Evening star., 1945-08-08
Todoys War Story
Former Dochou Torturer Finds
N0kednessJmpossibIe to Bear

recognized on the street and taken
into custody.
Now, Jarolin is being tortured, +"
American fashion. He bitterly COM
plains Of the cruelty of his jailers.
His own favorite device was to tie
mans hands behind his back and
then hang them by rope attached
to the hands from the limb OF
pine tree for hours at a time. He
did this to hundreds of starved
prisoners at Dachau. The pain was
uncomfortable. Usually there soon
came a merciful Inconsistencies
which defeated Jarolin's purpose.
More Refined Method.
The Americans have a more re-
fined method, although Jarolin says
it really is more brutal. When ar
rested he refused to talk. They took
away all his clothing and put him
in solitary on bread and water.
Whenever he feels like talking he
can have his clothes back--to the
extent to which his revelations are
valued or to the degree to which
there is good reason to believe he
has told all he knows.
This may seem a silly way to
expect to make a man talk. Jarolin
has never been struck or threatened.
His bread and water meals are en-
tirely sufficient to keep him from
feeling any hunger. Yet there is
apparently some very sound psyche
logical principle underlying the
method. Already the man twice has
asked to see an American officer
Each time he has changed his mind
and actually told very little. The
first time his socks were considered
sufficient reward. The next time he
told lot more and got his under
shirt. At this rate 1t will be long
time before he gets his pants back.
Officers in charge OF the camp do
not understand why nakedness
should be such a torture" All they
know is that it will eventually break
down some of the most obstinate
characters. Jarolin almost sobs when
he begs for more clothes.
Nobody sees his nakedness but
himself and apparently he feels an
unendurable shame looking at him.
self without clothes.
Recently they were questioning
him about contingent of prison.
ers sent away from Dachau, of whom
nothing has ever been heard. He
said he thought they had gone to
the gas chamber. Then, to the
amazement Of everybody, he half
sobbed: Poor devils"
Gets Undershirt Back.
This was perhaps the first ex-
preston of sentiment anybody ever
heard from the lips of this man. 1t
was the chief reason why he got
his undershirt back. In the prison
Office there is a large file of affi-
davits from prisoners on the cruel
ties of Jarolin. Twenty-Five or 80
lashes apparently was about the
least punishment he ordered for a
minor oNense.
He took an interest in the medi-
cal experiments carried out at
Dachau and suggested some i'm
provements for his own amusement.
Jewish prisoners, healthy young men
who were kept very well fed. were
subjected to various forms Of ex-
treme exposure until they lost con-
sciousness. The object was to de-
termine the probable behavior of
Luftwaffe pilots under similar con-
ditions and all sorts Of physical and
mental reactions were studied as
the victim regained consciousness.
Sometimes. of course. the exposure
was carried to fatal termination
We passed on to the next cell
There the inmate stood at rigid
attention, stark naked. He was about
as tough-looking scoundrel as one
would care to meet and there was
In his scowl.
1t seems that when former Dachau
inmates watched the unloading of
a truckload Of IS prisoners brought
from another camp an angry cry
arose from them:
Bone crusher, bone crusher."
They had spotted among the pris-
oners Sergt. Kurt Moeller. He had
been one of the guards at Dachau.
A man of great physical strength,
his specially was breaking aims and
legs with his bare fists.
Moeller doubtless knows a great
deal but he will not talk. There is
every reason to suppose, however,
that he will break under the naked
ness treatment in few days.
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