The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1918-09-13

much interest three years after 1t had
happened perhaps more-than some
current item of worldwide interest
| had at that time.
l rummaged the house many times
| from cellar to garret in my search for
something to eat, but the harvest OF
three years of war had made any sue
cess along that line impossible. 1 was
like the man out in the ocean in boat
and thirsty with water everywhere but
not a drop to drink.
I was tempted while in the city to
go to church one Sunday, but my better
judgment told me it would be useless
risk. Of course, someone would surely
sag something to me and I didn't
know how many Germans would be
there or what might happen, so gave
up that idea.
During all the time l was concealed
in this house l saw but one automobile
and that was a German staff officers.
That same afternoon l had one of the
frights of my young life.
had been gazing out of the keyhole
as usual when I heard coming down
the street the measured tread of Ger
man soldiers. 1t didn't sound like very
many, but there was no doubt in my
mind that German soldiers were
marching down the street. I went up
stairs and peeked through the window
and sure enough a squad of German in
fantry was coming down the street
accompanied by q military motor
truck. hadn't the slightest idea that
they were coming after me, but still
the possibilities of the situation gave
me more or less alarm, and l conSld-
cred how 1 could make my escape il
by chance I was the man they were
after. The idea of hiding in the wine
cellar appealed to me as the most
practical; there must have been
plenty of places among the wine kegs
and cases where a man could conceal
| himself, but, as a matter of fact, l did
not believe that any such contingency
would arise.
The marching soldiers came nearer,
I could hear them at the next house.
In a moment 1 would see them pass
the keyhole through which l was look
ing.
"Halt!'
At the word of command shouted by
q Junior officer the squad came to at
tention right in front of the house!
Iwaited no longer Running down the
stairs I flew into the wine cellar and
although it was almost pitch dark
the only light coming from a grating
which led to the backyard-I soon
found a satisfactory hiding place in
the extreme rear of the cellar. / had
had the presence of mind to leave the
door of the wine cellar ajar, figuring
that if the soldiers found closed door
they would be more apt to search for
a fugitive behind it than if the door
were open.
My decision to get away from that
| front door had been made and carried
| out none too soon, for l had only just
located myself between two big wine
cases when l heard the tramp of SOL
diers' feet marching up the front stoop,
a crash of the front door, few hasty
words of command which did not un-
| derstand, and then the noise of sour
| rying feet from room to room and such
a banging and hammering and smash
ing and crashing that could not make
out what was going on.
If Huyliger had revealed my hiding
| place to the Huns, as l was now con-
fident he had, felt that there was lit
tie prospect of their overlooking me.
| They would search the house from top
| to bottom and, if necessary, raZe 1t to
the ground before they would give up
the search. To escape from the house
! through the backyard through the iron
| grating, which I had no doubt / could
| force, seemed to be the logical thing
| to do, but the chances were that the
| Huns lad thrown a Gordon around the
entire block before the squad was sent
to the house. The Germans do these
things in an efficient manner always.
They take nothing for granted.
My one chance seemed to be to stand
pat in the hope that the officer In
charge might possibly come to the con-
clusion that he had arrived at the
house too late-that the bird had
flown.
My position in that wine cellar was
anything but comfortable one. Rats
and mice were scurrying across the
floor and the smashing and crashing
going on overhead was anything but
promising. Evidently those soldiers
imagined that l ought to be hiding in
the walls, for it sounded as though
they were tearing off the wainscotting,
the picture molding and, in fact,
everything that they could tear or pull
apart.
Before very long they would finish
their search upstairs and would come
down to the basement. What they
would do when they discovered the
| wine l had no idea. Perhaps they
| would let themselves loose on it and
give me my chance. With bottle Of
wine in each hand figured could put
up a good fight in the dark, especially
| as | was becoming more and more ac-
! custOmed to it and could begin to dis
tinguiSh things here and there. where
as when they entered the pitchy dark
ness Of the cellar, they would be as
blind as bats in the sun.
Perhaps it was twenty minutes be
fore | heard what sounded like my
death-knell to me; the soldiers were
coming down the cellar steps! |
clutched a wine bottle in each hand
and waited with bated breath.
Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! In mo-
ment they would be in the cellar
proper. | could almost hear my heart
beating. The mice scTrried across the
1oor by the scores. frightened no
doubt by the vibration and noise made
by the descending soldiers. Some of
the creatures ran across me where l
stood between two wine cases, but 1