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| Pg.1 | Pg.2 A Santo Tomas Story |
September 17, 1942
“Desecration Day”Today was Desecration Day. In plain view of an angry Escolta crowd, Japanese soldiers used American flags to wash the Botica Boie windows. Two soldiers ripped one flag apart so that each could have a piece. As I passed there was an electric tension in the air, and needless to say, the Japanese gained a few more enemies. “Tension”Less than an hour later, a Ford V8 driven by a Japanese officer came off the wrong side of a one-way street and bumped into a carromata. He made the frightened cochero step down and bawled him out, bopping him in the head every time he bowed in apology. A crowd of bystanders gathered around the scene, and again, the tension became charged with much snorting and vowing of vengeance. “Acts of Kindness”In the last few days, American POWs driving trucks around the Escolta are getting to know just how much people care for them. Rifkin sent a sandwich and a peso over to one as Greenfield slipped him five pesos. A Japanese guard ordered the POW to return it, but the clever fellow switched notes and returned the one-peso bill instead. Elzingre signaled an intention to drop a P2 bill to two POWs at the Crystal Arcade. One prisoner distracted the guards and the other picked up the bill. |
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| Pg.1 Desecration Day | Pg.2 |
Supplement
September 17, 1942
A Santo Tomas StoryThe Connor family is out of Santo Tomas — old man Joe and daughter Eileen for a week, Mrs. Connor and Frances until December. They're happy for this little respite and ever grateful for each little kindness received in their hour of need. I hadn't seen Joe since December 28 so we had some catching up to do. The Connors arrived in Santo Tomas in January and had to sleep on the cold cement floors until outsiders helped with blankets, mattresses, cots and mosquito nets. They had food sent in at the start, but others not so fortunate suffered "real hunger," though not starvation. The main problems are the lack of toilets and hospital beds. Picture just under 5,000 people crowded in a single camp under trying conditions of stress and poor diet, having to wait up to 25 minutes for their turn at the toilet. With only 70 beds in the hospital for both sexes, the lesser ill are kicked out to make space for the serious cases. The Connor family is typical of Santo Tomas. Mrs. Connor was ill for three months, eventually sent to St. Luke's Hospital, and then home with daughter Frances who was ill four or five times. Eileen was never sick and actually looks better than ever. Joe volunteered for a carpenter's job and worked until he started getting dizzy spells — still has them. Today, things are much better in the camp compared to that stark January. The central committee receives 70 centavos per person per day and determines how it is spent. Recently the hospital took over the Santa Catalina College next door, fencing it to form a single unit with Santo Tomas. Santo Tomas is now a clicking institution. Eileen goes to school regularly and Frances is studying shorthand. There are classes on everything up to higher mathematics, mining, and even law, which Foster Bain — the best lawyers in town — undoubtedly teaches. You can study any language; about 10 are studying Japanese, but more study Spanish and French. The central committee checks that everyone is being productive. As for the camp commanders, Tsurimi was well liked and his successor, Kodaki, is also OK. They might have even been nicer had they not had tough people over them. Eileen explained about the 10-day club, a group of people expecting military help to arrive within ten days. Not through the darkest days has this club been without members. Joe Connor is touched by the way that many of the internees have kept their chins up. |