New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-01

such as pieces of wire and rope and
snort boards with which to make a
ladder, II necessary. They also traded
some of their food to a Russian for
pair of wire cutters he had smuggled
into the camp. Three different times
they had their escape plans completed,
each time with the connivance of a
Russian, and each time they had rea-
son to believe the Germans had been
appraised and they did not try.
FINALLY we learned that they were
TO take all the Russians away on Oc~
tober and, working without the Rus
SLAMS, we planned to try again on the
night of October 6. Fifteen feet from
our barred windows was high, barbed
wire fence, which turned inward at the
Top much the same as at our intern
ment camps in the States. Between
the fence and our window was ditch
seven feet wide. filed with scrapped
berbed wire. We had almost severed
the bars of the window in the room in
winch was imprisoned using an i'm
provlsed saw one of the officers had
obtained from a Russian.
All Ready to Flee
Two other officers with me were to
use two tennis court markers, eighteen
1eet long, as bridge from our Win
cow to the top of the barbcd wire
fence. The wooden markers, which we
calculated would barely hold us when
strapped together, were to be brought
INTO our room after the roll call at
night.
I'VE figured that soon after the at
tempt the guards would he attracted
from the main gate, so three officers
elected to try dash there at the
proper moment. Three others were to
attempt to get through the fence with
the wire cutters, while two others
planned to get over. We had fixed
the electric light wires SO that we
could quickly short circuit them. This
was to be done exactly at 1880 o'clock.
"hen every man was to be ready to 90.
Will tell the name of only one of
the men, as | do not know the fate
OF the others. He was Corporal Har-
ola b. Willis, of Boston, member of
the Lafayette Escadrille He was one
OF those who We're to dash through the
gate, and he and | had q rendezvous
two miles from camp.
WI hem the lights were cxtinguished
by the hort-circuiting we forced the
oars as quietly as possible and ran out
the Two markers, strapped together
and darkened with shoe backing as
much as possible in the short time we
mad. There was no moon, but the sky
was clear. N''
"One of the window bars stuck. and
we made considerable noise forcing It
but it didn't take us long to start the
risky trip to the top of the fence.
got outside all right, but there we're
guards both to my right and left.
here were no protecting trees. so |
ran as fast as ! could. with bullets
whlstling about me-
Il met Willis at the rendezvous and
we set out southwest We travelled at
night. slept in the day and lived on
raw vegetables we took from gardens.
Al last we reached the Rhine at point
between Schaffhausen and Basel.
Bank of River Guarded.
we found that at every place where
we might approach the bank it was
thoroughly guarded. We decided then
to find creek if possible and wade
down 1T until we struck the Rhine. The
current in the one We found was very
swift and the water cold. Willis had
Just taken off most of his clothes for
the plunge into the Rhine, when he was
swept away by the current which at
that point moved about twelve ki]o-
metres an hour
1t was an awful trip in the cold
water. with eddies swshing me around,
and at one time turned on my back
to float as long as possible. 1t seemed
impossible to bring that bank any
closer with my waning strength Fl
nally | was fortunate enough to be
caught in an eddy that swept me to the
shore.
when able TO walk found farm
house and was warmly welcomed by
the Swiss peasants. | told them of
Willis and asked them to send some
one down the bank to look for him. A
short distance down the road the peas
ant met one of his neighbors who had
come to look for me- Willis had landed
much the same as | had, was treated
as | had been by another peasant, and
had sent messenger for me just as
had for him. Willis went to France
and | assume has joined his command
by this time"