The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-11-08

York, on September 8. Mandel and l
escaped from prison by jumping from
a window ON the second sfloor. We
landed in the street and quickly mix
ed with the crowd. In that way we got
out of the city and reached an un-
guarded German airorome. After hav-
ing difficulty in trying to run out a
plane, we finally grew exasperated
and tore down the tent At dawn we
got the plane IN shape to fly. Just
then German mechanic approached
and discovered us. He raised a yell.
We grabbed him and in the tussle he
stabbed me in the back Mandel put
him out Of commission by hitting him
over the head with flash light. Then
we ran for It.
1--WE passed through seven lines of
occupied trenches and got in shell
hole before the German first line,
where We hid all day. During that day
an English battery wiped out Hun
battery nearby. At night we advanced
across No Mans Land and reached a
stream where we peeled off our
clothes and were Just ready to dive
when a Hun patrol repairing wires
which the English battery had maui
ed, discovered and captured US. We
were taken to Fresnes where we were
kept fourteen days in the solitary on
bread and water"
At this point Anderson took up the
the story Of the escape.
"They were five of u.s." he said "in-
Guiding an English corporal. We plan
ned our escape for three days. All of
us were imprisoned above the guard
room, all on the same floor, so we
managed to loosen the heavy padlocks
on the DOORS Meantime Mandel and
Donaldson with a saw cut a hole
through the roof. On the night of Sep
tember 26 while the guard played
checkers downstairs the five OF us
climbed to the roof and slid down the
side of the building into a court.
I'VE climbed wall into a garden
and so reached canal and swan it,
floating our bundles of clothes across
by means Of wooden plank.
Then we made our way into the
open country and reached a barracks,
where a sentry halted US, but we got
by when we answered was ist' to his
challenge. After that we kept to the
fields travelling nights and sleeping
days in the woods and in Earns. At
Nby pACesh oi iIiC I"VllLs "O
reached the Franco-Belgian frontier.
The Belgians were fine. They said the
Americans had saved Belgium and
'we'll save you Belgians hid us at
many points until we finally reached
Brussels.
''At daylight Mandel and the corp
oral left us in Brussels. We haven't
heard from either since
eve continued our flight and reach
ed Hacht on October ! at midnight.
Suddenly we heard the click of SEN
try's rifle and turned around-face to
face with another sentry. We uttered
gutteral greetings and kept on going.
On the fourteenth of October we
reached Holland border where we
spent week reconnoitering to find
a place to cross. This was hard, be-
cause there was electric wire barriers
charged with 5000 volts.
Finally we discovered an opening
and crawled four hours On our bellies,
making all of 100 yards in that time.
Then we waited until the German
sentries We're far apart, jumped up
and ran like hell to Holland, which
was half a mile away We heard a
shot and yell, but didn't stop. We
Kept on until we reached Weert,
where we took train for Rotterdam -