The Wilmington morning star., 1945-11-12

US, mostly senior officers.
Major. Gen. Edward P. King and
I were put in room together and,
like the others, our immediate aim
in life was to get some warmth
into our bones. We found an old
Russian stove, gigantic affair
with small, low opening for coal,
and built a fire, which had to be
stocked constantly while we were
there, for the coal was very bad.
The arrival of our first meal
made us realize, to our joy, that
We had at last moved out of the
relocating and watery soup world.
The meal contained bread, !
white bread, and thick vegetable
cake mixed with maize or millet.
1t was hard life at Sheng Tai
Tun. We had no work to do,
but there were no books, and
walking outside in the piercing
gales was too rigorous. We could
not get warm clothing and could
not move far from our stoves. The
kitchen, bathhouse and latrine
were from 30 to so yards
away from the barracks and all
of us were still troubled with our
kidney ailments. There was no hot
water or soap for washing our
selves or our dishes. Our hands
cramped when we put them in the
frigid water. But we made the best
of things; even had little "club
Life" at nights. We would save part
of our bread, slice it very thin,
toast it brown over our Russian
stove - "a la Melba toast" - and
then assemble in my room and
MUNICH on it and talk.
Our colonies, orderlies and GER
tain others arrived on November
IA, 1914, with our heavier luggage.
Sympathetically, we watched them
shake and shiver outside the bar
racks while the camp commander
made his speech and they signed
their good conduct papers. But at
last we were united, union which
was colored by my disappointment
in learning that my aides, Col.
Johnny Pugh and Major Tom Doc
ley, had been left behind in For
mosa for want Of enough rank.
| The new men brought books with
them, too, which were great gifts.
Our bleak days dragged on. The
climate in that part of the world
is extremely dry and the winds
are of tremendous force. Our old
barracks was hazy with dust day
and night. To combat it we be-
gan sprinkling the floors twice a
day, and this proved disastrous to
Gen. King.
One night a Jap guard came in
to our room to check up on us
just after we had wet down the
floor. As we jumped up and start
ed for our sleeping bench, Gen.
King slipped and fell heavily on
his right hip, hurting himself so
badly that it was with the greatest
difficulty that he was able to get
back to his feet. I at once called
two American doctors in the bar
racks. They decided after PIE
llminary examination that King
had either fractured his nip or SER
iously torn its ligaments. They
made him comfortable as they
could for the night.
The next day an American med.
ical officer, and an Australian and
Dutch doctor, gave him a more
thorough examination, all wishing
aloud that they had an X-ray. They
decided that he had fractured eth
er the head of the femur or pos
Sibly that part of the pelvis ir
which the femur articulates. They
managed to beg a ring splint from
the Jap hospital and fitted him
up as best as they could, but the
best was far from comfortable or
that short, hard bed.
On December 1, 1914, the 16 SEM
ors of the group, along with theil
Is orderlies, were ordered to pack
up again. Once more we had tc
say farewell to the younger officers
whose lot we had shared. We
marched through biting zero
weather to the train and piled into
it in state of numbnes. Poor Kins
had to be carried to the train or
litter.
But there in our barren car, tx
our eternal joy, were 288 Ameri
can Red Cross packages, only
the second batch We had received
since our captivity began 81
months before. We placed Gen
Kings litter over the backs of twt
of the train seats and dreamed O
the time when the Japs would con
descend to let us open our pack
ages.
Tomorrow: Gen. Wainwright
men begin to get even with the
Japs - through sabotage.)