The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-01-22
IN DARING ESCAPE
informed British Naval Officer
Flees From Denmark.
Takes Back Promise Not to Try to
Escape, Then Makes Getaway
While DoubIy Guarded Day
and Night.

London. - Lieutenant Commander
Layton, a British naval officer who
was interned at Copenhagen, has just
made his escape in exciting circum-
stances, and arrived here.
At first he was allowed by the
Danes a fair amount of liberty on pa
role, but a few days after his intern
ment began he went to the command
ant of the barracks and told him he
wished to take back the word of hon
or he had given not to try to escape.
The commandant, interpreting this
as an intimation that he would en-
deavor to escape, told Layton that he
wouli have to have him very closely
watched. His quarters were placed
under double guard, and there always
seemed to be three or four sentrieB
watching his movements. The pros
pect CT escape seemed small, and, to
make matters worse, Dayton was
seized with a violent influenza cold,
which Frustrated him for the time be-
ing.
Two sentries stood at the door of
his room, and they never seemed to
relax their vigilance. They were con
stantly looking through the peephole
In the door of Layton's room, to see
that matters were all right.
They did it as usual on the partic-
ular evening that he escaped. Things
were apparently quite in order, and
their prisoner was apparently lying on
the bed. AS a matter of fact. he was
not, and at a moment when the at
tention of one of the sentries was en-
gagged and the other had been sent on
an errand, Layton opened the door
and slipped into another room, where
he found a thick serge civilian suit.
In due course he found himself at a
window overlooking the street, and
with a rope which he had discovered
he lowered himself into a street.
The barracks were on an island, and
for better security patrols had been
placed everywhere. The escaping Of
fcer met two of them, but succeeded
by a ruse in passing them.
His next obstacle was the canal.
The night was dark and bitterly cold,
there being several degrees of frost,
but, clothed as he was, Layton took
the most direct course, and swan for
it. In spite of the fact that he was
still suffering from influenza he did
this successfully, and having got to
land, he took off his clothes and
wrung them out, so as to show no OBJ.
vious signs of water.
On the ferry boat he turned himself
into a porter, and managed to get a
job of carrying a passengers bag to
the station. There he boarded a train
and in due course reached the dock.
side, where he caught a train to Chris
tiania.
He used several DISCUSSES during
the remainder of his voyage to Chris
tiania, just succeeded in escaping de.
lection, and finally sailed from Bergen
to England. On the boat to England
a passenger asked him If it was true
that he was an American. He replied
that he was, whereupon his fellow,
traveller remarked:
IF you were not so darned sure
about it, l should say you were a
British naval officer"
When the travel-stained young Eng
lishman, without money, presented
himself before a transport officer at
the British port, he was not unnatural
ly looked upon with suspicion, but he
was o able to establish his iden,
tity.