Waterbury Democrat., 1901-08-05
FEATS OF DESERTERS.
Some of the Remarkable Devices of British Soldiers to Escape
 from the Army.


 To desert from either the army or the navy is not the easiest thing in the world, and even when accom- plished the culprit lives in daily fear of being recaptured and sentenced to heavy term of imprisonment. Therefore, the devices employed by some deserters are as ingenious as they are exciting, although they can not be said to be always crowned with success. For sheer audacity the case of an Irish soldier who deserted in south coast town some years ago would be hard to beat, says the Regi- ment. Just at that time a number of assertions had occurred in the neighborhood, and the authorities were therefore unusually sharp to prevent further offenses of this na- ture. But the man in question was dissatisfied with soldering, and hay ing number of friends in the town who were disposed to help him, and being possessed of an unusually large modicum of pluck, resolved to delay his return to civil life no longer. One morning early he slipped out of bar racks and made his way to friends house without being seen. Arriving there he shaved off his mustache, and, donning policeman's uniform, boldly promenaded the main streets of the town. He was of course missed in barracks, and knew that the, sur rounding country was being secured in the hopes of finding him. On one occasion his sergeant caEe up to him and asked him if he had seen or heard anything of the missing man, and he of course replied that he had not, but he would keep his eyes open! For more than fortnight he pre- served his disguise without it being penetrated even by the police them selves, and he then calmly left the town when the hue and cry had sub- sided somewhat. Nevertheless, his enterprise came to naught, for he was arrested in trying to work his passage back to Ireland.
 Scarcely less audacious was the ruse employed by another dissatis- fled son of Mars, and in this case, likewise, it proved futile. He hap pened to know that certain pub lican in the town was in anything but aff1uent circumstances, for he visited the house regularly, and from re- marks dropped at odd times discov- cred that the publican was heavily in debt to a Scotch spirit merchant. One morning, as soon as the pub 1ican opened his doors, the soldier ar- rived, after having first disguised himself with a beard and wig and donned civilian attire. With him came friend, who agreed to act as a representative of the law, and he promptly told the astonished pub lican that he had orders to leave a man in poss ession unless the sum owing to the Scotch spirit merchant was paid to him there and then. The publican, of course, could not pay, so the deserter was quartered upon him and lived in his house and at his ex- pense for more than week before the deception was discovered. Per haps the most successful deserter- for a time-was William Conrad. Through one of his comrades he heard of man whose son had gone to Australia gold mining, and had ap- parently disappeared, for nothing more had been heard of him, though the parent still believed he would see him again. Conrad therefore hit upon the ingenious idea of leaving the army by stealth, and, going to the man, informing him that he was the missing son., As his knowledge of Aust tralia was considerable, he lost no time in putting his plan into execution, and the parent, believing in him despite the supposed altera- tion in his appearance, provided him with a home and money galore, a commodity he confessed he lacked. But, unfortunately for him, at the end of IS months the real son turned up, and what followed can better be imagined than described.