Text Version


 
 
prisoners, and what the prisoners had told the Filipinos. He
 
showed no concern over the question of food, pointing out that
 
he was concerned only with the propaganda aspect of the situs-
 
tion. He wanted to know if the Filipinos had told the Americans
 
any news about the progress of the war, and whether the Americans
 
had said anything that might have encouraged the Filipinos to re-
 
volt against the Japanese. He got nowhere, for the simple reason
 
that the prisoners had been interested only in acquiring food.
 
     The five Americans and two Filipinos, as punishment,
 
were tied up to stakes just outside the camp and allowed no food
 
or water for forty-eight hours. In tying one of the Americans,
 
the Japanese guards had done a bungling job, and this man
 
finally found that he could wriggle out of his bonds. The mid-
 
day heat was almost unbearable. At about noon of the second day,
 
this enlisted man apparently became crazed by the combination of
 
heat, hunger and thirst. He jerked out of his bonds and ran to
 
the stockade gate and let himself in. Once inside his own
 
Barracks he got some water and then went to his own bunk and lay
 
down.
 
     Despite the fact that this prisoner voluntarily ran back
 
inside the prison stockade, the Japs made a great commotion over
 
their charge of attempted escape. At about five o'clock that
 
afternoon all of us were herded into our barracks under guard.
 
The barracks were so flimsily constructed, however, that it was
 
impossible to prevent the prisoners from seeing what went on out-
 
side. Those prisoners who were near enough thus could look through
.
 
                                      - 41 -
 
 
View Original View Previous Page View Next Page Return to Folder IndexReturn to Box Index