The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-01
AMERICAN AIRMAN
JUMPS FROM TRAIN
Lieut.. O'Brien, Fugitive i'll Germany
~ Days, Has Many Marrow
Escapes from Death.

JOEDON. Dec. 1.-Lieut. Patrick !
O,Rr;en Of Momence, H., south of |
chicago the first American member OF |
the British flying corps TO escape from |
Germany eluded his captors by jump |
ing from the window OF speeding
train. He then became Fugitive Tor
~ DAYS, and, as his goal was WITHIN
sight. narrowly escaped electroeutlon
from the charged wire along the Hoi-
land frontier.
After cabling his aged mother, Mrs.
Margaret o 'Brien, at Momence, to ex-
meet to see him soon, Lieut.. . Brlen
called upon American Ambassador
PAGE to seek advice regarding Dis de-
sire to be transferred TO the American
fying corps. Last night 0 'Brien was
dined by group of admiring hers,
who. like scores of friends along the
front. had believed he was killed when
he was reported missing Aug. Il last.
O'Brien, who is n sturdy young man
of %. was flving III the American ava
tion SQUADRON at San Diego, Cal, when
he went to Victoria, B. c., and OBJ
| tanned n commission in the Canadian
| army. Going to France the hext year,
| he distinguished himself by his great
daring over the German lines. On the
morning of Aug. IL, enemy gunners
| forced him to descend, but fortunate.
" he landed behind his own lines.
Late in the afternoon of the same
day saw him up again over the Ger
man lines, fighting the enemy. There
were 90 German machines to six Brit.
| ish in the encounter. 0 'Brien S ma
chine alone engaging four enemy craft
and accounting for one before O 'Brien
was shot through the upper lip. He
| fell with His damaged airplane from q
| height Of 5000 feet. Rrlen SAYS he
cannot explain why he was not killed.
| When he regained consciousness he was
in a German hospital.
Later the lieutenant spent three
weeks a. prison camp at Courtrai be
fore he was started for the interior
Of Germany. There were three other
prisoners under a strong guard in hi9
compartment when Q 'Bricn, as rusc,
had the window opened by complaining
of the smoke.
The train was now go miles inside
Germany, and travelling at 80 miles an
hour, but @ 'Brien decided 70 take a
desperate chance. He Jumped from the
| lldliA' Shll1I4ilS Nut NiibAt NAhI VI has
face, rcopening the wound in MS lip,
and losing consciousness. 1t was about
/ clock in the morning, and the dark
ness shielded him. When he recovered
he was lying in a field.
Then for - days he was a fugitive
travelling only at night He trudged
through fields and swan rivers and ca
mails in Germany, Luxembourg and Bel
gium before he reached the Dutch
frontier. At the time OF his flight he
had a piece OF sausage on which ht
suhsisted for several days, after which
his sole sustcnance consisted Of turnip+
and other vegetables found in field.
O Brien did not know the German
language, but he used 4 little French
on y kindly Belgian, who was so hap
ny TO meet an American IN British uni
form that he sheltered him for severa
days. The Belgian then gave him olt
clothes to cover his uniform and di
rccted him to the nearest route TO tn,
, frontier. O Brien swan the Rive,
Meuse near Namur, and the next da,
was challenged by German sentries WHIT
, decided he was peasant.
But his naroweSt escape was reserve,
, for his last day Al fugitive, when h
could see Dutch territory. To circum