Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-17
Continued from Last Issue)
Raids Barn and Gets a Coat

Raids BAN and Gets a Coat
Ii was perhaps three days later
that / planned TO search another
house for further clothes. Entering
Belgian houses at night is anything
but Il safe proposition, because their
families are large and sometimes as
many as seven or eight sleep in a
single room. The barn is usually
connected with the house proper, and
there was always the danger OF dis
turbing some dumb animal even II
the inmates OF the house were not
aroused
Frequently 1 took a chance of
searching backyard at night in the
hope OF finding food scraps, but my
success in that direction was so slight
that soon decided that il wasn't
worth the risk and I continued TO live
on the raw vegetables that l could
pick with safety in the fields and the
occasional meal that l was able 10
get from the Belgian peasants in the
day time.
Nevertheless l was determined to
get more IN the way Of clothing and
when night came picked out house
that looked as though il might fur
nish me with what l wanted 1t was
a moonlight night and If / could get
in the barn l would have a fair
chance OF finding my way around by
the moonlight which would enter the
windows
The barn adioined the main part of
the house. but / groped around very
carefully and soon touched some
thing hanging on = peg. l didn't
know what it was, but 1 confiscated
il and carried il out into the fields.
There in the moonlight l examined
nv booty and found that il was an
old coat IL was too short as an
oyercOat and too long for an ordi-
nary coat. but nevertheless l made
use OF il. II had probably been an
overcOat for the Belgian who had
worn it.
Parts With His Uniform
Some DAYS later I got a scarf from
a Belgian peasant. and with this
equipment I was able TO conceal my
uniform entirely.
Later on. however, I decided that
il was too dangerous TO keep the uni
form on any way, and when night
came I dug a hole and buried IL
I never realized until l had to part
with II Just how much / thought OF
that uniform Il had been with me
through hard trials and l felt as If I
were abandoning a friend when 1
parted with it
I was tempted 70 keep the wings
of the tunic, but thought that would
be a dangerous concession to senti-
meut in the event that I was ever
CAPTURED II was the only distinction
/ had left, as had given the Royal
Flying CORPS badges and the stars OF
my rank TO the German flying officers
as souvenirs, but I felt that it was
safer to discard IT
As II finally turned out. through
an my subsequent experiences my
escape would never have been ieop-
ardiZed had kept my uniform, but,
Of course, had no idea what was in
store for me.
There was one thing which sur
priSed me very much as 1 journeyed
through Belgium, and that was the
scarcity OF dogs. Apparently most of
them have been taken by the Ger
udu5 anu I1[ al ACAN GAC bNeAoLo
OF burden who are too tired at night
to bark or bother intrudeTs. This
was a mighty good thing for me, for I
would certainly have stirred them up
in passing through backwards, as l
sometimes did when 1 was making a
short cut.
One night as I came out OF a yard
it was so pitch dark could not see
ten feet ahead of me and I was right
in the back OF a little village, al
though I did not know it. 1 crawled
along, fearing 1 might come to
crossroads. at which there would in
all probability be German sentry.
Ny precautiOn served me in good
stead, for had come out in the main
street of a village and within twenty
feet OF me, sitting on some bricks
where they were building a little
store, I could see the dim outline of
German with a spiked helmet,