 |
John Mager |
|
John Mager |
| Rev. John Mager Returns; Held by Japs 16 Months |
| Released by Capture of Hollandia |
| The Reverend John Mager, interned by the Japanese on New Guinea 16 months and released when
Hollandia was taken by United States Forces on April 25, last, arrived in
Eau Claire early today and is at the home of his wife's mother, Mrs.
Anna Nimtz, 719 Third Avenue.
The Reverend Mr. Mager explained that details of his internment cannot be revealed under an FBI ruling but discussed briefly his activities as missionary of the American Lutheran Church in the South Pacific. The Japanese captured New Guinea in the latter part of 1942, shortly after Mrs. Mager and the other women were evacuated to Australia, later returning to the United States. The Reverend Mager went first to the South Pacific, shortly after he was ordained in 1927; later spending a furlough in this country in 1936 and returning in 1937. He is a native of Redfield, South Dakota. The pastor said he and others of the group were very well-taken-care-of by United States authorities after the Japs had been forced to relinquish Hollandia, where he was interned. His present plans, he said, are somewhat indefinite, but he expects to spend a few weeks visiting relatives and friends in Minnesota and South Dakota. |