Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-18
MANY THRILLING ESCAPES.
Sheer Pieces of Luck During tho War
Between the Italians and Turks.

Sheer Pieces Of Luck During the War
h Between the Italians and Turks.
The correspondent Of the Cologne
Gazette with the Turks in Tripoli sends
this account Of queer pieces Of luck
which sound like fairy tales, and yet
are sober truth"
I'm the first bombardment of the
Turkish camp by the big guns of the
Italian navy shell fell into Bedouin's g
tent and there burst Luckily the in
mates Of the tent were mostly out in
the open; the man was fighting in the
ranks and the women We're busy wash
ing some twenty PAGES away. But the
only child, pretty little baby a few
weeks old was sleeping peacefully
In its cradle, a round basket of plated
cane.
ANY one who knows the destruction
wrought by a large shell will have no
doubts as to the fate Of the tent and its
small inhabitant. The stuff compos-
ing the tent was mostly burnt, and
the rest Of 1t was torn into minute
fragments, and in company with the
furniture, also broken into atoms was
whirled far away and scattered over a
large area. On the site once occupied
by the tent was now to be seen only a
deep hole, and round it heap Of earth
burnt black by the explosion. Three
Or four steps from the hole lay the
over turned cradle, and from beneath
1t came loud wailings from the Be-
douin's little girl, who was quite safe
and sound. Swept out of the tent by the
rush of air she had been protected by
the basket from the flying splinters.
"The shells seem to have vein Of
humor. They seldom live UP to their
gruesome reputation, and often their
only effect is to terrify people out Of
their wits. In the first days Of the last
bombardment an Arab family gathered
round the cooking pot, were amusing
themselves with small witticisms over
the detonations. One Of the shells fly
ing around must have heard their in
sulting remarks, for it suddenly plunged
slump with loud roar into the middle
Of the party, sent them all flying head
over heels, hurled some handfuls Of
sand in their faces and sent the cook
ing pot in a highly dismembered con-
dition flying away on the blast. When
the party collected their senses they
found the site Of their pleasant dinner
now occupied by a black smudge, and
so the Knockers had that day at any
rate to go dinnerless and suffer the
pangs Of hunger, unless the excitement
had robbed them Of their appetite.
Another time was sitting under a
thorn bush, drinking tea with a col
league. Suddenly a shrapnel burst
above our heads. My colleague sprang
to his feet to see If he could see where
1t had come from. At the same moment
the base Of the shell, some six or seven
pounds in weight, buried itself at the
exact spot on which he had been sit
ting and sent the teapot flying at my
head.
"a strange piece Of mingled good and
bad luck fell to the lot Of Turkish
officer on the last day Of the cannon
ade There had been a pause Of several
hours in the firing and the officer had
seized the opportunity to have a mid
day siesta, from which he was rudely
awakened by the first shot Of the Sec
ond chapter Of the bombardment. The
shell plunged right into his tent, tore
1t to pieces and scattered the fragments
far and wide. He told me afterward
that the fiery heat Of the explosion
gave him a feeling as If his legs had
been torn off or burned. Some time
elapsed before he had sufficiently re-
covered himself to see whether he
could still move his legs.
The experiment succeeded beyond
his widest hopes. and then he crept
mechanically out Of the chaos Of debris
round him and stood up on his feet.
Then it dawned upon him that he had
passed almost scatheless through the
ordeal. The only injury was to the
drum of one ear, but he will not lose
his hearing. Two days after his ad-
venture he showed me the trousers and
shirt which he was wearing at the
time The trousers were cut to shreds
and as black as coal; most Of the shirt
was burned. OF his handkerchief only
a blackened fragment remained.
His box was smashed to smither-
eens, and the clothes in 1t reduced to
the condition Of sieves and badly
scorched. A pair of new boots were
found fifty yards away with all their
uppers gone. Near them lay all that
survived of his stockings, the work.
ed monogram Of their owner. The
brave man was delighted to find this
relic, which he intends to take home
with him to his wife. But he nourishes
a bitter grudge aginst the Italians for
disturbing his siesta so discourteously
"Enver Bey, himself at the very be-
ginning Of his time at the scene Of hos
tilities, had another experience Of min
gled good and bad luck. According to
the habit he has Of scorning cover Of
any shape or kind, he stood upright in
the middle of the storm Of shells, his
face turned toward the enemy and gave
his orders. After the lapse Of some
time a noise to his right made him
turn in that direction to see what was
the matter. At that moment a splinter
from shell tore away the clasp Of his
sword belt, cut his coat into ribbons
and slightly grazed his chin. Had it
come a second earlier it would have
buried itself in his body.
"A unique effect Of the modern bull
let it was my good fortune to see at
Tobruk An Arab had beeII pierced by
seven bullets and yet no vital part was
injured, I could clearly see the marks
of the entrance and exit Of each bullet.
In spite Of it all the man now runs
about as hearty as buck and as
pleased as Punch."-London Standard