Charlevoix county herald., 1917-09-07
Daring French
Zouave Escape
They Bride Peasant Woman With
Chocolate, Tea and Canned
Goods and Get 0vercoats and
Old Felt Hats Of Civilians.
n REALLY gripping story Of one Of

q hero or the French aviation corps,
who recently succeeded In escaping
from a German prison camp and Is
now enjoying once more the free air
OF France. wish could convey In
writing the modest, simple, matter OF
fact manner In which Adjutant Reser-
vat speaks of his strange experience,
says Peul Ayres Rockwell, staff cor
respondent of the Chicago Daily News.
Adjutant Reservat was a pilot with
the famous lighting escadrille N. 50,
which was one Of the first flying
groups to 20 to the verduD front last
year. After many successful recon
noissances and combats he was order
ed on May %, 1916, to attack and de-
stroy German observation balloon.
The attack was successful, and Reser-
vat sent the "drachen" flaming to
earth. But while he was diving on
the balloon and destroying it four Ger
man aeroplanes came up behind him
and began Kidding his machine with
bullets.
Reservat was eight kilometers -four
and eighteenth miles, within the Ger
man lines and subjected not only to
the attacks OF the four aviators. but to
a grilling shell fire from anti-aircraft
guns. Yet he did not lose hope Of get
ting back home. He headed for the
French lines with his four assailants
after him, firing all the time. Reser-
watts machine gun was fixed one and
could only be fred In the direction In
which his machine was headed. Sew
eral times he tried to maneuver so as
TO return the German fire. All his ef-
forts were in vain.| A number OF bull
let's pierced the motor, and be was
forced to land In German territory.
Germans Congratulate Reservat.
The four German pilots who had
been attacking Reservat also landed
They congratulated him upon his gal
liant struggle. then wrote note con-
nrming his having destroyed the
drachen assigned him and telling Of
his being captured after a heroic at
tempt to escape. The note was car
ried up by German aviator and drop
ped into the French lines. Reservat
was put on q train and taken away to
German prison camp near Mayence
(the German Mainz.)
Captivity was not agreeable TO this
eagle. who loved the-free air, and Res
ervat at once began planning his es-
cape. The camp at Mayence was too
well guarded, however Then he was
moved to Weilburg, where the regime
was even more strict. Seeing that
there was little hope of getting safely
away from this camp Reservat volun-
teered TO go to work In a great agricul-
tural camp and succeeded In being
transferred to Giessen.
Here there was more freedom The
prisoners were even allowed an hour a
day In which to go out into the little
village near by to purchase coffee and
other bits. Reservat made the &C.
quaintance Of an old peasant woman
and, pretending that he wished II as a
protection against the cold, asked her
to sell him a civilian overcoat. The
woman consented to sell the coat on
condition that 1t should be paid for
with chocolate, tea, canned goods and
other edibles, which Reservat received
In weekly parcels from France. The
exchange was made, and the old wom-
an also sold q civilian coat to a young
zouave sergeant, who was to be Reser-
watts comrade In the dash for liberty.
For several cakes Of chocolate the
scheming Frenchmen also bought from
a servant girl two rough felt hats.
Road Map In Parcel.
Many months before one Of the pris-
onsrs had received, hidden In a parcel
from France, a good road map of Ger
many. Reservat and his comrade
made tracing of it. They also laid
by q little store Of chocolate, biscuit
and canned foods sent them from
home and finally. on March IS. 1917,
all was ready for the departure. TAX.
ing advantage Of a half hours lateness
In locking the door OF their barracks.
the two men skipped out In the dark
ness and were en- route for liberty.
Here are a few notes describing the
Journey, written by Reservat during
thc lOuB udynBut uOuT5 III WHICH ue
and his companion lay hidden In thick
cts or abandoned huts:
Departed at S:15 the evening of
March 10, 1917, and got away without
incident. We took the route for Lin.
burg and thought to gain several kilo-
meters by cutting across through the
woods. Alas, at the end Of an hour
and half, we found ourselves lost I'm
the forestsl Finally we discovered the
main road and crossed the Lain. Rain
and an intense darkness. Taking our
direction northwest, we again got lost
and walked without knowing where
we were going until a. m. Then we
came to the edge Of large wood and
entered thicket OF small pines, where
we lay down near the road A rainy
day, some snow. We are suffering
from the cold.
March 20.-We left our hiding place
at S:15 p. m. and set out toward a
great light, which we thought must be
the station at Limburg. Before arriv-