Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-03-14

Correspondence Of the Associated Press
BERLIN, Feb. 2G.-Thc adventures
of Edgar BoeCkiug are among the
most remarkable of the many expert
enccs which Germans from many
corners Of the earth have had in try
ing to reach the Fathcrland for
patriotic service.
BOeCking was i'm Abysslnla when
Germany went to war last August.
He had been living in that remote
section for six years, and was widely
known there as former captain ol
cavalry in the Germany army. The
ingenuity he was called upon to oXer-
else in his trip home was worthy Of
Phileas FOgg, whom Jules Verne sen,
Around The World In Eighty Days. .
II included an imaginary case OF
rabies, to fcign which Boecking had
fhC nerve to burn two holes in his leg,
These We're to represent the bites OF
a mad dog, for treatment of which he
successfully begged and in eXpediung
his "Trip 20 the pasteur Institute in
Cairo. IYc carried out his bluff even
to the extent of submitting to the
PastCur treatment
When Booking determined, i'm
modiatulv upon the outbreak of the
war to Germany to volunteer, he first
NOllSlNtItt NlllNll was lllN Hti'''N Va
the three unSual routes out of Abys-
sinia. The quickest, via Jibouti, would
take him into French Somaliland,
where he was we'll known and could
NOT hope 10 escape detention by the
French officers. A second route via
NaSsaua, led through neutral Italian
territory. but French and British war
ships were on the watch and were
searching all Italian ships carefully.
Apart from the danger of the hostile
ships. this route required a two
months trip by caravan i'm the rainy
season. The third choice which
Booking selected, Notwithstanding
that it was perhaps the most risky
way of ALL was through the English
SOudan.
lie secured a pass purpOrting to be
issued by "A neutral state and started
out with eight mules and six sercants.
lie believed the English would hardly
assume that a German had the nerve
to travel, after the outbreak of hos
tilities, through a region so strictly
guarded as the Soudan. He started
on September 2 and not withstanding
the rains, covered the distance, which
ordinarily takes 81 days, in %.
In Gambela he encountered an
Italian acquaintance, and, casting
about for an excuse for his presence,
rccolected that this Italian had, in
the previous year, been bitten by q
Iabid dog, thing not uncommon in
Abyssinia. Booking promptly i'm
agined that he. too had been bitten,
and told his friend he was on his way
to Cairo to he treated at the Pasteur
Institute there. He explained the stu
alton to his friend, asked him to an
hig arrival the kTitlGn
authorities, and he, in the meantime,
repaired to his hotel and carefully
burned two holes in his calf with a
red hot poker.
He was to wait in Gambela ten
davs for steamer TO Khartoum. The
whole time he suffered torments of
mind for fear that the authorities
might be moved to telegraph to the
British Legation at Addis-Abeba a
query as to his identity. They did
not do So however, and Blocking left
Gambela by steamer, still keenly alive
to the necessity Of preserving appear
ances.
"The victim of a rabid dogs bite"
he said TO himself. must if possible,
reach the Pasteur Institute within
40 days to be certain of a cure. 1t is
therefore up to me. If | want to make
my dog story credible to keep within
this period, or. at least to exceed it
as little as possible" To this end he
left the steamer at a small station on
the White Nile, and Travelled on to
Khartoum by rail.
As he left the train he was greeted
by seven English officers who told
him he could not proceed Immediately
to Cairo, and that, since he had been
bitten. he must accompany them to
the British military hospital. Two
officers accompanied him thither.