The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-11-10

mated severa l years before in
an accident with my horse I vol
unfairly went back to the job of
looking after the animals. We had
our pigs, a few chickens and we
bought two milk goats. In the
spring our sows and the goats pro-
duced young to add to our growing
animal colony. We did our best to
get some milk from the goats,
but one was dry and the other
gave only two small cups day,
despite the exertions of an expert
mixer - an English soldier nam
ed Ramwell who had been farm
er in peacetime.
The Japs regularly took one of
the two cups of milk and half of
our eggs. The rest we gave to
those most in need of this nourish-
ment.
We were forced to repurchase
such meat of ours as we slaught-
cred and were also charged for the
milk, eggs and even the vegetables
we grew. We tried to reason with
the Japs on this, for it meant that
we were buying these products,
raising them. and then buying
them again. But We never receiv-
ed a satisfactory answer and knew
enough not to press the point too
far, so grateful were we for not
being beaten.
I received my first letter from
my wife at this Muksaq camp. 1t
came on May 1, 1914, and l read
it so often that I nearly wore it
out. cannot tell you what it meant
to me to hear from Adele after
% months. I heard too from my
son, another joyful day, and from
worried parents of boys who had
served under me and who were
7ro;~~ing - terribly hard letters to
which to find an adequate reply.
Spring brought with it very kind
w at her but, in addition, the
most ferocious and biggest mosqui-
toes 1 ever saw. Our days and
nights became a constant struggle
to keep from being bitten. T h e
mosquitoes came up in droves
from the rice paddles in the valley
below us, and the Japs made scant
provision against them. We all had
a dread of malaria. It would have
been fatal to many Of us, and by
now we had lived so long in captiv-
itv that none of us wanted to be
stricken at this late date.
We often wondered what had
happened to the 80 officers and
men from whom we had been
separated at Tamazato: and I even
tually learned the details from
Brig. Gen. Lewis Beebe. who I'M
derwent their full ordeal.
The men were moved from Ia
mazato back to Karenko for two
days, then sent by boat and rail
around the northern end of For
mosa to the east coast, and thence
ridden and marched to ShirakaWa
Camp. It was in some ways worse
than Karenko, for the men arrived
during the rainy summer OF 1913
and were given absolutely no pro-
lection against malarial mosque
toes for many days.
A number of serious cases OF
malaria soon developed at Shira-
kawa and in short order it had be-
come virtual epidemic. There
was not enough room in the make
shift hospital for the fever-rldden
men. Many had to stay in the bar
racks. There was little or no medl'
cal attention given to them.
ORDERED TO WORK
Tn the Autumn of 1913, when the
rains stopped, the officers were
ordered to work on the Shirakaws
prison farm and other projects.
They were forced to construct a
dam, and the earth had to be NOV
ed coolie-fashion in wicker baskets
separated by stick that rested
on their shoulders. In the sitting
Late Summer heat the men strip
ed down to their shorts. and Wnen
these were gone they tore up what
ever clothing they had and made
breech cloths. Their bony bodies
became the color of mahogony
From generals to privates they
were treated as utter slaves.
The sweet potatoes they raised