Baxter Springs news., 1918-11-08
SYNOPSIS


s~~~~~~~~~~~~-~~S
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER I-Introductory. Pat o'Brien
tells OF his purpose In writing the story
of hla adventures.
CHAPTER II-Tells Of his enlistment In
fho ROYAL Flying corps, his training In
Canada and his transfer TO France tor NO
tive duty.
CHAPTER IIT-Descrlbes fights IN which
he brought down two German airplanes
and hln final fight In which he was
brought down wounded within the Ger
man lines and was made a prisoner OF
war.
CHAPTER IV-Dlscovers that German
honDltal stan barbarously neglected the
fatally wounded and devoted their ener-
Rioa TO restoring those vino might De
returned TO the firing lines. Witnesses
death In fight OF his best chum. Lieut.
Paul Rainey.
CHAPTER Vile is taken to the Of
fcorn' prison camp at Courtrni. There ne
began planning his escape. by great sac
ridca he manages to save and hiue away
two daily rations OF bread.
CHAPTER Vile confiscates q map Of
O0rmany and lust half an hour later II
nut on q train bound for a prison camp
n Germany. He leaps through wnaoM
while the train Ia travelling at rate Oh "
miles an hour
CHAPTER vII-For nine days he
srawls through Germany, hiding during ing
the day, travelling at night. guided by the
stars and subsisting on raw vegetapies.
He covers Is miles before reaching Lux
omburg.
CHAPTER vIII-For nine days more he
ntruggles on in q weakened condition
through Luxemburg In the dDecuon OF
Belgium.
CHAPTER IX-He endures terrible
hardah!ps, swims rivers while dellrlouS
from hunger, living like hunted animal
and on the eighteenth day after jumping
from the train he crosses Into Belgium
CHAPTER x-when well on his way
through Belgium he Is befriended one
night by q Flemish peasant, who iee1s
him and directs him to man IN bei-
9ian city who will help him TO get a pass
port.
CHAPTER XI-By mingling with Bel
Rian peasants he manages TO eiude Ger
man soldiers and reaches the Belgian cry
where he finds the home OF the nun Irom
whom he expects help
CHAPTER xii-1Tuyllger forges a pass
mort for O'Brien and promises 10 assist
him IN getting into Holland. Later Huy-
IIRer and his associates demand an ex,,
orbitant sum for their SERVICES "Hu
O'Brien breaks with them.
CHAPTER XIII-He spends five days
and nights in an unoccupied house Wltn-
out food except for the scraps ne PICKS UP
In night forays.
Just as I TOOK the next rung, the
lndder slipped. came in contact with
the live wire, and the current passed
through the wet sticks and into my
body. There was a blue flash, my
hold on the ladder relaxed and fell
heavily to the ground unconscious
OF course, I had not received the
full force Of the current or / would
not now be here. / must have re-
maIned unconscious for q few mo-
ments, but / came to just In time to
hear the German guard coming, ana
the thought came to me II ! didn't get
that ladder concealed ut once he would
see It even though, Fortunately for me,
Il was an unusually dark night.
/ pulled the ladder out Of his path
and lay down fiat on the ground not
seven feet away from his feet. He
passed so close that / could have
pushed the ladder out and tripped
him up.
It occurred to me that could have
climbed back under the barbed wire
fence and waited for the sentry to re-
turn and then felled him with n blow
on the head, as he had no idea' OF
course, that there was anyone In the
vicinity. / wouldn't have hesitated
TO take life,' because my only thought
was to get into Holland, but / thought
that rs long 'as he didn't bother me
perhaps the safest thing to do was moi
to bother him, but to continue my Ell
forts during his periodic absence.
His beat ut this point was apparent
" fairly long and allowed me more
time to work than had hoped Tor.
My mishap with the ladder had con
vlnced me that my escape in that way
WINS not feasible. The shock that
had received had unnerved me and
was afraid to risk 1t again, particu
larly as / realized that / had fareC
more fortunately than could hop'
TO again II / met with similar mis-
han. There was no way Of making
that ladder hold and gave up the idet
of using 1t.
I was now right in front OF thil
electric barrier and as I studied 1t
saw another way of getting by. II
couldn't get over 1t, what was TN
matter with getting under itf
The bottom wire was only tw'
inches from the ground and, Of course
I couldn't touch II, but my plan wal
to dig underneath 1t and then craw
through the hole In the ground.
I had only my hands to dig with
but / went at 1t with a will and fortu
nately the ground was not very hard
When ! had dug about six inches
making a distance In oil Of eigh
inches from the lowest electric wire
I came 10 an underground wire.
knew enough about electricity to real
ize that this wire could not be charged
a Il was In contact with the ground
but stfIl there was not room Detweel
49, ~ ,r,iro and this underground