Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-22
ROYAL CANADIAN FLYER
ESCAPES FROM GERMANY
Lieutenant Patrick Alva O,Brien
Tells Thrilling Story OF
War Zone.
KING is MOST DEMOCRATIC
Man Who Faced Boche and Death
Also Visited English Ruler Mt
Buckingham Palace for Fify-Two
Minutes.

| NEW YORK. January 21.--German
spies all and sundry. were invited by
Lieutenant Patrick hlva O'Bricr of the
| Royal Canadian Flying Corps to repair
forthwith ;he Momcncc. Ills, and there
TO mako note OF the fact that he Is
very much alive and enjoying full lib
crty. II they get there b. tomorrow
they will witness an interesting ccrc-
rmony. OF which the "nying Irishman"
will be the central and honored figure,
with Governor Lowden acting as a will
Ing and mighty proud side light.
| Germany is understood to have
walked" O'Brien under the supposition
that he had been Killed. Civilization,
and especially Canada and Momcnce.
mourncd his loss. Willy Momcnce?
Simply because it was there he grad
uated from knickcrbocker9 10 "longics"
while attending school, and Momcncc
people have regarded him as their ow n
special representative in the worlds
| fight against the Kaiser. Several
weeks ago rumors began to reach
Momence that OBricn had proved az
hard to xiii as Kilkenny cat. and
that lie had escaped 10 England and
vas making his way westward.
! To-day before taking the Twentieth
Century for Momcnce, where he is to
he decorated by having a made-in-
America pin fastened to his uniform.
/ he sat in tho Hotel knickerbocker.
and told newspaper men how he cs-
capped from Germany.
And. I say. boys said he with y
grin when he had finished relating his
adventures which sounded as IL fresh
from romance, please say Pots
dam papers please copy will you as
favor to me? ] want the Kaiser to
know l have arrived safely"
He made just one other personal re-
quest. After describing how he cs-
capped. keeping a bare half-lap ahead
OF Boches and death as he journeycd
through Germany. Belgium and 1Iol-
land. and finally landed as the private
guest OF King George at Buckingham
Palace. he told how he had hobnobbed
with the King for exactly hfty-two
minutes by his wrist watch
ASKS KING BE GIyEI
BOOST AZ PERSONAL FRIEND
/ The King is the most democratic
fellow l ever met. Just give him a
| good boost. will you?"
/ Lieutenant O'Bricns plane was shot
J down last August by a German air
plane behind the enemy lines near
! fpres From that time until he landed
81 buckingham Palace as ling Georges
guest, he experienced a series Of thrills
which followed one another thick and
fast.
II was shot in tho mouth said he
showing a scar By parting his sand,
mustache. land then began to fall
down. down; it seemed as il II would
never end. ] Kept saying to myself
I'm killed; I'm killed. But you see
l exaggerated the thing. for here I am
Tho next thing 1 knew a German
doctor was showing me tho bullet he
had dug out OF my head in an enemy
hospital.
They kept mo there six days. when
was taken before tho intelligence
bureau of the flying corps, where
was questioned at great length by a
Hun. lie said tho Americans would
mobilize 100000 men. but would .end
but 100000 to France. as the rest would
be needed for service against Japan
Guess again told him. and he
ordered me taken TO a prison camp at
| Courtrai."
While being transported. three weeks
later. TO prison camp in the interior
he decided to escape from the train
as hs knew there would be no chance
after reaching camp. JIe lcapcd from
a window while the train was making
thirty or forty miles an hour, gaining
cover before the train could stop and
the guards institute search. lie
spent ciShty-thrce days plungins
through the mud OF LUX cmburs and
Belgium. and then reached the from
tier OF Holland. having Travelled $50
miles to make the scventy-two miles