The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-12-06
r, or A GERMAN PRISON.
.ststlng Account OF the Escape
/, i, American DOughbOy from
~ Catches Of the Huns.

IL Clutches Of the Huns.
\. allowing story of the escape o
.usrican prisoner from a German
N camp and his ultimate arriva
!. American army is taken iron
surs and Stripes" a large week
s,.r published by members of the
..,s,n Expeditionary Force in
Ancs;
4 a !. 6rst doughboy prisoner of wal
.e,pe from Germany after COM
.sj.r the cycle of experiences which
an American cap-ves OF the Boche
M IN France. He spent two
'.,hs and q half behind the German
bx
/. ~ men robbed of their valu-
N, md personal effects, even to
q, hoes. He went days without
"a . A. water. He was beaten several
4, by guards for trying to pick
Z. irom the roadside to eat.
8 4. vorked IA and Is hours a day
! A. Boche first on military work.
\, o. > farm, when. for the most
Z = ne daily diet consisted of two
= ...la a s0-called soup made from
~ nd horse meat. a single piece
I hreed. and substitute for coffee
4 dIeh hardly discolored the water ir
1 ;'hkA t was made.
n vent through the big intern
mt camp at Rastatt, near the east
n Lorraine border, in which were
u,nsfed several hundred American
'Ipners He saw it all, and more;
u ~ something of life as it is today
4 Germany. and escaped with his
rpr.
III escaped prisoner of the Ger
M i 1 Russian Pole by birth. an
lpefIean BY inclination, declaration
Il demonstration. His name is
nsnk savicki. He is "a years old. of
=, than average height, but sturdy
u veil built. He was born at Wilma,
! Puland.
WAen l6, with sister only a few
IN older. he sought a future in the
|nHol States. He arrived there, an
nnIgrant and joired his uncle at
Iandoah, Pa. where he got a job
1 al mine. He was a mule skin-
!, playground and afterward a
rhesman.
81 learned his English-still far
= project from the men about
= ~ before he, had progressed far
IA 70 learn the meaning OF the
n @bohunk," applied to many of
] hllow workers, he removed the
NJ Of Its application to him. He
4 the first step to become a citizen
ths United States, and, afterward.
N be had completed his necessary
i of residence, he raised his right
N and swore allegiance 10 the
untry be had adopted.
L M only a few months later that
Ut IN opportunity to prove that al
iance. America declared war on
many. A few weeks later, In April
\. be raised his right hand again
swore to defend the flag sW the
ited States unto death.
/ is iar cry from Shenandoah. Pa.
I shell hole north Of Chateau
larry. France, but given a year
! three months and sacred cause
defsnd, fate worked it out with the
" weird incongruity with which
has, in the last year, shaped SO
~ American destinies.
q that year and three months she
Savicki through the recruit camp.
uugh intricacies of squads right
squads left. across the ocean,
cugh the final training area, into
arst line trenches of a quiet Sec
J" and, finally, in that memorable
\ In July when the Germans were
rted homeward, into the inferno OF
hateau-Thierry battlefield.
avick had been the liaison man
Ween Company B Of the-Infan-
and c Company, his own unit.
q the Marne and the town OF
behind, B. Company
somg ahead to maintain contact
. the Boche and C Company was
oWlng. 1t was uncertain going
0asn the scattered underbrush.
eaaenly B Company found the
'ae' Tnere was the roar Of dozen
.nlne guns opening from concealed
'uons, a few shouted commands.
explosion of a score or more hand
aaoes. Savicki rassed the signal
: 70 Y Company, and dropped into
snelter Of a shell hole. A few
ates later he was joined by a cor
y and a private of B Company.
' company had fallen back to c
1panys line, they explained and
nad been cut off. So they had
.'ed into the hole in what had sud
y become No Mans land to await
opportunity to join their comrades
nS was about 2 o'clock in the
moon. At 3 o'clock the corporal
p'ns over the edge of the shell
u an effort to locate the Amcri-
positions received three bullets in
nead. He died instantly.
y TWO hours Savicki and the other
ste sat in the hole. Then thu
'no private said, "We might as well
e run for 1t; we'll be killed any
asicKi agreed. They started. The
'na private was killed by machine
nre before he was fairly out OF
mole. Savicki dropped back un'
ned.
'slcki continued his wait alone
ne put his helmet on his bayone'
ueio 1t above the edge of the hole
raw 1t back a moment later with
ouiiet holes in it. That decided
), mat escape in daylight was i'm
ible.
. waited until nightfall, but as hi
4 L q