Detroit evening times., 1945-02-06
AwditWord
OF CdptiveS
Detroiters' Relatives
Liberated at Manila
IHE DETROIT TIMES
Feb. lq45

Liberated at Manila
Hundreds Of Michigan families
today are awaiting word from
recaptured Manila and Santo
Tomas prison camp IN the hope
that loved ones, tong hcid as war
captiveS or interneeS, have az last
been liberated.
Among them is Mrs, Sophie
Carlson OF 1744i Keppen, Allen
Park. whose son. a. Ray Carlson,
Christian Church missionary
her dauChter-in-law, Mrs. lmo-
gene Carlson, also a missionary.
and two grandchildren, Robin, s,
and Lawrence, 3, were believed
te he prisoners OF the Japs in the
Sauto Tomas concentration camp
which was taken from the Japs
when Manila fell
The four were taken by the
JapS az Cebu shortly after Law
renee was born in February, 1912.
HEARD NUM- SUN
The elder Mrs. Carlson, who
works in the airplane engine in
spection department OF the Ford
Motor Co. and lives with her sis
ter and brother-in-law, MIR. and
Mrs. Edwin z. Sherman, said that
she had received two cards from
her son, one on Jan. 10 and the
other the day following.
The first card, typewriter, was
dated June %, 1914 II read:
TT aft4 iRterned in 1nternment
Camp No. >. Health is good and
all are well. l hope 10 add bet
ter. Kids are active and grow
ing. Would like some OF your
cooking. Am ready TO begin
again where we left off. Love"
The following day. Jan. II, Mrs.
Carlson received another card,
this written in ink. 1t bore no
date. II just read.
"All well. Kids finished
measles. Husky and active.
Larry 81 inches, Robin AZ
inches. Working in plumbing
shop teaching boys classes.
Hope dad is better. Love to
Corrine and Howard"
Corrine is Carlsons sister and
Howard is a brother. His father
died in September, 1914,
OF KIN 1NTERNED
Three sisters and brother, all
residents Of downriver commu-
mites, still hoped after more
than a year without any word at
all that the fall of Santo Tomas
would free a mother, two sisters
and two brothers interned there.
The downriver relatives are
Mrs. Raymond Johnson. 745 Eu-
reka, Wyandotte; Mrs. Grace
Hammer, 1855 Eighteenth, Wyan-
dotte: Mrs. Paul Broyles, 2248
Fourth, Trenton, and Bruce w.
Burnham, 27654 South Pointe
road, Crosses lie.
Interned in Santo Tomas were
their mother, Mrs. Nj. II. Burn
ham, who has seen only two of
her eight gradchildren, and the
four youngest brothers and sis
ters, Robert Vincent Burnham,
20; Frank Edward, "a; Harriet
N. 81. and Connie. Is. Harriet
wrote in September, 1943, that all
were safe.
IN LUZON SINCE 1929
Mrs. Burnham and her four
youngest have been in the Philip
pines since the death in 1929 Of
the husband and father. All the
children but the youngest, Connie,
were born in the Philippines of a
marriage brought about by an
other war.
Their father went 10 the Philip
pines 10 fight in the war with
Spain. and remained to wed a
Spanish girl ne met there. He was
employed there as a public ac-
countant until 1924, when he re-
tired and brought the whole
family 10 Detroit.
NUN INTERNED
Another Detroiter, also a mis-
sionary, believed TO be in Santo
Tomas, is Sister Mary Clotilde.
whose sister. Mrs. Irving Gum
belton lives at 1894 Dragon.
In a convent when the Japs
swept into Manila. Sister Clotilde
has sent one typewriter note
which Mrs. Gumbelton received
in December Of 1943.
Delighted by the prospect that
his mother, father and sister
would be alive at Santo Tomas,
Sgt Stan Swinton Of Detroit
eagerly awaited news at his post
as an Italian front correspondent
for Stars and Stripes.
Leaving tn @ University of
Michigan five years ago, his
father, Prof. Roy y. Swinton. be-
came a member of the faculty Of
the University Of the Philippines.
where he was joined later by his
wife and daughter.