Escape #6: July 7, 1918
Chattanooga Daily Times
Chattanooga News
Escape #6 resulted in the death of another prisoner. As reported on July 8, 1918, in the Chattanooga Daily Times, a prisoner named Peter Czan (spelling varies) was being escorted outside the wire because he had been assigned to a special duty. What exactly that special duty was is not mentioned, however, we do have photographic evidence that nearby the stockade was a small rock quarry. Stone was being removed for use in and around the camp. While not known for sure, the guard might have been escorting Czan to this quarry. Apparently, while walking toward this special duty, Czan decided to break into a run for his independence. The guard shouted "Halt!" Czan did not stop but rather picked up his speed. The guard fired a warning shot into the air. Czan continued to sprint toward his freedom. The guard then level his shotgun and fired, striking Czan in the back and dropping him in the field.
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Czan was transported to the base hospital at Fort Oglethorpe, General Hospital No. 14. His wounds were mortal. It came out in the news that an anonymous doctor donated his own blood in an effort to save Czan's life. This effort, unfortunately, proved ineffective and Czan died the next day. Czan's body was prepared by the O'Donohue funeral home and buried at the National Cemetery, Chattanooga.
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The science of blood transfusions was still not totally known at the time. Blood groups were known, i.e., A, B, and O, but the "Rh factor" had not yet been discovered. This determines the "positive" or "negative" in everyone's blood. Giving the wrong Rh factor to a recipient could cause a reaction by the body to attack the transfused blood, causing severe complications, even death. It is not known if this played a role in Czan's death. The article describing the transfusion mentions the novelty of this procedure.
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The anonymous doctor who donated his blood was certainly a hero, elevating his Hippocratic Oath above war, politics, and national sentiment. It is understandable that he remained anonymous, for not everyone would have agreed with his altruistic decision.
The Chattanooga News, July 11, 1918
Czan's particular brand of escape sounds suicidal, and it may have been. He apparently was being escorted one-on-one by a guard to the "special detail." Along the way, Czan breaks into a run across an open field, with no trees or rocks or anything to hide behind or from which to seek cover. Nearly everyone knows the physics of a shotgun. What did Czan think his chances were by running from an armed guard, knowing he would shoot if he did not obey the "Halt!" command? Was this a "suicide by cop" style reaction to his imprisonment?
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There is a phenomenon frequently referred to as "barbed wire disease." In their article titled "'Orgelsdorfer Eulenspiegel' and the German Internee Experience at Fort Oglethorpe, 1917-19," published in the Georgia Historical Quarterly, Cross and Myers say:
Prisoners were susceptible to what was termed "Barbed Wire Disease." This recognized mental illness manifested in loss of interest, suspicion, delusions of persecution, hysteria, and raving. Erich Posselt later wrote about it in an article the American Mercury, claiming that "dozens and dozens of men" had to be transferred to St. Elizabeth's Asylum for the Insane in Washington, and alluding to some suicides. Other symptoms he described included growing weird facial hair, spreading rumors, and compulsive hammering. Barbed Wire Disease was generally believed to be exacerbated by persistent boredom, and was identified in internment and POW camps worldwide. This perhaps explains the willingness of camp administrators to allow outside oversight and the efforts of the internees to entertain and distract themselves (emphasis added; Summer 2012, Vol. 96, No. 2, pp. 233-259).
Did Czan's barbed wire disease cause him to rationalize that he would rather die running free than continue to be locked up at Fort Oglethorpe? Did he want the guard to end what he could not? We may never know the truth of what happened that day.
The newspapers mentioned that Czan was imprisoned as a Rumanian (Romanian), but if in fact was this his nationality, the government would not have imprisoned him on this fact alone because Romania was an Allied nation fighting against Germany. Perhaps he might have uttered some seditious Pro-German comments or been involved in some plot, scheme, or anti-American activity, but this was not released by Col. Penrose's office or the Justice Department. One would have to consult his arrest record at the National Archives to illuminate the reason for his imprisonment.
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More can be learned about "barbed wire disease" by starting with the National Library of Medicine. A Swiss physician, Dr Adolf Lukas Vischer (1884-1974), was the first to describe this phenomenon. ​
Czan is buried at the
Chattanooga National Cemetery.
Photo credit Tom Bodkin