Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-06-03
Two Americans
Abroad
By F. A. Mitchell

dons and returned with his command at
the end of the fracas. When the great
European military confagration broke
out, DESTROYS of seeing something more
of fighting, ne went to Canada, enlist
ed in the first eXpeditiOnary force that
went to England and thence to France.
Wilkinson was machinist and very
ingenious. When the British com
manders learned of this they wanted
him to go into the mechanical corps of
the army, but he saA1 he had had enough
of that at home. he preferred to re-
main in the ranks, where he would get
something different. SO be became a
trench fighter like the rest of them.
But it is not every man who can get
just what he wants, no matter how he
arranges for it. Wilkinson had no soon
er got into a fight than he was captur-
ed and taken to the rear. This was i'll
Flanders during the late autumn Of
1914
One day an officer came into the pris-
on where Wilkinson was confined and
asked in English if there were any me-
chanics there who would volunteer to
work at bridge building. Wilkinson,
whose active nature rendered cOnfine-
ment unbearable to him, called out that
he was an engineer by profession. The
officer accOsted him, asking if he would
agree to give his services to the Ger
man government in good faith. 1t
4 14niy
Kaufman, was a German-American
who had gone over to fight for the ia
therland.
Wilkinson and Captain Kaufman be-
ing both Americans became quite
chummy. Wilkinson impressed the
captain so favorably with his knowl-
edge of engineering that the latter pro
posed to take him to the chief engineer
with a view to his entering the en-
gineer corps of the German army In a
prominent position. Wilkinson assent
ed, or, rather, pretended to assent, for
he was simply looking out for an OPP
portunity to get back to the army of
which he was legitimate part.
Captain Kaufman took the prisoner
into an automobile for ride to point
where large railroad bridge was be-
ing rebuilt. There he expected to find
one of the chief engineer officers Of the
army to whom he expected to turn over
the American for service. During the
ride the two men chatted about Amer
lea and what they would do there on
their return at the end of the war. Nat
urally Kaufman was warm in his adj
WilkinsOn's sympathies were with the
allies But they talked little on this
subject, for Wilkinson, who had plan
to get away from his captor, led the
conversation in a line that would facii-
tate his doing so.
81 tell you what We'll do, Kaufman -
he said. when this slaughter bust
ness is over and we both get back to
the land of the free I've got the biggest
scheme on hand for making money you
ever saw. It's a device that may be
applied to all pumping mechanisms.
Its use will be enormous I'll take
you in with me and Wen make our
everlasting fortunes You attend to
the sales while l attend to the manu-
facture-see?
where will we get the capital?''
asked the captain
Capital. Why, there's capital
enough in the United States to promote
any scheme if it can be proved all
right. l can get millions for anything
l propose. My device is so simple that
child can understand it, Let me have
pencil and piece Of paper and I'll
make you a drawing of it,"
Kaufman had the wheel, so he
stopping, but they were approaching a
village, and he said he would stop for
something to smoke. Pulling up at a
small store, Wilkinson went in and
returned with some cigars, a pencil
and sheet of paper. He also had
something else that his companion did
not see. Lighting up, the two pro-
ceeded, Wilkinson making sketch of
his device. Kaufman, who had no
knowledge of mechanics, did not I'M
derstand it, so Wilkinson proceeded to
make practical demonstration. Roll
ing the sheet of paper into a tube a
trifle smaller at one end than at the
other, he crumpled small portion into
little ball, which he dropped into the
tube; then, while the captains gaze
was on the road ahead. he dropped into
it some red pepper.
you can't watch the road and my
demonstration at the same time. Stop
the machine for a moment"
Kaufman brought the auto to a stop
and turned his face to his companion.
This tube represents the pump, and
the crumpled bit of paper inside is my
patent ball valve The greater the
pressure on the ball the tighter it is in
the tube. When 1 blow on it like this
-See?"
Kaufman did not see, because Will
kinson had blown red pepper into his
eyes. Wilkinson jumped from the auto
and ran like deer till he struck a
road. where he disappeared.
A few months later Captain Kauf-
man returned TO America minnS log