Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-08-09
EMGLISHMAM TELLS HOW
He ELUDED GERMAN GUARD
From the Kansas City Times.

DE ElUDED GERMAN GUARD
From the Kansas City Times.
~. T.. Whitaker, an Engiishman who
was informed in Roubaix, France, When
the wal broke u and the German ar
mics swept across the frontier, and was
held there nearly two years and a half,
has written a series of articles for An
eWers, the London weekly periodical,
describing his experiences. In the fol-
lowing he tells of his escape INTO Bel
GUM early in he present year.)
For many months vague thoughts of
escape had been in my mind. l knew,
rs everyone-not excluding the Ger
mans-knew that there was in exist
ence a well organized underground
railway" available for men escaping
from the menac of the Hun.
How to get in touch with it was he
problem. The secret of it's methods was
so carefully guarded that it was almost
impossible to get any accurate informa-
ton. Time and again l walked to the
Belgian frontier, and there.
separated by a five-foot barrier of
barbed wire, talked the matter over
With w French youths, friends OF
mine, who We're living in Belgium, near
the frontier. We had established COM
municatiOn originally by means of
smugglers.
At last. despairing of finding help, we
decided to take a chance, n I made
my preparations. They We're simple
enough. l changed my honey up to the
amount Of 500 marks-the mark is at a
premium Of 10 per cent, in places like
Roubaix. occupied by the Germans-and
placed w soft collars and two hand
kerchiels in my. pocket.
Early one frosty January morning
set out. ] had no illusions about the
perilous nature Of the adventure on
that only a day or two before 81 men
a been caught trying to escape owe
the Belgium-Dutch frontier and had
each been sentenced to 20 years penal
servitude.
I 1t was a comparatively simple matter
to get Over the frontier separating Bel
GUM from France, though how it was
done l shall not indicate. Sufficient to
say thai l me- my friends, and with
them remained in hiding for two or
three days before we set forth on our
Wanderings.
A Dramatic Moment.
Our. first big difficulty was to get out
of the military controlled by Cen
eral Won Denk, into that which came
under the government of General Won
Kissing. These were strictly sepa-
rated by sentries and patrols, and but
for the intervention Of that uck which
stood nobly by us during the whole of
our travels we might have found ex-
plot abruptly terminated almost at its
commencement. Our luck in this case
took the form Of a wool smuggler. With
him we came to an arrangement, and
that night he and his gang allowed us
to accompany them. Over plowed fields
and derelict woodland paths we moved
cautiously. until we came to a point
- - Al~E o~9o -A 49, kVy~ A
little distance away paced the German,
sentry.
Hush" said our leader. Remain
here!"
He moved cautiously forward to re-
c%onnoiter. Someone Of u party moved,
and there was a cracking Of twigs.
| Instantly the sentry was aroused.
Haiti" he challenged.
Instantly the smugglers dropped their
packages, and we followed them in
headlong flight. That night we spent in
a cafe, snatching what sleep we could
on chairs. The following night we tried
again, and got successfully over the
line. Amazing as it may sound, for the
rest of the time we were travelling in
Belgium we were allowed to move about
practically unmolested. / am naturally
diffident. in giving places dates,
for. although we received plenty of aid
In one way and another, / am anxious
not to provide too much enlightenment
as to the way fugitives fare on their
way through Belgium.
There was little subterfuge about our
escape. We lived and moved about
openly, and no questioned US. Dur
ing n part Of our journey to Brussels
we hired a carriage n pair, and drove
for many miles along the high road. We
passed dozens Of Germans. Many OF
them saluted us: others joked cheer
fully and passed the time OF day. Nc
one thought of us for a moment as fu-
s gitives.
Sometimes we got lifts in farmers
carts, and it was in one of these that
al asst we reached the outskirts OF
Brussels one evening about 8 o'clock.
fares inc passed brazenly into the town
We had had an address furnished us by
q mar we had mel on the road, as q
place where we could live in a retired
fashion until We had perfected our plans
for the most perilous portion Of our
iourney-the escape into Holland. Judge
Ut CONSERVATION when we learned,
Almosts at theslsst moment. thatsit wac
now the headquarters of no less a per-
son than General Won Bissing himself
However, we found q safer haven. and
for four days we stayed in the town.
] know there is a widespread impress
sion that Belgium is a crushed and
starving country. / ear only speak from
my own experience OF the places where
I %sojonrned during my eight weeks IN
the country. I saw no starvation. On the
contrary, Belgium was In far better
ms h h occupied provinces Of
France. Indeed. save for the p~revalance
Of the German uniforms. L would have
been difficult to believe that itwzs q
conquered country.
into prusssSa ~ Cart.
~ To- Rrsvo~alo FfanA - 80 nhn~rS,nv ~,rr