The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-19
PRISONERS TAKEN BY GERMANS 60 TO ANY LENGTHS AND SUFFER
 ANY HAROSHIPS TO ESCAPE LINES

All ovOr the world just at present prisoners of war. whether confined in dark cells or tOiflng in field or factory for their captorz. are secretly engag- tkey may regain thelr freedom and their homes
 The adventures of many men who have already escaped from the pris- on camps of Germany and Austria, would furnish material for -thrillers" as varied and as astonishing as any escapadas which have supplied the motion picture dramat1St-
 As the records of the present strug- gle are shown over and over again, the Lfisonar of war who has made up his mind to escape takes no thought of danger or discomfort Thoughts of death are p0weriesS to- turn him from his puTpo9e. starvation cannot quell him into submission. the horrors of solitary confinement arc insufficient to b1 eak hls spirit
 Calling upon the resOurcefuIneSs of the nxAgo and the hard1hc 3d of ths pioneer he breaks through thousand barriers and cOnQuers a thousand diff ficuIties- Often he dies on the way or is pulled back to black punishment and increased torture, but again he wins through, ha1f-etarved- wounded, ragged, penniless. broken in body, but not in spirit, the most triumphant be- ing in the world,
 WiIlett Charles Smith of tNorwa1k, l Conn, Is one of the few Americans who has had the experience of escaD- ing from 8 German war prison camp Early in 1917 he g1gned up in BalH- more as seaman aboard the British steamship Egn1era1da, bound for L1V- erpooL Tho steamship delivered it's cargo in Bafsty but on the return voy- age was captured by the raider Moewe, the Esn neralda being sunk while the 1risoners were taken to Klel on the Moewe-
 With 2s othee Americans, Smith was taken to Lubec later. whence he made an attempt to escape He got through the wire fence all right, bun was spotted by the seutries and sur rendered, after which he was thrown into black cen and fed on bread and water for IA days.
 Smith, supposedly thoroughly cow ed by this treatment, was taken out of the dark cell, having to keep his eyes closed for some time because oi the effect of the light on them, and was put to loading fertilizer on 2 Swedish vessel
 On one trip into the hold he lay down. placing the bags of fertilizer over him 10 that he could not be seen and there he stayed for stx days, suf. ferinE fndescr1bab1e tortures of hum ger and infinitely worse bangs ot thirst. but determined not to come ou slntfl the vessel reached Stockholm
 Smith went from Stockholm tc Christian1a, where he boarded the BurgersfJord for the United States.
 A fugitive for T2 days in an enc my country. Flight Lieut. Patrick O,Brien of Menoninee, IL. found op portuntty for bringing into use al the daring and resourcefulness whicf had made him notable for his exploit in the air before his capture by th' Prussians
 Jumping from a train going 3t miles an hour, Lieut.. O'Brien tor' open a severe wound and fell uncon scious beside the railway tracks. For tunately for him it was night, and h. fegained consciousness before th' dawn discovered him to his enemies
 Then began his search for the Ho4 land frontier. He travelled throagi the fields at night, swan rivers ant canals, subsisting on one piec' of sausage which he had brough from the train, and afterwart on turnips and other stray vegetables found in the fields.
 He was lucky enough to encountel . friendly Belgian who helped hin ont with some civilian clothes. Arrivet