Baxter Springs news., 1918-11-08


made the method impractcable.
I went on digging. When the total
distance between the live wire and the
bottom Of the hole ! had dug was
thirty inches, took hold OF the ground
wire and pulled on 1t with all my
strength.
II wouldn't bulge. II was stretched
taut across the narrow ditch had
dug-nbout fourteen inches Wide
and all the tugging didn't serve to
loosen Il.
I was Just about to give up in de-
spalr when q staple gave way In the
nearest post. That enabled me to pull
the wire through the ground a little
and renewed my efforts. After
moment or two Of pulling as / had
never pulled in my life before,
staple on the next post gave way.
and my work became easier. had
more leeway now and pulled and
pulled again until in all eight staples
had given way.
Every time staple gave way, II
sounded In my ears like the report OF
n gun, although I suppose 1t didn't
really make very much noise. Never
theless, each time would put my ear
10 the ground to listen for the guard.
II I heard him would stop working
and lie perfectly still in the dark till
he had gone by.
BY pulling on the wire. ! was now
able to drag 1t through the ground
enough to place 1t back from the
fence and go on digging.
The deeper / went the harder be-
came the work, because by this time
nv finger nails were broken and I
was nervous-afraid every moment
thnt / would touch the charged wire.
kept at It. however, with my mind
constantly on the hole ! was digging
and the liberty which was almost with
in my reach.
Finally / figured that ! had enough
space to crawl through and still leave
a couple of inches between my back
and the live wire.
Before went under that wire no
ticed that the lace which the Belgian
woman had given me as souvenir
made my pocket bulge, and lest II
might be the innocent means OF cleo
trocuting me by touching the live wire'
/ took It out, rolled It up and threw IL
over the barrier first.
Then lay down on my stomach anu
crawled or rather writhed under the
wire like a snake, with my feet hrst'
and there wasn't any question OF my
hugging mother earth as closely as
possible because ! realized that even
to touch the wire above me with my
back meant instant death.
Anxious as was to get on the other
side, 1 didn't hurry this operation.
feared that there might be some little
detail that had overlooked and ex-
erclsed the greatest possible care In
going under, taking nothing Tor
granted.
When / finally got through ana
straightened up, there were still sew
eral feet of Belgium between me ana
liberty, represented by the SIX feet
which separated the electric barrier
from the last barbed wire fence DuI
before went another step went
down on my knees and thanked God
for my long series Of escapes ana es'
pecially for this last achievement,
which seemed to me to be about all
that was necessary to bring me free
dom.
Then I crawled under the barbeo
wire fence and breathed the free air OF
Holland. / had no clear Idea Jus'
where was and / didn't care much
was out of the power Of the German
and that was enough. ! had walked
perhaps a hundred yards, when re
membered the lace / had thrown ovel
the barrier, and dangerous as real
lied the undertaking to be, l deter
mined to walk back and get 1t. Thli
necessitated my going back onto Bel
gian soil again, but 1t seemed shame
TO leave the lace there, and by exer
cising a little care ! figured l cOuit
get 1t easily enough.
When l came to the spot at which
had made my way under the barbet
wire, put my ear to the ground an'
listened for the sentry. ] heard hin
coming and lay prone on the GROUND
till he had passed. The fact that III
might observe the hole in the GROUND
or the ladder occurred to me as LAY
there, and It seemed like an age be
fore he finally marched out OF ear
shot. Then went under the barbeC
wire again, retrieved the lace and onc'
again made my way to Dutch terri
tory.
1t does not take long to describe tn
events lust referred to, but the Incl
dents themselves consumed severa
hours In all. To dig the hole mus
have taken me more than two hour
and had to stop frequently to hid
while the sentry passed. Many times
indeed. 1 thought / heard him cominI
and stopped my work and then dis
covered that It was only my imagina
ton. certainly suffered enough tina
night to last me a lifetime. With
German guard on one side, death iron
electrocutlon on the other, and starvn
ton staring me in the face. my pllgh
was anything but a comfortable one.