The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-12-22


 Praises Ingenuity
 Highest praise was extended by the former internee for what he termed American ingenuity as displayed in the three different Japanese prison camps in which he was held at various times: Cebu, Santo Tomas and Los Banos.
 The mortality rate was kept at a minimum because Of the sanitary and general health facilities rigged up by American ingenuity" the clergyman said. Out of nowhere wash basins, sewers and other such means were built in the camps by the Americans"
 Asked about his Jap captors, the local clergyman said that they were of all kinds; officers who were intelligent, courteous and gen. tlemanly and those who were cruel ly stupid and animalistic The same applied to Japanese priyates, he said.
 Father Mccarthy was liberated last February from the grim Los Banos camp outside of Manila by MacArthur's troops. The clergy man described the thrill of the in- ternees when the first two huge transports roared in low over their camp and American paratroopers poured forth to attack. The first of the paratroopers was signal, 1t can be revealed now, for the Philip pine guerrilla fighters to attack the Japanesee.
 Hot Time in Camp
 There was a hot hour or two then" Father Mccarthy said. "The bullets were whizzing around camp like hornets until finally the Japa- nese were driven into the hills. Those GIs were 8 wonderful sight and their American cigarettes and chocolates was second treat"
 The food fare in the prison camps had been mainly rice, which the prisoners augmented with flowers or leaves of trees which they at tempted to boil, stew. bake or any other form of getting something edible out of wild-life. All the prisoners had lost considerable weight.
 They rushed us out of there in hurry" he said, "for there were about 5000 Japanese but 10 miles away and if they decided to attack 1t would have been too bad"
 Father Mccarthy was ordained in June, 1940 and left for the Maryknoll Mission at Cebu, Philip pines that Fall Then followed the Pearl Harbor attack and the subse- quent assault and capture of Cebu when the local priest was taken prisoner. No word was heard di- rectly from him for about two years.
 Confined in Santos Tomas
 Confinement at the Cebu camp was a cramped, ill-equipped ar- rangement and many internees were then taken in the hold of freighter together with 15O Japanese soldiers on weeks trip to Manila. From there followed internment in San tos Tomas which is the old agri- cultural college Of the University of the Philippines.
 When this camp was later dis covered to be too crowded, 800 prisoners, including the local priest, were transferred to the new camp of Los Banos A six-hour trip in an enclosed all-steel freight-car in the broiling sun, was the mode of travel to the new camp. This was followed by the order to unload the cars and then push them onto siding.
 During his final internment in the grim Los Banos camp, Father Mccarthy served as liaison man be- tween the camp internees and Japanese captors. This had beer reported to his family on occasions by repatriates who had preceded him to the States, and who praised the local priests influence on the camp.
 Japanese Became Ugly
 Toward the final days, as Mac Arthur's forces closed in towaro Manila and outlying districts the Japanese captors became ugly threatening death to the American lllIeTlleeS, lIle pTlcSt SdAu.
 we didn't know what to expect the day of the attack by way o1 reprisal from the Japanese. But they seemed eager to save their own skins, and that was all right with us.
 Father Mccarthy returned with about 1000 GIs by transport from Manila to San Francisco.
 They're the best in the world, he said emphatically.
 The local priest will visit Water bury and out-of-town relatives while on leave. Today he celebrat- ed. Mass at the Church of the Im- maculate Conception and ther started out to renew acquaintance with a hometown he hadn't seen in more than five thrill-packed years
 Members of his immediate family are Mrs. George McCabe of John- son street; Mrs. Dennis Sullivan oi Marion, Conn; John Mccarthy o1 Thompson street and Henry Me