All day the Japs were rounding up Americans in trucks and taking them to Santo Tomas; the boys were out scouting, about 5pm they reported a car at Wilson’s house, I and the boys took our bags and waited for the car, when it came to me I held up my hand and told the Jap civilian I wanted to go, I motioned to the boys to go back—how I wish now that I had taken them with me. Fred Luhrsen also was in the car which took us to the Rizal Stadium, I thought the Japs were going to beat me again but they let me off with many questions, seemed to think I was an officer; about 7pm were put in a car, Wilson, Rice, Armstrong, Dutch, and a Spanish American sea Captain and a Jap officer, to Sta Tomas; arrived at about 8pm. Many were there ahead of us and there was much confusion. We went in the Museum and made our beds down on the floor but a Jap ordered us out and we went to a large room next door, were more than sixty of us in there. I and Dutch slept together on the concrete floor with only a bed spread under us. It was sure hard.
Carl E. Rice
(1877 — 1950). Veteran of Spanish-American War; served in Immigration Service; Senior Administrative Assistant in the Manila Base Quartermaster Depot. Married to a Filipina, he was eventually interned in Santo Tomas.
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