Cape Breton's Magazine

that happiness after they were in the camp. When we used to have these singsongs, peo? ple would be very happy, happy to be there. I can't remember anybody losing their san? ity. They had physical breakdowns, but no mental breakdowns.... (Ed: The four years you were in the camp, you got one parcel. Did you get any let? ters.) No. (Did your people know where you were?) No.... We could write. Some of the prisoners wrote, but they didn't get through. We were supposed to get parcels from the Red Cross every month. Well, all the time that I was there, I received one parcel. There were dates and figs and things like that in it. My mother had made a fruit cake. She used to send me fruit? cakes at Christmas time to China. So I had that, and I shared it with the people. (But you only got the one.) Just the one. We were never able to acknowledge it or anything. We didn't write back and tell them we received it. But I said, "It'll all come out; it'll be all right." (The sisters and the nuns that were in the camp--what percentage of them survived?) We had 6 sisters in each wing, and they • • ' • • • '-' • ' all survived. One of them died over there, Daniel Marie--that's In March 1943, while Fr. Murphy was Still held by the Japanese, TIMELESS TOP- the one that said iCS published a comic book story about him, based on a story by Rt. Rev. Wm. she' d never c ross me 0. McGrath, prefect apostolic of Chuchow, China, printed in theCatholic Di- again, she was growing Hong Kong Hero gest Readers should note that this wartime comic has some disturbing terms. THIS IS THE STORV OF /9??7/f' CHARUS MURPHY, HEROC CANADIAN FOReiCN MISSIONARY SOCIETY PRieST, WHOSE VAtlflNT EFFORTS IN BEHAtF OF CHINESE KEFUOeeS FORM SOME OF THE BRIOHTER ePISOPES OF THIS WAR . IN A HASTILY IMPROVISED REFUGEE CAMP NEAR HONO KONO'S SCENK REPULSE B/Y, 5,000 CHINESE HELPLESSLY WATCH JAP- ENtse ARTILLERY ANO OIVE B0M6EKS RELEASE GRIM LOADS OF DEATH ON A PELEAOUEKEO 6ARR(SON NEARBY. SEPARATED BY A VtRITABLE NO MANS LAND FROM ALL HELP AND TENSE WITH THE ATTACK THAT THREATENS TO EN&ULF; THEM, INMATES OF THE STRICKEN CAMP WONDER WITH GROWING APPREHEN? SION WHEN AND IF THEY CAN EXPECT ANOTHER LOAD OF THE MfAOER bUPPLies THAT SOMETIMES TRICKLED THROUGH TO THEM FROM THE CITY !?? ?? ?? |- eUTBACKIN H0N6K0N6, FATHER MURPHY HAS NOT F0R60TTeN THeiK NEEDS , I NEED MORE ' BLANKETS FOR THE REFUGEES eUTI iJ'AVEN'T ANY MONEY. YOO'CL JUST ''j|/ WAVE TO TRUST M • ! BETTER *' ' THROW IN SOME TOYS FOR THE KIDS TOO ' flowers. And I wanted a plant for Our Lady's feast day on December the 8th. I said, "Sis? ter, will you let me take the plant over to the church for Our Lady?" "No," she said, "Father, those are for Christmas. I'm guard? ing those with my life for Christmas." And I said, "You wouldn't give them to the Blessed Virgin, Daniel Marie?" I said, "If you don't give them, I'll curse them." I said, "You know the hand of the priest--it can come up in a blessing and it can come down in a curse." And she wouldn't let me take the plant over to the church. I pointed to--I was up on their veranda--I said, "That plant is going to grow and it'll be very beauti? ful, and you'll put it in the church for Christmas. But," I said, "it'll only be there for five min? utes, when it will wilt, and die, and fade away." And the other sisters told me about the rest of the story. She put them on the altar, and they were beautiful- - and then they wilted. Those sisters still remember that story. They said.