American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-10-05
ALIENS AT FORT DOUGLAS
FOILED IN TUNNEL PLOT
{ COmmandant, Aware OF the German
War Prisoners Purpose, Balks Plan
at Wholesale Escape.


at Wholesale Escape.
Digging of an underground tunnel
through which alien enemies con
fined in the Third war prison camp at
Fort Douglas were seeking to burrow
their way out of the prison camp was
brought TO an abrupt end Wednesday,
says the Salt Lake Tribune, when
Colonel George L. Byram, prison com
mandant, lined up all the alien enemy
war prisoners, told them that his Of
fcer had been watching their every
move since they dug the first shovel
full of earth, then forced them to ill up
their own tunnel.
The civilian prisoners, who were
involved in the tunnel plot to escape
from the prison camp, started two tun-
nels underneath the floor of an un-
used set of barracks in the alien enemy
section of the prison camp. When
but four feet under ground in the first
the diggers encountered a mass OF
boulders that forced them to abandon
this hole. They started a second tun-
uel and had driven this TO a depth of
about eight feet when the colonel de
cided they had proceeded far enough
and put a stop to it,
The plOtters worked only at night
but their work was discovered the
night it was started and without an
inhling being given to the prisoners
that their work was suspected, Off
GERS and guards watched the progress
of the work nightly until Wednesday,
when they were called up their plot
exposed to them and they were forced
10 fill up the holes.
AdmOnitiOn Is Given.
The prison commandant has put no
one in confinement for the attempted
escape, nor has he inflicted any special
discipline upon any of the civilian con-
tingent. but he had a heart-to- heart
talk with them Wednesday morning
in which he laid stress upon the fact
that there are men outside of the
/ camp who are just as clever and
watchful as anybody inside, and he
emphasized the futility Of any at
/ tempts to escape from the prison
The prison officers have not been
able to positively identify the ring
| leaders in the plot to tunnel out of
! the prison, but six alien enemies of
/ the l. W. ". type are suspected of be-
/ ing the ringleaders Owing to lack of
positive proof to place the blame on
any particular ones for cOncocting the
I plot, all of the seventy-five alien
enemies in the alien enemy section of
/ the camp will be disciplined The
commandant of the prison has issued
an order depriving them of all special
privileges which have been granted
them heretofore and they will be kept
1 under stricter regulations as to their
movements.
Il am sure they are convinced" said
the colonel, that we are on the job
and are not asleep, so l feel certain
there will be no repetition of the at
tempt to escape. Should there be we
will deal with it accordingly"
To the credit of the sailors who con-
stitute the majority of the prisoners
of war held in the camp at Fort Dou-
glas, Colonel Byram states that they
were in no way involved in the plot
to escape and had no knowledge OF
the affair The men who were seek
ing to burrow out of the prison are in
a separate section of the camp. which
is separated from that portion Occu-
pied by the sailors by a barbed wire
fence.
Began Week Ago.
According to information given out
the plOtters began their tunneline
work about a week ago. They have
been working with a piece of broker
spade and a tin bucket. using the
| broken spade to dig and the bucket tC
convey the earth out of the tunnel
The plOtters managed to smuggle
these crude instruments into an un
b used barracks at the south side of tn,
! prison compound. AT night the meI
detailed for the work would craw
under the floor of the empty barracks
and dig. The earth from the hole
was spread about over the ground un
$ der the house.
1t happened that the plotters chos'
2 barracks under which TO work tina
p was raised a little above the ground
!. and when the sentry on duty the frs
night made his rounds he discovere,
T. the men at work. The matter wal
= Immediately reported TO the command
5 ing officer, who gave instructions t
5 let them proceed under watch. With
1 out move that would let the plotter
= know their work had been discovered
guards watched their progress nightly