Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-06-11
HUNTING
SPY
By DONALD cHAMBERLIN


the Balkans between the Turks and
the allies l left Adrianople one even
ing about dark for Belgrade. There
vas one passenger In the compartment
besides myself. and | noticed that
while waiting for the train to start he
was very i'll at ease. When the guard
shut and locked the door he seemed
to breathe easier, but was still EVIL
IDENTIFY impatient for the train to be
on. When at last 1t began to roll out
of the station he put his head out of
the window eagerly.
Following the direction of his eyes l
saw a man, whom | knew to be a Turk
by his fez, running for the train. He
ran like a deer. my fellow passenger
watching him breathlessly. The latter
occupied the window so that I could
not see If the Turk caught the train,
but presently my companion fell back
gasping.
LOST" he moaned.
I had some knowledge of one or two
of the many languages spoken in the
Balkans, so that l understood the
word. l also spoke some French and
German and tried the man In both.
getting an understanding in the latter
tongue.
.What is you trouble?" l asked.
Are you GermanT' he asked instead
of replying.
mo; American"
"Oh, American. You her are a low
er of liberty. Certainly you have no
sympathy with Turks. l Inn doomed.
l have been in Adrianople spying on
the Notifications. l was arrested, and
drawings were found on me. l was
sentenced to death. While waiting to
be executed l caught my guard nap
ping and escaped. hoped to get away
by this train. but this man, In whose
charge / was placed. will 60 through
the train when 1t stops and recov-
er me-"
Then, taking out a pencil and tear
ing a bit Of paper from an old letter,
he wrote his name and address on it
and handed 1t to me.
w utu YOu ItdCU 0OIde uG NOnl1U-
ned, Twill you tell my wife what I
have told you and what follows? Say
that my last thoughts were Of her and
our dear children"
IF you are sure to be executed, why
not take the chance of jumping from
the train?'
81 am going to do that, but death is
as sure as If | suffered myself to be
taken back to Adrianople."
"You may strike soft ground"
By the time / had spoken the words
he was out on the footboard. l put
my head out through the window and
saw his dim figure not far from it. 1t
was very dark. Presently | ceased to
see him and believed that he had
jumped
The first stop the train made was at
Tchiymen, which we reached In about
half an hour after the spy had disap-
peared. The guard unlocked the door,
but would not let me alight till after
the compartment had been examined
by the man whom | had seen running
for the train. As soon as he had pass
ed I stepped down on to the platform
and followed him TO see If he got his
quarry. He did not find him, and the
train moved IN.
/ wondered what had become of the
spy. He must have jumped or he
would have been found on the train.
Nearly all the passengers were Turks,
and l noticed the moment | a~lighted
that there was a chain of men wear
ing fezzes surrounding the train, prob
ably passengers who had volunteered
to help the official in bis efforts to ar
rest the spy.
Before we passed over the Turkish
line to enter eastern Roumelia the
train stopped for a long while, and ]
felt sure that 1t was for the purpose
of making a final search for the spy.
In time we started on and In a few
minutes were among a different nation
atty. what a pity" l said to myself,
'.that the man could not have conceal
ed himself on the train till we had
passed the borderi In that cas- he
would have been SAFE"
The first stop we made In Roumelia
was at Hermann. There l alighted to
stretch my legs, slowly walking toward
the forward end of the train. / saw
a man coming who l supposed was a
coal shoveler on the engine, only he
was blacker than any stoker I eve
saw. What was my surprise when,
rushing toward me, he threw his be-
grimed arms around me.
"Don't you know me?" he said. 81
am the spy"
Then in the blackened features I rec
ognized the man with whom I had
sympathized.
SIS it you, and aliveT' l asked.
Eyes it Is l, and very much alive"
How did you do it,"
II walked forward on the footboard
till l reached the locomotive tender.
Climbing over the coal, / told the en-
gineer, who was a Servian, my story.