Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-06-19
MAKES DARING TRIP
Belgian Newspaper Man Tells of
Escape Into Holland.
Humble Heroes Who Make Living In
Expecting Passage of Those Who
Wish to Go to Holland
Trying Night Watch.

Rotterdam.-Willy r. Benedictus, q
well-known Belgian newspaper writer,
has arrived here after a daring trip
through the German lines guarding the
frontier of Belgium.
To get out he employed one of the
men who are making living by the
perilous business of expediting the
passage Of those wishing to leave the
conquered kingdom. They arrived at
a hamlet on the frontier late at night.
"The man at whose house we put up
Is one of the humble heroes who dur
ing the war have sprung up from the
most unexpected quarters said
Benedictus.
Before the war he might have been
something of poacher, but since the
summer he has been of incompatible
use to his country in allowing hun
dreds of young men to leave Belgium
and Join the army. He began by TAX
Ing me for spy on account of my
beard. Beard he said, may be false
But my guide gave him the password
That satisfied him, and we waited
what the night was to bring US.
Three other young men were to
pass also; one Of them, Russian, had
waited for five days In the peasants
little house.
"Our host took us at about midnight
to spot l shall remember till my
dying day. Imagine a road of ten
yards or so in width running between
the sharp ascents of two clifflike little
hills. One of the cliffs is Belgium The
other-Holland All we had to do was
to run down one of the cliffs, cross the
road and climb into the other steep
bank. But easier said than done!"
For hours we crouched behind our
cliff awaiting the signal, which our
leader was in no haste to give. l can
not answer for the others, but for my
part | was growing nervous 1t Is
known that the sentries fire at once IL
they see anyone. And their shouting
rather got on my nerves.
There were two of them-two
landsturm men-walking to and fro
on the road. We saw clearly every
line of their faces, as the moon was
full, and the big men guarding an In
visible line and halloing to each other
from time to time, were ghostly.
Isn't thief full moon a drawback for
us?' asked our guide. BY no means;
If there were no such moon you could
rush into the sentry's arms, as young
fool did last week.
1--WE had to wait the moment when
the sentries were a hundred yards
from each other. 1t struck half-past
two at neighboring church; the sem
tries exchanged, or rather shouted, the
password; the signal was given, and
off we darted. We threw ourselves
down the cliffs and the ten yards of
the road were covered in two strides.
But the climbing up the other cliff was
no joke. We had just to take hold of
the jutting stones; but we thought
not of the difficulty. Something pushed
us on-the feeling of immediate
danger | know not how I came to
climb up and to run some hundred
yards out of danger. Even then the
well-known buzzing of the bullets were
heard around us. The sentries must
have seen our shadows crossing the
road Something else was heard i. :.
/ shall always swear it was a woman's
cry, shrill and piercing in the cool
night then something like wall.
and all was again silence"