El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-10-30
Dis TUNNEL To
LIBERTY. BUTT
SOON IS ENDED
Two German Officers After
Weeks of Labor Escape
From a British Prison.
GET OUT TO SEA;
ARE DISCOVERED

p ONDON. Ems. oct 3O-Lieutenants
KeiIhack and Tholen. the German
- prisoners Of war who escaped
from bennington Hall. Leicestershire-
have lust told the complete story OF
their adventure
No sooner had they arrived at Don
ington Hall thar they east about them
for means OF escape. The place was
too closely guarded 10y soldiers and
bsrbed wire entanglenents TO make a
bolt for liberty. Bat the freedom en-
loved by all the prisoners OF wander
ine where they would within certain
wide limits gave them their opportu-
Beneath the hall are many cellars,
and. although these are supposed TO be
locked in the course of their proving
keilhack and Ielen, secured aumlt-
lance TO two under the old library, on
the west side of the building Ine+
calculated that from these cellars u
was a bare so yards to beyond Jne
5arbed wire compound, but there was
only one way Of gettln gthere- oy Dur
rowing hat was months ago out
that very night they began
slip Away After Lights Out
After lights out" each evening an
official visit is paid 10 the prisoners IN
their d-Ormirories. and from tnen unul
roucaI at 10 a m they are 10 an m
tents left alone Directly Inspection
was over Thelen and keilhack slipped
from bed and, armed with an Old poser
J and a broken garden trowel found our
ing the DAY. made for the cellars Ihey
! prfed I'D the brick flooring with Ine
l poker and began to dig down oeioW
the foundations OF the CUTE 49,
/ With only the broken troWel II was
: slow work. particularly as every lump
OF earth and clay a TO be removed
While one dug the other carried the
n- --aanI cellar where
I subsequently tons Of 1t were fouho
! neatly piled
II took many weeks to sink the we'll
{ Every m Of every day they eN-
pected discovery. but the weeks passed
. AT last the well was deep enough
I GOOD eight feet-buL now two new
I difficulties arose working IN q NOE
{ two feet six inches across the ulsSeI >
/ clothes became -rimed, a condition that
Z should betrav them 10 any ooserVant
3 guard By some means which they nave
Z not BETRAYED. and which the closest m
3 guiry cannot discover. they obtained d
! E1it of overalls- This the digger wore
I while at work. leaving il in the bot
tom Of the well each night
Utilize Old Zinc Tub.
The second difficulty was how to re-
I move the earth from the tunnel which
I they now proceeded TO drive under me
| courtyard. They found a small old
: t~w0-handled zinc bath tub and a coll o.
] rome Fixing a length OF rope 70 e4Ch
I handle. they used the bath as a trolly-
Z As the tunnel progressed the sapp5Ii
z who had to lie on his side or PACK,
I drew the bath after him ana Ililed II
/ with the ~eXcavated clay, the h man,
J stationed in the bottom Of the well.
drew it out and emptied it occasion
I ally il was necessary to shore up the
roof of the sap and TINS tney Gld
with pieces of wOod n broken oougns
] found in the grounds ana slealtnlLs
conveyed to the cellar
AT last the tunnel at no part more
Ena lon =
enough. tt had inclined upwards, and
Z vigorous probing with the poker forced
a way through the turf above me
poker was left just showing through
/ BY daylight Thelen and keilhack rec
onnoitered. There, well outside the
& harbed wire. they saw their poker II
! their phenomenal luck IN escaping
discovery continued another nouI
termined to put all TO the touch tnat
Comrades Raise Fund.
Friday is the day on which prisoners
J receive their allowances. II IS re-
] ported that when the two were cap
tured thew had nearly $3.50 with tnem-
much Of il now known to have been
B subscribed by their fellow prisoners
: That night there was a mist so nat
I after breaking through the two men
Z could delay their flight long enough
I to rearrange the turf
Getting clear OF the park. Ihelen ana
I KeiIhack mad their way to Derby, II
miles away. and arrived in time TO
catch the 2.2O train to London What
they did in London, how long they
! STAYED there. and with whom they
4 have not disclosed They made Jrelr
wav to a port and there Joined a ship
! bound for a neutral heii-
hack Joined as q fireman and was
working his passage. Thelen with
KeiIhack's co%nnivance slowed himselr
away in one Of the lifeboats-
Are Discovered
Oout at sea- however, the captain
! gave the order TO swing all boats out
| ready for lowering. The sailors were
{ astonfshed to discover Thelen under
! the canvas cover Of one OF the life
( boats. He was taken before the cap
/ tain as a stoWaway and
from published descriptions as one Of
/ the two officers escaped from Doning-
, -ou Hall The ship was searched. and
! the new fireman with the third finger
q missing from the left hand was rec
/ oeufzed as Keilhack- A signal TO an
( other ship. and the liberty Of Thelen
] and Keilhack was at an end
The are now in specially constructed
( cells