Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-09
HITCHCOCK TELLS
ABOUT HIS ESCAPE
Got Map and His Money on
Train While Guard
Dozed.
WILL JOIN U. S. FLIERs
By tie Associated Press.

By tie Associated Press.
PARIS, September 8-.Lieut. Thorn
as Hitchcock, jr., Of Westbury, n.
Y, the youthful member OF. the
Lafayette Flying Corps who was
captured by the Germans some
time ago, but escaped and reached
Switzerland, August %. today de-
scribed his experiences while a cap
tive and his fight to neutral terri
tory. which was accomplished through
evading his guard on a train. the
guard was taking a nap at the time.
Hitchcock was forced to walk more
than a hundred miles. This he did in
eight consecutive nights, hiding dur
ing the daytime. He lived on the food
he had saved from his meager rations
in the prison camp. He was entirely
ignorant of the country through
which he passed, but guided himself
by small pocket compass. On the
eighth day of his tramp he found him.
self in small village. He inquired
of a small girl whether he was in
Switzerland. and. being told that he
wWa+, he made his way direct to Bern,
ed at the American legation.
Wounded in Thigh.
Hitchcock was captured March 6,
when he was forced to land after an
aerial combat with three German ma
chimes. He was wounded in the thigh
and his machine became disabled at
an altitude of a thousand meters, but
he managed to land safely inside the
/ ~ INV n FOL vi
seized by several Germans and taken
to dressing station. From there he
was sent to a hospital at st. Arnold.
Later he was transferred to Saar-
brucken.
1t took two months for the wound
in Hitchcock's leg to heal. He said
he was not maltreated by the Ger
mans, but that there was plenty of
suffering among the prisoners. who
were barely existing. He said he had
been saved by the arrival Of pack
ages containing food from France.
tainted Twice.
"After landing inside the German
lines" said Hitchcock. IT tainted
twice. The second time I did not come
to my senses until I had reached the
dressing station. In the hospital I
received fair treatment only. There
was one doctor for the $50 patients,
and the food was not very good.
81 escaped while being transported
with two other Americans from Lach-
field to Rastadt. There was one Ger
man guard for the three Of us.
''While the train stopped at a sta
ton near Ulm, the guard fell into a
doze. I snatched the railway map,
which was near him, and also my
money. We were not allowed to ham
die our money.
Presently the guard awoke and
missed the map and money. Picking
been saved from my rations, but leav-
ing the map behind, I rushed out of
the door opposite, and ran as fast as
possible away from the railroad track.
The guard yelled after me, but knew
that he could not follow because of
the two other prisoners he had in
charge.
In Hiding by Day.
"I then slowed down and began to
walk toward the frontier. During the
daytime I always hid in the woods,
and at night I evaded towns and VIII
lagos, walking around them. l was
always on close watch for the Ger
mans, for I was in the uniform of a
I traversed was farming land, with
the people working during the day.
When they left the fields in the even
ing I would begin my tramp.
I made excellent progress. except
now and then when I encountered
marshes, fences and hedges. I slept
during the daytime. after having made
sure of the safety of my sleeping
place.
ARRIVING at what I thought was the
Swiss frontier I watched for traps
such as electrically charged wires and
automatic signals. Apparently I evad-
ed all such things.
zone morning. I felt sure that I was
added few extra miles to my tramp
and found myself in a little village.
There I asked a girl. who spoke
French, where I was. She said I was
in Switzerland, and then I knew I
was safe"
Hitchcock will leave for the United
States in about two weeks. He intends
to transfer from the French to the