Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1918-12-26

oA600A WAaI VUI sup W6O 0uQ WHO
were aboard. but they had six sentries
on my neck all the time to keep me
from 1t. never wanted to do any
thing worse In my life than jump
overheard or signal. But I would
have been shot down before had
more than started to do either, SO /
just stayed with the wheel.
We were nearing one Of the Dam
ish islands in the Baltic when we
sighted tug. She began to smoke
up and blow her siren. The sailors got
very excited and ran around in crazy
style. and Badewitz began shouting
more orders than they could get away
with. The sentries LETT me and ran
with the rest Of the Fritzies to the
boat deck and started to lower one of
the ufeboats. But Badewitz was right
on their heels and kicked the whole
bunch around in great shape, roaring
like bull all the time.
left the wheel and ran to the end
q the bridge. to jump overheard. But
the minute let go Of the wheel the
vessel fell of Of tho course, and they
noticed it. and Badewitz sent five of
them up on the btidge and three
others to the side With their revolvers
to shoot me IL should reach the wa
ter. I think IL I had had any rope to
lash the wheel with could have got
away and they would not have known
It.
When the five sailors reached the
bridge one Of them jumped for the
cord and gave eur siren five long
blasts In answer to the tug. The tug
was about to launch torpedo, and
we whistled just In time. One Of our
men was looking from the fiddley, and
he saw the Huns making for the life
boats, so he got two or three others
and they all yelled together, "Don't
let them get away!" thinking that
they would get the boat over and
leave the ship. and trying to yell loud
enough for the tug to hear them.
Badewltz took this man and two or
three Others, whether they were the
ones who yelled or not, and beat them
up and put them in irons. thought
there was going to be mutiny
aboard, but 1t did not come off, and
am not sure what the Huns were so
excited about. i.
The other four sailors who came up
on the bridge did not touch me. but
just kept me covered with their re-
volvers. That was the way with them
they would not touch us unless
Badewitz was there OF they had bayo-
nets. The old bull himself came up
on the bridge after he had beaten up
q few men, threw me around quite q
bit, and kicked me down from the
bridge and slammed me into the coal
bunkers. I felt pretty sore, as you
can imagine, and disappointed and
pretty low generally.
After while we heard the anchor
chains rafting through on their way
to get wet, and we pulled up. Then
every German ship in the Baltic came
up to look us over. guess. They
opened up the hatch covers, and the
Hun garbies and gold-stripes came
aboard and looked down at us, and
spit all they could on us, and called
US all the different Kinds of swine in
creation. They had them lined up
and fling past the hatchways-all OF
them giving us the once over in turn.
Maybe they sold tickets for this show
1T would be like the Huns.
At first we were milling around try.
ing to get out from under the hatch
openings and the shower Of spit, but
some Limey officer sang out, Brit
fishers all! Don't give way!" and we
stood still and let them spit their
damned German lungs out before we
would move for them, and some Cor
nishmen began singing their song
about Trelawney. So we made out
that we did not know such thing as
| German ever lived.
We got better acquainted with Ger
man splitting later on, and believe me.
they are great little spitters, not much
on distance or accuracy, but quick In
action and well supplied with ammu-
milton. Splitting on prisoners is the
favorite indoor and outdoor sport for
Germans, men and women alike.
When the show was over, they
rousted us mp on deck and put us to
work throwing the salt pork and can
ned goods into two German mine-lay.
ers. While we were at It, Danish
patrol boat came out and tied along
side us. and some Of her officers came
aboard and saw us. They knew we
We're prisoners-of-war, and they knew
that vessel carrying prisonersof-
war must not remain III neutral wa
tiers for over twenty-four hours. but
they did not say anything about it.
That night two men named Barney
Hill and Joyce. the latter gunner
from the Mount Temple, sneaked up
on deck and att to the poop deck.
There was pair Of wooden stairs
leading to the top Of the poop deck.
and Joyce and Hin lifted It and got
1t over the side with a rope, to 1t. The
two Of them got down into the water
all right, but Joyce let out yell be.
cause the water was 20 colq. and =