The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-08-31
5O% Prisoners 
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(Continued from Page D hospital ship Benevolence. Those who do not require hospital treat- ment will be transferred soon to Army ships alongside for tyanspor- tation home.
 Some prisoners told of an "in- uuisition center inland from Tok- yo. Airmen and submarine crews were the main customers, Stassen said.
 Shiragawa hospital" also was among the worst places. prisoners said.
 "You shouldn't use the word hos pitar for that place." Stassen said. "You could only describe 1t as a hellhole. The filth was mdescrib- able"
 An American doctor captured on Guam was given a pick and shovel job until recently and not permit ted to treat fellow prisoners. al- though Japanese medical help was inadequate.
 Japs an Enigma
 Asked if Japanese camp officials had expressed any remorse, Stassen said:
 T just can't analyze what Jap appears to be-"
 The tales of torture spurred American rescue squads rushing re- lief to others among the 30 war prisoner camps clustered about the Tokyo area. ~ Doctors and nurses worked with out rest to care for the hundreos who poured aboard the U. s. s. Be- neyolence. Most of the men who have been freed so far came rom seven prison camps near TOKYO; Hundreds, naked and starving, nao tried frantically to swim out 10 meet their rescuerS. x.
 They kept shouting, 'Thank God, you've come. Thank God, you've come"
 Even the Tough Cry The rough-tough rescue teams' who up until now have landed In the face of shrapnel and bullets, found their new assignment almost more than they could bear. Many of those who stormed ashore to aid the sick and weak were openly cry ing. They could only reply, Take 1t easy, boys. We'll get you all. Take it easy" against the treatment accorded pris- oners and there were numerous charges of systematic beatings ad- ministered by information seeking Japanese officials. /,
 While liberation forces continued rushing the freed men back to where they could receive first aid, Comdr. Harold E. Stassen, former governor of Minnesota, announced that the preliminary 1nformatlon now being obtained from prisoners is being compiled for use in con- nection with forthcoming war crimes trials.
 Most of those now liberated came from the Omori, Shinagawa, ana |Kawasah camps. all within six miles of Tokyo.
 (Marine Combat Correspondent Sgt. Don Petit, of Burlington. vt., quoted a rescued Marine of the wake island garrison today as say ing that Mai. James P. s. Dev- |ereaux, Marine commander at Wake' was believed to be alive and well. But the dispatch did not report lDevereaux's whereabouts)
 Many of the wars major mys, tries slowly began taking solio shape as prisoners who were cap tured in all corners of the Pa cific began to tell of their ex- Iperiences.
 (Hamilton Faron, representing the combined Allied press, reported from the hospital ship Reeves OH IOmori that the famous American lsubmarine Tang was torpedoed and sunk off FormoSa last October 25' Only nine of her crew, lnciuolns Comdr. Richard H. O'Kane or Dur ham, N. H., escaped. OKane ana Ieight of his men were among those rescued from the hell hole al
 Many of those rescued appeared in fairly good physical condition at first glance, but Comdr. Stassen said | that except for the most recently captured prisoners, 100 per cent oi those liberated were suffering rom malnutrition and 30 per cent ol those showed serious dietary oe- ficiency. .,.
 Comdr. Roger Simpson. who with Stassen led the naval rescue ships to the camps, appeared deeply snak. en by what he described as "one oi the worst hell holes in history"
 Most of the weary, happy prison, CTS were aboard the huge hospital ship Benevolence within 12 hours after the special naval rescue mis- sions landed on the shores of Tokyo Bay. - ica's greatest war heroes including Mai. Gregory (Pappy) Boyington s2. Marine fighter pilot ace from Okanogan, wash, and Comdr. Ar- thur L. Maher of Chicago. guniery officer aboard the valiant cruiser Houston.
 lions. The VILE, he charged. is try-