Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-07
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sided and it's speed seemed to dimin-
ish, and my plan appealed to me strong
er than ever.
Called Him a Lunatic
I knew the guard in front of me didn't
understand a word of English, and So.
in quiet tone of voice, 1 confided to
the English officer who sat next me
what l planned to do.
For Gods sake, Pat, chuck it," he
urged. Don't be a lunatic This rail-
road is double-tracked and rock-ballast-
ed and the other track is on your side
You stand every chance in the world
Of knocking your brains out against the
rails, or hitting a bridge or a whistling
post and if you escape those you will
probably be hit by another train on the
other track. You haven't one chance
in a thousand to make it,"
There was a good deal of logic in
what he said, but I figured that once I
was in that reprisal camp 1 might never
have even one chance in a thousand to
escape, and the idea of remaining a
prisoner of war indefinitely went
against my grain. I resolved to take
my chance now at the risk Of breaking
my neck.
The car was full of smoke. I looked
across at the guard. He was rather an
old man, going home on leave, and he
seemed to be dreaming Of what was in
store for him rather than paying any
particular attention to me. Once in
while I had smiled at him, and figured
that he hadn't the slightest idea Of
what was going through my mind all
the time we had been travelling.
I began to cough as though my throat
were badly irritated by the smoke, and
then 1 opened the window again. This
time the guard looked up and showed
his disapproval, but did not say any
thing.
It was then o'clock in the morning
and would soon be light. I knew I had
to do it right then, or never, as there
would be no chance to escape in the
daytime.
HAD on a trench coat that 1 had
used as a flying coat and wore my
- knapsack, which 1 had constructed
out of a gas bag brought into Court
raj by a British prisoner. In this 1
had two pieces of breac, a pice of sau-
sage and pair of flying mittens. All
of them had to go with me through the
window.
The train was now going at a rate
of between thirty and thirty-five miles
OH uOuIS anu again II 10 du-
monish me as it ratified along over the
ties: You're d fool IL you .do-you're
a fool if you don't. You're a fool if
you don't--you're a fool if you do.
You're fool if you don't"
Leap From tks Train.
l waited no longer. standing upon
the bench as if to put the bag on the
rack and taking hold of the rack with
my left hand and strap that hung
from the top of the car with my right,
1 pulled myself up, showed my feet and
legs out of the window and let go.
There was a prayer on my lips as I
went out, and 1 expected a bullet be-
tween my shoulders, but it was all over
in an instant.
1 landed on my left side and face,
burying my face in the rock ballast,
cutting it open and closing my left eye,
sknning my hands and shins and
straining my ankle For a few mo-
ments / was completely knocked out,
and if they shot at me through the
window, in the first moments after my
/ had no way of knowing.
OF course, if they could have stopped
have recaptured me, but at the speed
it was going and in the confusion which
must have followed rny escape, they
probably didn't stop within half a mile
from the spot where lay.
L came to With ma few minutes and
when 1 examined myself and found no
bones broken, l didn't stop TO worry
about my cuts and bruises, but jumped
up with the idea of putting as great a
distance between me and that track as
possible before daylight came.
Still being dazed, 1 forgot all about
the barbed wire fence along the right
of way and ran full tilt into it. Right
there / lost one of my two precious
pieces of bread, which fell out of my
knapsack, but l could not stop to look
for it then.
The one thing that was uppermost i'll
my mind was that for the moment 1
was free, and it was up to me now to
make the most of my liberty.