The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-07-16
peseRTERs, REMARKABLE rEArs.
Devices of British Soldiers to Rs
cape From the Army.

Devices of British Soldiers to Bs-
cape From the Army.
To desert from either the army or the
navy Is not the easiest thing In the world,
and even when accomplished the culprit
lives in daily fear of being recaptured
and sentenced to heavy term of impris-
onment. Therefore the devices employed
by some deserters are as ingenious as
they are exciting, although they cannot
be said to be always crowned with sue
cess. For sheer audacity the case Of an
Irish soldier who deserted in south
coast town some years ago would be hard
to beat. Just at that time number OF
assertions had occurred in the neighbor-
hood, and the authorities were therefore
unusually sharp to prevent further Of
lenses of this nature. But the man In
question was dissatisfied with soldering
and, having a 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
barracks and made his way to friends
house without being seen. Arriving there,
he shaved off his mustache and, DOMINIC
a DOilCCLldu y QAAAO1 DO4OAJ RAS-@ANA~-~
ed the main streets of the town. He was
of course missed in barracks and knew
that the surrounding country was being
secured In the hopes of finding him. On
one occasion his sergeant came 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 openI For more
.toh+ he hta dis
guise without it being penetrated even by
the police themselves, and he then calmly
left the town when the hue and CRY had
subsidized somewhat. Nevertheless his en-
terprise came to naught, for he was ar
rested in trying to work his passage back
to Ireland.
Scarcely less audacious was the ruse
employed by another dissatisfied son OF
Mars, and in.this case likewise 1t proved
futile. He happened to know that GER
tain publican in the town was in anything
but afiuent circumstances, for he visited
the house regularly, and from remarks
dropped at odd times discovered that the
publican was heavily in debt to Scotch
spirit merchant. One morning as soon as
the publican opened his doors the soldier
arrived, after having first disguised him
self with beard and wig and donned
civilian attire. With him came friend,
who agreed to act as representative OF
the law, and he promptly told the aston
lshed publican that he had orders to leave
a man In possession unless the sum ow-
Ing 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 expense for more than
week before the deception was discovered.
Perhaps 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 apparently 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 Australia was considerable
he lost no time In putting his plan into
execution, and the parent, believing In
him despite the supposed alteration in his
appearance, provided him with home
and money galore, a commodity he con-
fessed he lacked. But, unfortunately for
him, at the end of 10 months the real son
turned up, and what followed can better
be imagined than escribed.-London
Regiment