March 15, 1991

In their first extensive public comments since being released two weeks ago, Americans taken prisoner in the Persian Gulf war today recounted tales of terror, torture and, occasionally, compassion at the hands of their Iraqi military captors. Almost all the former prisoners who spoke today recalled feeling confident that the United States would extract them from prison, either by force or by a quick victory in the war, if they could merely survive their ordeals. And they expressed delight at the patriotic greeting they received on their release.

Near the Appalachian village of Harold, Mud Creek divides into Little Mud and Big Mud. From there, Big Mud runs along Route 979, a twisting, shoulderless two-lane road that carries 22-wheel Mack trucks with tarpaulins stretched over immense cargoes of coal. Every square foot of Big Mud's damp banks seems cluttered with trash, like the lungs of many patients at Eula Hall's Mud Creek Clinic, about seven miles along Big Mud. Mrs. Hall is the founder and de facto boss of the Mud Creek Clinic in the dingy hamlet of Grethel, although her title is simply "social director." A slow-talking, soft-talking woman, she is an example of how a person with modest credentials, modest means and a home-grown vision keeps a distressed community afloat.

Maxwell to Take Over Daily News Next Week The British publisher Robert Maxwell signed an agreement to take over The Daily News on Wednesday. As he made personal appeals to advertisers, elation and confusion swept strikers, replacement workers and union members who crossed the picket line. Pages B1 and B2. Parade Dispute Is Settled Homosexuals will march with Mayor David N. Dinkins, but without banners, as guests of another group in the St. Patrick's Day parade. Page B1. Syracuse Upset in N.C.A.A. The national collegiate basketball tournament opened with 16 first-round games, including a 73-69 upset of Syracuse by Richmond. Page A25.

The Economy The F.C.C. proposed rules for "900" numbers aimed at preventing fraud and deceit by telephone services that provide information and services through them. [ Page A1. ] Business sales slackened 1.2 percent in January, helping to increase inventories by 0.4 percent, the Government said. [ D2. ]

For some, life was inconceivable out of uniform; for others the armed forces were just a way station on the route to college and a job. But for 11 soldiers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut who served in the Persian Gulf, the end was the same: death in the combat zone. Page B4.