The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-09-25
A Clock Tower
-
In France
How 1t Helped Two Ameri-
can Soldiers to Gain
Promotion
By F. A. mitchell


Russell Andrews was seventeen years
years old. He wished to enlist, but his
mother, who was a widow, stood In his
way. Russell did not consider himself
forbidden to enlist, but he knew that
his doing so would well night break
the poor woman's heart. The tempta-
ton was too strong for him, and, with
out saying word to her, he went to a
recruiting station and became a sol
der. After the deed was done he went
home, and about an hour afterward
mustered up courage to tell his mother
what he had done, hurting it out all Of
a sudden:
Mother, I've enlisted"
The response was not what Russell
had expected.
"Well, my boy" she said, "since you
have Joined the army there Is nothing
for me to do but get you ready to CO."
Russell Andrews passed to a regi-
ment and was sent to camp, where
he got his first drilling. Then he was
put on a troop steamer and, In COM
pany with other steamers, guarded by
submarine destroyers, departed for
France Being With the first division
that went abroad, be participated in
the animated reception they received,
and 1t seemed to him to be worth o
whole lifetime to be one Of the Ameri-
can troops on that occasion,
The training camp behind the lines
was nearer the war and not nearly 90
delightful as the reception. especially
that part pertaining to pretty girls
breaking through the lines to bestow
bouquets But the boys were not sent
for the purpose of receiving flowers.
and those first happy days in France
were soon mere memory.
Russell Andrews was well fitted for
soldier. Whether cooped up in a
troopship or box car, or making q
long march, he was always jovial. Nc
matter how uncomfortable the situa.
ton, be was always ready for joke
When his corps had been sufficiently
trained to face the enemy he proved
himself brave man.
The ordinary routine work of a sol
der even In face of an enemy was toe
tame for Private Andrews. Not that
the work was not exciting; indeed, II
was at times too exciting, or, rather
dreadful. for the young American. Rus
sell was cut out for ingenious devices
he admired the methods adopted by
the Germans for obtaining information
Of what their enemies were doing and
longed to try his hand at one of their
games.
One day In hand to hand fight Rus
sell. with some thirty Of his comrades,
was taken prisoner. A church stood
handy, and since there was no more
convenient place to put the prisoners
they were shut up there. Besides, a
building required less guards than an
open space. Four sentries were con.
sidered quite enough to watch the pris.
oners, and they were stationed about
the church prison.
Now, this church was on an emil
nence and commanded good view OF
what the Germans were doing in it's
vicinity. 1t was constructed like most
old churches, open within from floor to
roof, with a gallery on three sides.
From the gallery the prisoners could
see what was going on about them;
but, fearing that If they showed them.
selves at the windows a guard would
be introduced to keep them from en-
joying the view, they took care not to
be seen.
Russell Andrews had no sooner been
ncarcerated than he began an explora-
ton of the premises. He found the
passageway into the basement, went
down there and. opening door, found
sort of closet about three feet square
Looking up, he saw that the roof was
only a few feet above his head, and
around 1t was a frame Of light. This
puzzled him till suddenly the roof be
gan to rise, accompanied by q clicking
sound usual to the winding Of the
weight Of a clock.
Andrews saw at once that the closet
was the shaft within which hung the
weight that worked the church cloch
above. A vague something came into
his mind that induced him to go up
stairs and look out through a window
He could see the shadow of the spirt
Of the church and noted where 1t fell
This was the time the sexton wound
the clock.
The next evening at the clock wind
ing hour Russell went down into the
shaft, and when the weight reached
its lowest point he stood on a bench
and took a firm grip on the weight
In few minutes the weight began II
rise and carried the soldier up with It
When Russell reached the belfry ht
saw white haired man turning &
, crank. Russell stepped off on to the
floor. The old man raised his heat
and, seeing the soldier. stood aghast.
mon DieuP' he exclaimed.
you are French" said Russell. III
you had been German you would hav,
said, Colt In himmel'"
yes; am French, but If the Ger
mans find me speaking with an enem!
they will shoot me. They permit me t,
take care Of the church as its sexton
but have promised not to speak witt
one of the prisoners"
"That you can't help" said Russell
$50 don't let your conscience troubl,
! you. Go on attending to your duty al
usual and say nothing about this meet
ing. Show me how to get below"
The sexton led Russell down f1igh
Of winding stairs, opening door a
the bottom that admitted them to th,
pastors study. A door between thu
| study and the church was locked. Tn,
sexton opened it, and Russell after re
locking it put the key In his pocket.
Now, my good man." he said to tn,
sexton, ''you need have no furthe
communication with an enemy. Yo'
have done a good turn for France"
/ The next thing Russell did was to g,
again to the basement and examin,
how he could mine his way out of tn,
church 1t was very old and the foun
dalton crumbling. The floor Of tn
basement was about four feet lowe
than the outside surface Russell
found a place where the wall was bro
ken, and all he had to do was to tun
mel through it and up to the surface, |
distance Of only six feet. Returning Il
his comrades. he proposed his scheme
as follows:
"If one of us can make an escape ant
get through the lines we can be o
great service to our fellows. l thinl
an escape can be made. We can breal
through the wall in the basement o
tunnel under 1t and upward to the SUI
face. A man thus getting out at nigh
might be able to pass the guard whel
he Is at the far end Of his beat.
Il propose to use the hands OF tn
clock of the church for q cipher. cal
visit the belfry whenever choose an,
can place the hands on the dial at an,