New-York tribune., 1901-06-16
DENERTER>' REulEKABLE FEir>.
DEVICES or EEIrIsH soIrI,- To Es-Ari: FROM
THE AEMN.
From The Regiment

From The Regiment.
To desert from either thc army ar the navy
is not the easiest thing IN the world. and even
when accomplished ia, culIrit HNvs IN daily fear
of being recaptuIci ard sentenced To a heavy
Term ~ imrris am, ut. Therefore the devices
employed Icy some d,Seft.rs as ingenious as
they are exciting. although they cannot he said
To- D., always crowned with success. For sheer
audacity th,. ease of an Irish sal -ier who d.
s,rl 4 ia south cuast town some years ago
would lt hard te heat. Just al ihat uinc q mum
i,,-r of desertipus had occurred in the n~lghh"r-
hood, and the authorities "err therefore uh-
usually sharp 10 prevent further "fitnc's 81 thls
nature. lSut the man m question Mas disssts-
hed with soldering and having a nuinhef oi
friends IN gh, town who were diSpused 10 help
him. and being possessed of an unusually large
moGicum OF pluck resolves 1" delay ms return
10 civil life no longer. on~ morning early NJ
slipped out of barracks and made his WaN Ia "A
friends house without heing seen Af'lhlh
there he shaved of his mustache. ana, d"hhins
a policeman's uniform. toicik if"ilehtu'H 1i'
main str uf the town. Tie was of c"ufs"
missed in harrac KS and knew that the suTrouad-
ing country Was heng secured in thr hopes of
finding him. ON one occasion his sergeant came
up To him and asked him AZ he had seen or h"'ifd
snything of The missing man, ana ne "i course
r.l,lied that H. had not. but he would keeb ms
eyes opent For MOI" than a i'fulSh' ~ Pi',
rNca his disguise without IL being penetrated
even 10y m, poc, thems. Ives. and n" th'n calm
IL lcft the tuWn when the hue ana cry haG SUD
sided sulneW hat Nevertheless. his enterIris"
came. 10 naacht. for he MAS arrested IN tHihE
to work his passage lack L. ireland.
floVed hy another dissatisfied son 81 Mars, ana
in this case. likewise. il proved futile. ht nap
Irerled TO kI.ow that a certain publican IN the
town was in anything hut afiiLent rifcuih,
stances for ne visited The huuse regularly. ana
from remarks dropped AT odd times discoveries
that the publican heavily ma dent Ia a
scotch spirit merchant. one morning. as soon
as the publican opened his doors. the soldier
arrived after having first disguised himself
with a beard and wig and donn.d civilian attire
With him came a friend. who agreed To act as
a representative Of ihe Law. and he promptly
told the astonish.d publican that he had orders
To leave man in possession unless the sum
owing To the Scotch spirit merchant paid
10 him there ana then. The publican. Of course
could not pay. 50 the deserteT quartered
upon him and lived in his house and at his
expense for more than a week before the de-
ception MAS discovered. Perhaps the most sue
cessfu deserter-for a time-was William CON
rad. Through Of his comrades he heard Of
a whose son had gone To Australia gold
mining. and had apparently disappeared for
nothing had been heard Of him. though
the parent tin believed he would see him aEa IN
Conrad therefore hit upon the ingenious idea
Of leaving the army by stealth and. e"ias TO
the man. informing him that he The miss
ing son. As lis knowledge of Australia con
siderable. he lost time in putting his plan
into eXecuti ion. and the parent. believing I'm him
despite the supposed alteration in his appear
ance, provided him with a home and money
galore a commodity ne confessed he lacked
But unfortunately for him. al the end of
eighteen months the real turned up and
what followed better be imagined than
described.