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f* | Gunner I | j Depew [; i ?v ? = Jllbcri Dcpmv | I imnviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii,? 'Continued from l.net WeeU> There watt a lot of.bamboo near the Russian barracks and the Russians made ? baskets out of It and turned them In to the Germans. For this they ?At ?11 ? ? J-m-- - ?... pvi an lue ku?u jiiub in ine mtcnen and had a fine chance to get more to | eat. But they were treated like dogs? -4jUfU- ta,.alL except the few Cossacks that were In the bunch. The Huns knew that a Cossack never forgets und will get revenge for the slightest mistreatment, even If It means his death. I have seen sentries turn aside from the beat they were walking and get out of the way when they saw a Cossack | coining. There were very few Cosh- : aeks there, however. I do not think ' they let themselves get enptured very often. We had roll call every morning, of course, and were always mustered In front of our barracks, the middle of the line being right at the barrncks door. Sometimes when the cold got too much for them, the men nearest the door would duck Into the barracks. As they left the ranks the other men would close up and this kept the line even, with the center still a opposite the barracks door. Finally almost all of the men would be in the barracks and by the time the roll war. over not one remained outside. This seemed to peeve the German officers* a grent deal, l?ut they did not punish ' us for It until we had been doing It for some time. For several days I had noticed that soipeone else nnswered for two men who had disappeared; at least I had not seen them for some time. I did not think much about it, or ask any questions, and I did not hear anyone else talk about It, but 1 was pretty sure the two men, a Russian and a Britisher, had escaped. But they were marked present at rdll call and all accounted for. Everything went along very well until one day when the name "f ontuine" got by without being un- ' Bwered. Fontaine wns n French fire- ' man from the Cambrian Range nml ' that was the first time he had not been ' * p-o?iont. We caw what wns coming ' and wo began to get pretty sore nt ( Fontaine for not telling us. so we could 1 answer for him and keep the escape ' covered. The minute they found our count one short they blew the whistles and a squad of sentries caine up us an ' extra guard. They counted us again, but by sneaking back of the line and ( closing up again we made the count ( all right except for one mnn?Fon- , talne. We would have tried to cover up for him, except that they hnd already discovered his absence. Now, we thought, they will nab Fontaine but will not discover the escape of the others. Rut evidently they suspected something, for soon they brought over a petty officer from H. M. S. Nomad, who had not been with us before, and forced him to call the roll from the mustering papers, while they watched the men as they uuswercd. Then they discovered that two more besides Fontaine were missing and began to seandi for them. The other two apoke Oermun and I had been missing tor at least three days and, I think, had escaped by this time. They were not returned while I wns at Ilrandeuburg. This was about 7 a. in. They drilled us down to the little luke, where the cold war much greater, and kept us there until 5 p. in., without food or drink. At about eight that morning they found Fontaine In a French barracka and kicked him all the way to the lake where we were. All day long we stood there, falling one by one and getting kicked or beaten each time until we dragged ourselves up ugain. Two or three died? I do not know the exact number. But we had enough strength, when ordered i back to the barracks, to kick Fon- < talne ahead of us all the way. We * did not get anything to eat until seven the next morning?twenty-four hours without food and water, ten of which were spent in the snow without any protection from the cold and wind. No wonder we kicked Fontaine for bringing this punlshnu nt on uh and endangering the two who had escaped? n Kail nl*r?r?l? UHVI DIIUIICU UYVr IU llio French barracks and forgot to return. 1 Now, the food received wan Just 1 about enough to keep us alive. I sup- 1 pose, with true kultur, the Huns had 1 figured out Just how much It would take to keep a man on this side of ' > the starvation line and gave us that 1 much and no more. So we were always ' famished?always hungrier than you ' probably ever have been. But some- 1 times when we were ravenously bun- ' gry and could not hold out any longer we would trade rations. One man would trade his whole ration for the next day for a half ration today. That Is, .If you were so hungry 1 that you thought you could not last * out the day on your regular share, you 1 would tell someone else that If he gave you half his share today you would j glvo him all of yours tomorrow. If he J was a gambler he would tuke you up. 1 That is, he would gamble on his being 1 alive tomorrow, not on your keeping 1 your word. lie knew you would come ' across with your ration the next day, 1 and like ns not, If you tried to keep It 1 from him, he would kill you, and no- 1 body would blame htm. It certainly was hard, when the next day came, to give up your whole ration ] and go without that day. But I never saw a man hedge, or even speak of It. And we did not have any food pirate* among as either: we were not captains oc litfwtnr by mj: jmm* I 1 II M I I " ^ One Man Would Trade His Whole Ra- < tlon for the Next Day for Half a Ra- * tlon Today. 1 There Were times when some of nn * ;ould not eat certain of our rations. 8 For instance, many nnd many a time [ was as hungry as anybody could be, ( ind I \vanted to eat my brend, but It 1 seemed as If I could not get It Into 1 my mouth. Then I would trade It with 1 someone else for his "shadow soup" or ^ lis barley coffee. 1 We were dying every day In Bran- 1 lenhurg and after each death the lenlor men of that barracks would de- 1 all twelve of their number to go out * !or half an hour and dig the grave, 1 vhlle others made little crosses, on 1 vhlch they wrote or carved the man's ' lame, when he was captured, and his 1 eglment or ship. In the middle of ! he cross were always the letters. It. I. P.?Rest In Peace. One time we were ordered to report :o the German doctors for a scrum rent men t of some kind?to receive ail | njeetlon, in other words. There was ( jo choice shout it this time, us we were simply herded together to the , lospltal barracks. Now, I knew what :hese things were like ni*d how brutal ( the German doctors were in giving un Injection, so I wanted to be the very , first man and not have to witness the Jther tuen getting theirs. \ So I pushed up to the head of the line, with the crew of H. M. S. Nomad, who had been captured in the Jutland battle, and by the time we got to the iiospltul was the very first man In line. ( Ihit the sentry threw me buck and t there were several men uhead of me. | Each of them bared his chest and the loctors slashed them across the breast t with u very thin knife, so you can see f that it was very painful. When It ? ?nme to my turn they slashed me three t times in the shape of a triangle just to f ?ne side of the hreust. And tliut was t nil there was to it?no injection, noth- , ing on the knife that I could see. t Now, I do not know what the idea was. Every man of us was dlziy for | the r?rt of the day and could n it do ' f .nythlng but lay around the barracks. | r And hardly any of us hied a drop > j though the gashes were deep. I do not think we had any blood in us to run, 1 ind that Is the truth of It. It was ( ( i? 11: ' "J J They 8lashed Me Three Time*. ! lost another Gorman trick that no one >onld explain. One day a war correspondent named Bennett, from a Chicago paper, came o the ennip and went through all the wrrncks. When he came to our har neks I told him I was an Amerlcun ind asked for the news. Insteud of answering he began to ask all sorts )f questions. Finally, after I had told ilm I had been In the French service, [ asked him If he eouid help me In any vay. He answered that I hud only inylelf to hlnme and that It served me *lght If I had been in one of the allied irmles. I did not like his lookfl much and he iceined unfriendly, but when he began imoking a cigarette It almost drove me *rnzy and I could not help asking for me. lie refused me and said I should 1 inve stayed In my own country, where [ could have had plenty of cigarettes, j r aiht a wnne ne tnrew nwny a clga- ? ette Htub and not only I but three or ? 'our others who wore near made a dive t 'or it. A man named Kelley got It? i crazy man who went around trying :o eat wood and cloth and anything t ie could And. r When my three weeks were up and r [ had not lieard from Mr. Oerard I was lust about ready to go <Jown to the lake and pick out a vacant apot and j ay down In It. I really do not think i, [ could have lasted two weeks longer, u \nd just about that time, as I was H walking back to barracks one day. a r frenchman showed mo a Gorman i lewspaper, and there In large type on. v 'he top of the first page It said that ? Mr. Gerard had left the country, or ^ was getting ready to leave, They had f to drag me the rest of the way to the ] t>arracks and throw snow on me befor* | [ came to. I (Gunner Depew*s Interview with Mr. [ 3erard took place at the Dulmen prison samp on or about February 1, 1917. On February I,' our atate department demand- I sd the release of slxtjy-two Americans saptured on British vessels and held as prisoners In Germany. On the same day. President Wilson severed diplomatic relaJons with Germany. Ambassador Gerard eft Germany exactly one week later. The lewspamr that Gunner Depew saw must lave been Issued after February 10. It was not until March 9, 1917, however, that 3unner Depew was actually released from Brandenburg.?Editor's Note.] I do not know what happened during he next few days. Bui a week or so later the Spanish unbassudor and four German officers , ind Swutts came to our barracks and j he umbassador told me I would be 'cleused! It was all I could do to ceop from fainting again. Thea-Swatts isked me In English If I had anything o say about the treatment In the :amp, and I began to think maybe t was a frame-up of some kind, so all ! said was, "When will I get out of lere?" and he said, "Why, you will be elenscd tomorrow." I did not wait to hear any more, but usiu-u into tne nnrrucks again, Ringing ind whistling untl yelling as loud as I ould. The boys told me my face was 'ery red and I guess what little blood bad In my body had rushed to my lead, becuuse I could hurdly walk for i few minutes. Then the men begun to think I was ;rnzy, and none of them believed 1 (vould really be released, but that I ivus going to be sent to the mines, as 10 many were. But I believed It, and [ just sut there on my bunk and be?an to dream of the food I would get Hid what 1 would eut first, und so on. I did not sleep thut night?Just walked from barracks to barracks untlll they chased me uway, and then tvulked up and down in my own burracks the rest of the night. When 1 got to the Russian barracks and told the two doctors my news, they would not believe me at all, although they knew there had been some important visitor ut the camp. But when I wulked out of their door [ said, "Dobru vetshav," which means "Good night I" Then- they must have believed me, for they called me back, und ull the men guve me uddresses of people to write to In cuse I should get away. They were all talking at once, and one of the doctors got very excited and got down on his knees with his hunib In the air. "Albert," he suld, "If you have the God-given luck to get out of Germany?not for my sake, but for the suke of us who are here in this hull-hole, promise me you will tell all lhe people wherever you go what they lire doing to us here. Tell them not tc tend money, for we can't eat money ind not meat?Jost bread, bread, >rend?" And when I looked around all the nen were sitting on their beds crying ind tearing their hair and saying, 'bread, bread, bread," over und over igaln. Then each tried to give me loiuethlng, as if to say that even If hey did not get dut, perhaps their buton or belt-or skull cup would get back o civilization. When I left thefr barracks 1 began o cry, becuuse it did not seem posilble that 1 was going uway, und ul eady I could see them starving slowy, Just as I hud been starving. The next morning a sentry came tc ay barracks, called out my nume and , ook me to the communder of the rump. They searched me, and then lrllled me back to burrucks again. P)lC?n th** mon oil *hnu?l?* ..? VM tuvu^lll 11IC/ W *3* l." I ust playing a Joke on me, and they laid so. The same thing happened tho next lay, and when one of the men said hut prohubly I would be slammed up igalnst a wall and shot, I began to feel ihaky, I can tell you. Hut the third morning, after they iad searched me, the commander said, 'Well, you'll have to have a bath beore you leuve the country," and I vas so glad that I did not mind about he hath, although I remembered the nst one I hud, and It did not agree ery well with me. After the bath, , hey drilled me out Into the roud. There were four sentries with me, >ut not Swntts, nor did I see him inywhere around, for which I wus sor y. Hut all the boys came down to he barbed wire, or to the gate, and lome were crying, and others were heerlng, und all of them were very nnch excited. Hut after a minute or wo they got together ugaln and the ast thing I heurd wus the song about >acklng up your old kit hag, and then, 'Are we downhearted??Nol" They vere certainly guipe lads. They did not take me straight to he station, hut took me through all he streets they could find, and us uslal, the women were there with the tricks und spit. Hut I did not mind: was used to it, and besides, It was he last time. 80 I Just grinned at hem, and thought that I was better iff than they, because they had to stuy 11 the hole called Germuny. I was still half naked, but I did not nlnd the two-hour wait on the station ilutforin. I noticed a little sign thut end, "Herilu 2o miles north," and hut was the first time I had much of in Idea where Hrandenburg was. When we got into the compartment ind I found thut the windows were mt smashed I could not believe it at Irst until I remembered that this was tot a prisoner train. We had a forty,(,.?*+ -I -1- ? I-..I Hiai. iiuui iiuc HI IjIIIUUU, WHICH IB UU he Lake of Constance, and no food or rater In that time. But still I did not nlnd it much. At Llndau they drilled no into a little house and took away ill the addresses thot I had, and lien inarched me over to the little ioat which crosses the lake. As I started up the gangway the last hlng I? received Id Germany reached tie?a crack across the buck with a i tic I The women and children on the lock hud their fists up and were yellng, "American swine I" But I Just BUgbed at them. And when I looked iround the boat and saw no German oldlers ? only Swiss civilians ? I ubbed my eyes and could not believe L When they guve me bread, which ras wjiut I hod decided I wanted moat if all hack in the camp, 1 thought I vas in heaven sure enough, and when, orty-flve minutes later, we arrived at Rorschach in Switzerland, I finally mew I was free. | CHAPTER XXIV. Back In th? State*. After I urrlved at Rorschach I was taken to a large hall, where I remained over night. There were three American llugs on the wulls, the drat I had seen in a long time. I certainly illd a flue job of sleeping that night, t think I slept twice as fast to make up for lost time. . In the mornlug I bad a regular banquet for breakfast?eggs, coffee, bread and a small glass of wine. Even now, although I never pass up a meal, that breakfast Is still easy to taste, and I sometimes wish I could enjoy another lueul us much. But I guess I never Bhull huve one that goes us good. After breakfast they took me out on the stops of the hall and photographed me, ufter which 1 went to the rullwuy station, with a young mob ut my heels. It reminded me a bit of Oermuny?It was so different. Insteud of bricks and bayouet jubs, the mob gave me :lgarettes and chocolate and sandwiches. They also hauded me questions?enough to keep mo busy answering to this day If I could. I got on the train to Zurich, and at every stop on the way there were more presents and more cameras nnd more questions. At St. Gullen they had cards ready for me to write on, and then they were going to send them to anybody I wished. The stutlon ut Zurich was packed with people, and I begun to think I was a star for sure. Francis B. Keene, the Amerlcun consul generul ut Zurich, and his assistant, were there to meet me. We wulked a few blocks to his office, and ' all the way the cameras Pore clicking and the chocolates and cigarettes piling up until I felt like Santa Glaus on December 24th. After u little talk with Mr. Keene, he took tne to the Stussehof hotel, where my wounds were dressed?and believe me, they needed It. The Swiss certainly treated me well. Every time I came out on the streets they fcllowed me around, and they used to give me money. But the money night Just us well have been leather or lead?I could not spend It. Whenever I wanted to buy anything the shopkeeper would make me a present of It. I also visited the Hotel Dour au Lac, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harold McCormlck of Chicago, who are doing such fine work with the Red Cross and are looking ufter the Belgian nnd The SwIm Certainly Treated Me Well. French refugees In Switzerland. It wns n dinner, und much appreciated by one guest, at least. I need not mention his name, but he ate so much that he felt nshumed afterward. I do not think he got In had for It, though, for afterward Mr. and Mrs. McCormlck each gave him a valuable present, which he needed badly. After the dinner Mrs. McCormlck made a little patriotic speech, in which she said that the Iluns would never trample on the United States Aug, and some other things that made all the Americans there very proud, especially Mr. Keene und myself. So you see I was having u great time. Hut I was having a little trouble, all the time, for this reason: there were quite a few Germans Interned in Zurich, and they went about In uniform. Now, when I saw one of these birds and remembered what had been hnp(To Be Continued) AUDITOR'S NOTICE The Auditor's office will be open for the assessment of all personal property, poll, road and dog tax from January the 1st, 1919, 10 February tho 9tuh ini? All ablebodied men between the ?ges of 21 and 60 years arc subject o a poll tax of $1.00 and those between the ages of 18 and 50 are reluired to pay a commutation road tax of $2.00. The law requires 50 per cent, penalty added on all property not re-J turned on or before February the 20th. | The oflice will be open every day' except as below stated. 1 will be at the following places on the dates named: Angelus, February 4th, from 11 to 3 o'clock. McBee, February, 5th and 6th. Middendorf, February 7th, from 11 to 2 o'clock. .Tr>flTpr?i?ri- Kolirrtnrv 1 OtVi J. G. Holly's, February 11, from 10 to 12 o'clock. W. J. Hicks, February 11, from 1 to 3 o'clock. PaKHand, February 12 and 13. Dudley, February 14th, from 10 to 1 o'clock. Cheraw, February 17th and 18th. T. W. EDDINS, County Auditor TOWN TAX BOOKS OPEN Town Tax?Books are now open for the payment of taxerfl See me at the store of W. A. Rivers T. E. MULLOY, > Clark ' . 11 11 ? < penlng to me Jo*t a abort time before ; my hands began to Itch. Relieve me, ' It was not "good morning" that 1 1 said to them. I enjoyed It all right; they were not In squuds and had no arms, so It was hand to hand, and pie for me. But Mr. Keene did not like It, 1 guess, for he called me to his office one morning an^l bawled me out for n while, and I promised to be good. "You're supposed to be neutral," he suld. And I said, "Yes, and when I was torpedoed and taken prisoner. I was supposed to be neutral, too." But I said I would not look for trouble uny more, and started back to the hotel. But no sooner was I dflflerway than a Hun private caine along and began to laugh at me. My hands Itched again, und I could not help hut slam him a few. We went round and round for a while, and then the Hun reversed and went down instead. Mr. Keene saw us, or heard ubout It, so he told me I had better go to Berne. So off I went, with my pnssport. But the same thing happened In Berne. I tried very hard, hut I Just could not keep my hands off the Germans. So I guess everybody thought It wus a good thing to tell me good-by?anyway I was shipped Into France, going direct to St. Naznlre and from there to Brest. . I made a Rhort trip to Hull. Knglnnd, with a letter from n man at Brandenburg to his wife. She was not at home, but I left the letter and returned to France. I was In Frnnee altogether about three weeks, and then went to Barcelona, Spain. Then I took passage for the States on the C. Lopez y Lopez, a Spanish nierchnntninn. We had mostly."Splgs" on hoard, which Is navy slang for Spaniards. Almost every one of them had a large family of children and a raft of pets. We snlled down thrnn??H Valencln, Almerlu, Malaga, Cadiz and Las I'almns In the Canary islands. When we left Las Palmas we laid a regular nienugerle aboard?parrots, canary birds, dogs, monkeys and vurlous beasts. Tbe steerage of that boot was some sight, believe me. We had boat drill all tbe way across, of course, and from the way those Splgs rushed about I knew thnt If a submarine got us the only thing thnt would he saved would be monkeys. Hut we did not even huve u false ulurm ull the way over. I arrived In New York during the month of July, 1017?two ytmrs and a half from the time 1 decided to go abroad to the war zone to get some excitement. I got It, and no mistake. New York harbor and the obi statue of Liberty looked mighty good to me, you cun bet. So here I am, and sometimes I have to pinch myself to be sure of It. I eertulnly enjoy the food and warmth I get here, and except for an occasional pro-German I have no trouble with anybody. My wounds break open once In a while, and 1 am often bothered Inside, on account of the gus I swallowed. They say I cannot get back Into the service. It Is tough to be knocked out before our own boys get iuto the scrap. Hut I do oot know. I nm twentythree year old, and probably have a lot to live for yet. I ought to settle down and be quiet for a while, but comfortable as I am, I think I will have to go to sen again. I think of It many tltrcs, and each time It is harder to stay ashore. TIIE END. MR. COKER ON COTTON Clemson College, S. C., Feb. '.i.? In his report as a member of tht American Agricultural Commission which visited Europe last fall tc study agricultural conditions, MiDavid It. Coker, of Hartsville, ha; the following to say concerning th? status of cotton. It should prove tc be interesting reading. "Well posted experts also are con fident that thL. demand for all kimk of textile fibers will exceed the sup ..i.. r?_ - ? i ? r,M yiy iui acvuitti yt'urs. i rns ap|>iaar.s to me to be even more evident than that there will be food scarcity aftei 1919. The supply of American cot ton in Liverpool when our commission sailed was about 100,000 bales, of which only 10,000 were unsold Mill buyers were actively looking over the market for cotton suitnhb for certain purposes, and were buy ingf from one to five-bale lots wherever they could find them. As soon as any transportation can be found a lurfje amount of cotton should be forwarded to Liverpool, Manchester, and other foreign ports, not only tci be available for (he immediate needs o*f the Allied countries, but to be on hand there for export to the Central Empires as soon as they are allowed to handle our raw materials. "While I believe the laws of supply and demand will operate to re| store cotton and to keep it on a most profitable basis for several years, I think it would be advisable for the Department of Agriculture to continue to stress the necessity for the production in the cotton Delt of ample food stuffs (including live stock) for home consumption. I believe the present price at which cotton is selling is much too low. This opinion is based on the belief that the war is about to end; that there is an accumulated deficiency of textiles in in practically every country ol the world; that the past three crops have only been approximately equal to the decreased spinning capacity caused by the war, and that lack of potash and labor foreshadows another short crop in 1919. ""The immediate future of the cotton industry of the United States will depend very largely on the trans portation situation throughout thi world. Nothing can be more impor tant than ample ocean tonnage am moderate freight rates." I . EVER SALIVATED BY CALOMEL? HORRIBLE! Calomel is quicksilver and acts like i i dynamite on yeur liver. Calomel loses you a day. You know what calomel is. It's mercury; | quicksilver. Calomel is dangerous. It ' crashes into sour bile like dynamite, cramping and sickening you. Calomel attacks the bones and should never be put into your system. When you feel bilious, sluggish, ' constipated and all '..nocked out and believe you need a dose of dangerous calomel just remember that your druggist sells for a few cents a large i bottle of Dodson's Liver Tone, which I is entirely vegetable and pleasant to PEE V;- Afi; I y Breaks up yma CtWvv^v ^ Gcod for I i - . - I \ \ V- n.',M I j Ji > 'n:!airmatic~s. The. e v<!.i object to liquid tr.cdi- j cir.cs can secure Pcruna Tablets ! The Infallible One of the wisest said: "If you want t destined to b can easily fine and infallible: money? If will lose." But you can w bank 's service. THE FARM ruby, souti T. H. BURCH, R. M. NI President V f fi mum urao UHTTEE fiOVUl ? Ruv TTu Help Win FOR SALE El ffyank of % Olde.rt Bank I R. E. River*, President. M. J. Hou gh, Vice-President. : I TheSouthen 1AM Trust Has had an exceec from the very beginr | rate increases policy 11917 the net death the year were only * expected mortality. Chesterfield I C. C. DOUG ALSO FIRE, ACCIDENT, HF. INSURj We Buy t?d Sell Reel \ * 1 A I take and is a perfect aubctitute for | calomel. It i8 guaranteed to atart your liver without stirring ySu up inside, and can not salivats. Don't take calomel! It makss you sick the next day; it loses you a day's work. Dodson's Livor Too# Straightens you right up and you foul groat. Ci've it to the children hap ops a it Is perfectly harmless an4 ajfw'trtwTHIRD ONE OOf IT At a baptizing, just after a glorious revival, three negro women were to be immersed. They were led out into the water by the negro minister. The first, upon coming up out of the water, shouted "Glory!" the next "Hallelujah!" The third, not wishing to repeat what had been said, immediately shouted, "Christmas Gift!" 1 a A Hcuse All the time v i'ia. uKraczraB? Mr. Robert McI)ouk:iI1, R. R. No. fi, Liberty, Indiana, writes: "I wish to state that I always keep Portion in Hie house. I think it is a good medicine to have on hand. if I commence taking a cold, I take Pcrurin and it breaks it up for me. it is also good for the Hronehlal Tubes." Fcrurta has served the American people for more than forty *"* years. Thoso who know its value rlways hive it at hand. Why I r.ot you? ] Test nation s wealthiest and 0 know whether you are e a success or not, you 1 out. The test is simple Are you able to save not, drop out. You in by persistance and this ERS BANK H CAROLINA LWSOM M. L. RALEY, .-President Cashier. =~ sS\ US SCUM v m ?STATES MMENT im And The War /ERYWHKK* 'he^terfield n Chesterfield C. C. Douglass, Cashier. D. L. Smith, Assist. Cashier. i Life Company lingly low death rate ling?and a low death / holders' profits. In losses incurred during 39.9 per cent, of the joan 8 Ins. Co. LASS, Manager ALTH, HAIL, LIVE STOCK M4CE Eitate Money Loaned T. ? h v MU-M- . it'sdk ?> I ?' a