
Gently in the crash of fighter
plane at Burbank, Cal.
At Camp O'Donnell prison
erS had TO stand in line six to
10 hours for drink. They wore
the same c. OF h ing without |
change for six weeks. Food was
almost entirely rice Twice in
two months they rece V e d
enough meat so that about a
quarter OF the prisoners man.
ged 10 get piece an inch /
square each. They received a
few vegetables on three or four
occasions.
WORKED TO DEATH
The Japanese worked many
prisoners to death One week |
the death rate at Camp O'Don-
nell was 20 Americans and $50
Filipinos day. After two weeks
it was so Americans and 500
Fllipinos day.
Prisoners taken on Corregi-
dor, including Mccoy and Nell
mix, were concentrated in paw
ed square~abou 100 yards on
each-side for a week t.
numbered 1000 Americans and I
5000 Filipinos There was one
water spigot, It usually was a
IL hour wait 10 fill canteen.
On May %, 1912, these H.
900 prisoners were transported
to Manila by barge, forced to
jump off and wade for about 100 |
yards, and then m arch e d
through Manila in what was in
tended TO be triumphal vic
tory parade But Filipino civil
ians everywhere demonstrated /
their friendliness. Those who
tried to assist collapsing prison
ers with ices, water and fruit |
were beaten.
About June l American pris-
oners at Camp O'Donnell were
separated from their Filipino
comrades and moved to the Ca
banatuan concentration camp,
where the three officers met.
There conditions slightly inn
proved. There was adequate
drinking water and muddy we'll
water in which to battle. But the
food continued mostly rice.
Once the Japanese gave the
prisoners three chickens and an
other time so eggs for 500 pris-
oners. Then their propaganda
machine announced to the world
they were feeding American
prisoners eggs and chickens.
At Cabanatuan three officers,
were caught trying TO escape. !
They were beaten until they
oculd no longer stand.
BESTIAL PUNISHMENT
The next morning the three
Americans, stripped TO their
shorts the report re late d,
were taken out on the road in
full view Of the camp, their
hands were tied behind them.
and they were pulled up by
ropes from an overhead pur-
chase, so that they had TO re-
main standing, but bent forward
10 ease the pressure on their
arms.
They were kept in this po-
sition in the blazing sun for two
full days. Periodically the jap
anese beat them with a two-by-
four, and and Filipino unlucky
enough to pass that way was
compelled to beat them too. II
he failed TO beat them hard
enough the Japanese beat him.
After two days Of this. one of