The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1916-03-22
HOW SWEENY COT
HIS FRANKFURTERS
Germans Left Basket Of Food
For American In French Army.
DISPROVED FALSE REPORTS

After Papers Saying That Germany
Had No Food Were Given Kaiser's
Troops They Took Unique Method of
Branding Them as Untrue-Expeoted
Bullets, but Got "Hot Dogs"
Lieutenant Charles Swccny of the
French Foreign Legion returned re-.
Gently to New York to recover from
wound received during the French of.
fensiye in Champagne last September
Swceny is an American. Il graduate Of
West Point and the son of former
president of the Federal Smelling and
Refining company of Spokane. Wash
The following story of most unusual
"Dutch treat was told by Lieutenant
Sweeny to Private Casey. New York
artist, also fighting in the Foreign
Legion
Sweeny is not Frcnchman even
though he happens to he in the army
service of France. After his gradua
ton he married Belgian girl and set
tied down in Paris. His wife and two
small children are living in that vicin
ity ut the present time.
81 started out about midnight" said
Sweeny, with patrol to have look
at new German bayou between two
fortlets beyond our lines. strung my
men out so as to give warning of any
German patrol and then led them past
our sentrics and the barbed wire.
was some distance ahead of my men
and had got well within the German
lines without seeing or hearing any
thing of the Germans
Bullets Never Came.
"Now, this was not the first time that
had ever penetrated that far into the
German lines, but it was the first time
on such a mission that | had not had
to dodge a German patrol and very
often their bullets. These things ran
in my head continually and made me
think that had fallen into a very neat
trap which the Germans had laid for
me. | expected to see them rise from
anywhere any minute and hear the
| banging of their guns and the whis-
Ting of their bullets Of | was lucky
enough to hear them, that isl, and |
began to wish myself well out of my
predicament and back again In the
comparative safety of our trench.
"This made me more cautious than
ever, and presently began to retreat.
As | did so a round German helmet
bobbed up out of ravine not dozen
yards away. An instant later at the
other end of the ravine another appear
ed. squirmed away like snake and
got behind the only shelter I'm sight,
little scrubby tree, about three yards
away
GAS l lay there quaking. wondering
why the Germans did not shoot-for
they must have seen mel happened
to look up, and there. hanging to a
branch of the tree. was a fat, clean
looking basket. reached up, the limb
on which it hung being only few feet
from the ground, and lifted the basket
down.
"Then In flash the explanation Of
the puzzle was clear to me- The Ger
mans had left that basket there and
meant me to have It.
with the basket on my arm. l got
up, bowed low to the round hats and
walked back to our trench without
ever being fired on.
Inside the basket was an assert
ment of frankfurters and other food.
There was also note something after
this wise:
Note In Basket.
1--WE have been in front of you for
over year, and 1t is not against our
comrades, the French. that we are
fighting. but against our enemy, the
English. Let us join forces against
our common enemy. We are not starv-
ing, as you may well see from the lit
tie present we send you herewith
Here was something that set me
thinking pretty hard. | had escaped
death or capture by miracle, so far
as | could see, and all in order that
might enjoy hearty meal at the ex-
pense of the Germans.
81 set the basket down in the trench
and fell to with will, and give you
my word, Casey, of all the good things
l have eaten | never enjoyed anything
more than | did that Dutch treat
especially the frankfurters.
"They took me back to the United
States immediately-'hot dogs the
brightness of the sea, the yawping of
barkers, crowds passing, the noise OF
thousands of shufiling feet-not the
sort Of shufiling we hear now. Casey
when a bugle call or the heavy sound
Of guns seems the chief attraction. II
was a great shame couldn't save you
one.
'The meaning of all this was a puz
zle to me until l found out that oul
boys had left bundle Of American
and English newspapers In the spot
where | had found the basket, with
the paragraphs plainly marked IN
which 1t was said the Germans were
starving. And the basket was the Ger
mans reply.
"Now you know how l came to gel