this lieutenant colonel, just before my escape, he suffered from 
 
periodic headaches which were extremely painful, and he had a 
 
growing paralysis on one side. It is doubtful whether he is still alive.
 
                Lieutenant Colonel Mellnik:
 
                For the first three months of its existence, Cabanatuan
                
Prison Camp was commanded by Japanese non-coms. After it had
                
been somewhat organized we heard that the command was to be trans-
                
ferred to a commissioned officer. We had great hopes that this
                
change of command would result in less severe discipline, better
                
food, and particularly in better hospital care for the many of our
                
fellow prisoners who were ill or dying. Then came the day of the
                
new commander's arrival. He was a lieutenant colonel, a little
                
on the stout side, and with a bristling black moustache.
                              
     "Holy cow," said an enlisted man who was peering through
                
the fence near where I was standing. "Look at old Mori."
                              
     "Who is Mori?" I asked.
                           
     "Used to run a bicycle shop in Manila. Butter wouldn't
                
melt in his mouth--he couldn't be nice enough to us guys in
                
uniform."
                              
     Apparently, Lieutenant Colonel Nori had a very conven-
                
ient memory, for as far as I was able to learn he did not seem to
                
recall any of his former clients from his bicycle-shop days.
                              
     And the change in our treatment, if any, was no dis-
                
cernible--it would have required nothing short of genius on the
 
part of a new commander to make matters worse. There was, however,
 
 
                                              - 47 -