12 PAGES & KINGSTON, ONTARIO. TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1919 The Daily British Whig N PAGES 9.12 | SECOND SECTION RRR THYEAR 86. NO, 17 Wy A Se Ce ob 2 4 t By Hon. Henri S. Beland, M.D, MP. - Ahh adhd dh dd Pr. dh A "My Three Years-in a German Prison" VY WR Lg og Md n Copyright 1919 1 CHAPTER XVIII, - Acting Jail Physician, During the three yeeks of my cap- tivity in the jail at Berlin 1 frequent- ly had occasion to exercise my pro- fession as a medical doctor. Medical care wgs supposed to be given to the prisone an old practioner of Ber- lin, a DS cker. He visited the jail every day between the hours of nine and ten o'clock in the morning. Sick prisoners, accompanied by a non-commissioniéd officer, went to him in his office, which was situdted in a segtion of ihe building adjoining the jail proper. Exactly at ten o'clock the aged doctor would leave his office, not to return until the fol- lowing morning, ¥or twenty-four hours every day I was the only phy- sician in the section of the jail I oc- cupied, The'ad joining sections, which were likewise of triangular shape, were occupied by German. soldiers who had been accused of breach of discipline. On several~occasions I wis called upon to give medical at- tention to some of these soldiers while they were waiting trial before a court-martial. During the daytime i was free to visit these patients, go- ing from cell to cell. At night, how ever, 1 was locked ip my own cell like the other prisgnera, and if some- thing happened in the neighboring section a non-commissioned officer would arouse and conduct me to the place where my professional services were required. This happened very often. 1'was in this way not infre- guently called to attend to a prisoner who had attempted suicide. In no fewer than ten instances it was a cave of actual suicide, committed in some cases with a revelver;"in other cases with a razor and' sometimes strangfilation. « No experience was more appalling than to hear in the dead of night the report of a gun, The walls would vibrate, the prisoners would 'be aroused from sleep, and one would ask the other who now had preferred a sudden end to a continu- ance of misery? A few minutes aft- er thie report my cell door wauld - be opened by a nonccommissidned offi< cer. He would request me to follow him in order to ascertain the cause bf death or render medical aid Po an injured prisoner, as the cise might be, : Services which I rendered to pri- soners of all nationalities, and often- times to non-commissioned officers, placed me in a favorable position 'with the guards. There was no at- tempt do restrict the freedom of my movements inside the prison, and in this way I was able to aid less for- tunate_ prisoners, either with medical attention or by providing food where] the need was most urgent. I received cordial: co-operation from my fel- low captives, more especially from the English-speaking. One had only .. to make an appeal on behalf of a "prisoner to at once receive from others tea, biscuits, margarine or any little delicacy that was available. No sacrifice was top 'great if thes men could only relieve, if onlpin a 'small measure, the distress their fellows. : One of the most pathetic cases which came Within my persdusl ob- servation was that of Dan Williame« Rubleben camp. all the noise." 'son. Twice he had escaped from Mother! Look After his first re- capture he was interned at the Stadt vogtei, where he remained for about a year. Then he was sent back to Rubleben camp. A few months lat- er hie escaped alain. In company with a companion named Collins he succeeded in passing the German seniries and was on his way towards Holland when he and his wompan- fon were arrested. They were brought to the jail in Berlin. At that time recaptured prisoners were being pun- ished by solitary confinement in dark dungeons for two weeks at, a time, Williamson and Collins were placed in separate dark cells--two of the fourteen With the dark shutters which I have previously Teferred to. One day, at about five o'clock in the afternoon, a terrible noise was heard. This was succeeded by what appear- ed to be the pounding of the walls. Threats were overheard. A pon- commissioned officer appeared at the door of my cell and informed me that Williamson had just attempted . to commit suicide; that. he had been gound covered with blood, and that & blood-stained razor with which he had attempted the deed had been tak- en from him. Meanwhile the noise of the blows against the wall of the neighboring cell continued. My in- formant said: "Williamson is making I reflected that a man of so much apparent vigor was not in immediate danger, At the request of the non:commis- stoned officer 1 proceeded to the dor of Willlamson's cell. 'I was attempt- ing to speak to. him through the sinall apdrture in the middle of the door wren my words were interrupt- ed by a heavy blow on the door from the inside. [Instinotively I withdrew and decided that it would not he wise to open the door at the moment. Wil- liamson evidently had a weapof of some kind in his possession, and it was supposed he had succeeded in tearing off one of the legs from the iron bedstead in the cell. I advised the non-commissionel officer to tele- phone to the.police station for two constables, and w few minutes after- ward these men appeared accompani- ed by two other non-commissioned officers of the jail. I suggested that we should first open the door of Col- ling' cell which was immediately ad- joining the one occupied by William- son, This done, I advised Collins to stand on the threshold of William-~ son's cell and try to appease his friend. Then the door was opened. Williamson leaped from his cell like an enraged tiger let loose from a cage. He struck his friend Collins, knocking him to the ground, and he would have beaten the fellow un- mercifully Nad not the whole party of us seized Williamson and »yover- powered him. He was like a * mah who had lost his reason. 1 was about to speak to him when he: cried out: "Give me my razor so that I may end it all." His clothes were covered with blood. On his right arm was a deep wound, though not a long one: It had manifestly been inflicted with some sharp instrument. 'While 'the others held him I ob- tainéd the necessary dressing and at once gave the wound the surgical treatment it required and dressed it. Then the constables handcuffed him, at his Tongue! Give Him a Cascaret--Quick | Won't eat? Don't scold! See if tongue is white, breath feverish, stomach sour. ~ ' fermentations and constipation the little stomach, liver and 'orks' the nasty bile, the 'sour F carried him into a distant cell, locked the door and left hint for the rest of the night. Before I left him, however, 1 asked if thers Was anything I might possibly do for him. Williamson, poor fellow, looked at me with a blank stare and said noth- ing. I urged my request, but it was in vain. He would not say one word. My mind was preoccupied: with the man until the next morning, when 1 asked one of the non-commissioned officers to accompany me to the cell where Williamson lad been placed. Arriving there we found the prison- er standing in the middle of the cell. He fixed his haggard eyes upon us, but he remained mute to my "Good morning." "Well, how are you feeling now?" 1 asked him. No answer, "Did you sleep?" Again there was no answer, "Come, come, my dear, good fel- ow," 1 said, "cheer up; {I have brought Jou Some warm tea and some biscuits. Do you wish for anything else? 'If so I may bo allowed to bring it to you." Williamson still stood silent, with kis cold stare fixed upon me, unmind- ful-of all 1 said to him. I placed the cup of tea and the biscuits jon the mattress, which was the only com- modity in the.cell, and once more I tried to mlake him undérstand me, but it was of no avail. His lips were as though sealed. And so we loft him---the officer and I. "A report was at once made to the prison doctor, Dr. Becker, who, when he arrived at nine o'clock that morning ordered Williamson into hospital. Three weeks afterwards he came back to the jail, looking much better. But the same night I was again called to his eel! by a non-commissibned of- cer, Williamson lay stretched on the floor. near his bed suffering from an acute fit of epilepsy. After we had him calmed down we placed him on the bed and 1 talked with him for an nour. He was calm and self-contain- ed. He gave me news of some Brit- ish prisoners of war--some of whom were wounded---whom he had met, at the Alexandrine Street Hospital whore. he had been a patient himself during the three preceding weeks. It was then that I resolved to apply go tho German authorities for permis- sion to serve at this hospital as sur- goon to the British prisoners. I com- municated my intention to William- son. "You may make your application, doctor," he said, "but it will be refus- ed." "Why do you say that?" I in- quired. - . "Because these people will know that, in the position you seek, yon will see too many things and gei to know too much." = Williamson's prediction was right. was refused. In the meantime Wil- liamson had another fit of epilepsy. He 'was at that time in the cel of a Mr. Hall, another Englishman. It was between five and six o'clock in the afternoon. Non-commissioned officers hastened to the cell, and, frightened by the serious turn Wil- liampon's illness had - taken, they niade a joint report to \the officer in charge, who at once interviewed Dr. Becker on the subject. The out come was that Williamson was releas- ed from the jail. . I never was able to ascertain where he was taken. I belleve he was sent to an asylum, and from thige he would be exchanged. 'One night we were awakened by a séries of detonations coming from outside the jail. What 1d it be, we wondered. There we Were right in the heart of Berlin, and there was unmistakably -a serious disturbance of some kind. Was it a Was i the noise of an encou be- tween the gendarmes and a band of workmen on strike? We could ob tain no answer to these questions at the time, but soon afterwards I was informed: of what had taken place. Shortly after hearing the noise of the first shots I was called from my cell to ascertain the cause of the death of 4 soldier who had been brought from the battle-front to Berlin to be lock- ed up at Stadtvogtei pending trial be- fore a court-martial. This refractory soldier, the guards reported, had be- haved himself well all the way from Flanders to Berlin, but directly "he om the front'of the jail he be- came unruly, broke from his guards, and escaped. The guards went in pursuit. There was an exciting chase found the walls of the jail, which soldier was' padded My request, made a few days later, |. DRAUGHTS PRESIDENT WILSON Upset Senator Chamberlin's proposed War Cabinet of three to take war control away from the President, one year ago today, January 21, 1918. Find: another 'politician YEBTERDAY'S ANSWER Left side down nose qt right shoulder. News of Meérrickville, Merrickville, Jan, 16.~The churches dnd schools have reopened again. 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