Republican farmer., 1918-03-15
spy FOR
DIVERTINC u. S.
ARMY TRANSPORT
Surrender" Order An
swered With Two Hits
Fatal to Germans.
17-YEAR OLD IS
HERO OF BATTLE
Edward Otis, Russian
Born Sailor, Held
Under Heavy Bail.

An Atlantic Port, March 42-I
In connection with the case Of |
Edward Otis, the % year old
native of Riga, Russia, for
merly quartermaster on a
United States transport, who is
charged with espionage and is
held under $4,000 bail, has be-
come known the details of the
perilous voyage over seas of
the transport, which riddled
with Hun shrapnel, bears silent
testimony to an actual clash
with a German submarine.
Otis, it is alleged. tempered with
the mechanism that controlled the
transports course in submarine zones.
1t is charged also that he ran the
American flag upside down and that
he reported a false reading of the
carriers log.
At. Otis trial here last Saturday it
was brought cut that the alleged tenn
pering with what is known as the
''zigzag'' clock of the transport had
shifted the zigzagging course of the
vessel to a material degree and that
the ship was placed thereby in grave
danger of submarine attack.
The transport, safe at her berth,
brings with it a crew, the members
of which tell of the 'f5rush'' with the
| underwater vessel and of the cour-
ageous conduct under fire of those
who manned the American guns,
who, fighting against great odds, had
won the day. All stand ready to
brave the submarines again, and the
morale of the unit is unimpaired.
| The transport made only one trip
overseas. After clearing from an At
Iantic port she joined her convoy and
began the trip across without special
| incident until she neared the hostile
zone. Then things began to happen.
First her engine went wrong" and
| she was compelled to drop behind the
convey, believing the trouble could
be corrected in a short time. But
| this was not the case and when the
repairs were made the transport was
separated from her convoy. but not
alone, for proceeding along her
| course the lookout sighted subma-
rine dead astern, less than mile
away
The gun crew of the transport vas
thrown into action and the stern gun
was opened up at the enemy craft. AT
this time the underwater boat showed
fight, and, using her shrapnel suns,
the submarine dropped shrapnel on
the transport.
The submarine let loose one of her
torpedoes, but the transport maneuv-
cred and let it pass, close to her stern.
Using shrapnel again, the Germans
worked effectively, several shots find
ing their mark. The crew of the
transport were having trouble with the
range. To add to the transports pre-
dicament the chief gunner had his
clothing nearly stripped from his body
lin a hail of small shell. He was
wounded in the leg.
| AS usual, there was an American
present who jumped into the breech
took the place of the wounded chic
gunner, and proved himself equal to
the occasion. The volunteer was IT
year old boy.
In the meantime the enemy craft
had pulled up to within 900 yards
and sent up the signal: Surrender,
we are overhauling you" The gun
crew on the transport answered with
their first hit.
Again came the signal to surrender
from less than 500 yards, but the
transport replied with another hit, and
the men swore they would die fighting
rather than give a satisfactory answer
to the Hun challenge.
The shot that closed hostilities was
direct hit, which landed fairly on the
periscope deck of the submarine, and
with it's bursting the under sea- craft
was seen to dive or sink. The crew
exhausted but enthusiastic, did not
Hnger to investigate the fate of the
enemy ship.